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OpenMediaVault VS Unraid

Compare OpenMediaVault VS Unraid and see what are their differences

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Contents:
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  3. » Reviews
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OpenMediaVault logo OpenMediaVault

OpenMediaVault is the next generation network attached storage (NAS) solution based on Debian Linux.

Unraid logo Unraid

Simplicity. Flexibility. Scalability. Modularity. Unraid empowers you to build the system you’ve always wanted using your preferred hardware, software, and operating systems.
  • OpenMediaVault Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-27
  • Unraid Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-26

OpenMediaVault features and specs

  • Open Source
    OpenMediaVault is free to use and customize, thanks to its open-source nature. This allows users to modify and extend the software to better suit their needs.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    OpenMediaVault offers a simple web-based interface that makes it easy for users of all skill levels to set up and manage their storage solutions.
  • Plugin Support
    The platform supports a wide range of plugins, enabling users to add additional functionalities like media servers, backup solutions, and more.
  • Regular Updates
    The community and developers frequently update the software, ensuring it stays current with new features and security patches.
  • Wide Hardware Compatibility
    OpenMediaVault is compatible with a wide range of hardware, from low-powered single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi to more robust server setups.
  • Community Support
    There is a strong community around OpenMediaVault that provides support, shares guides, and develops plugins to extend its functionality.

Possible disadvantages of OpenMediaVault

  • Limited Enterprise Features
    OpenMediaVault may lack some advanced features and scalability options found in commercial NAS solutions, making it less suitable for very large enterprises.
  • Initial Setup Complexity
    While the user interface is straightforward, initial setup and configuration can be complex for users unfamiliar with NAS systems.
  • Reliance on Plugins
    Many advanced features require third-party plugins. If these plugins are not well-maintained, it can lead to stability and compatibility issues.
  • Performance Overhead
    Being a software-based solution, OpenMediaVault can introduce some performance overhead compared to hardware-based NAS appliances.
  • Less Robust Technical Support
    Unlike commercial solutions, OpenMediaVault relies primarily on community support and forums, which may not always provide timely or comprehensive assistance.
  • Limited Mobile App Support
    There is limited support for official mobile apps, which might be inconvenient for users who want to manage their NAS on the go.

Unraid features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Unraid offers a user-friendly web-based GUI that makes system management straightforward, even for those without extensive technical knowledge.
  • Extensibility
    Supports a wide range of plugins and Docker containers, allowing users to customize and extend the functionality of their system easily.
  • Scalability
    Allows for easy addition of storage drives to expand capacity without the need for complex setups.
  • Data Protection
    Offers robust data protection through parity-based data redundancy, ensuring that data is not lost even if a drive fails.
  • Virtualization
    Supports running virtual machines, giving users the ability to run different operating systems and applications in isolated environments.
  • Resource Allocation
    Provides advanced options for CPU pinning and RAM allocation to optimize performance for specific applications or virtual machines.

Possible disadvantages of Unraid

  • Cost
    Unraid is not free; it requires a one-time purchase of a license, which can be a drawback for budget-conscious users.
  • Single Parity Drive Limitation
    Standard setups typically use a single parity drive, which may not be sufficient for very large arrays or mission-critical applications that require more robust redundancy.
  • Limited High-Performance Storage Options
    While Unraid supports SSDs, it is primarily designed for large capacity, slower spinning disks, potentially limiting high-performance storage setups.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    Though the basic setup is user-friendly, leveraging advanced features like Docker and virtual machines may require a steeper learning curve.
  • No Built-in Backup Solution
    Unraid does not come with a native backup solution; users must configure third-party tools for backup, adding complexity to the setup.

Analysis of OpenMediaVault

Overall verdict

  • OpenMediaVault is considered a good choice for users looking for a cost-effective and flexible NAS solution. Its open-source nature, combined with a powerful feature set and intuitive user experience, makes it suitable for different levels of technical expertise.

Why this product is good

  • OpenMediaVault is a popular open-source network-attached storage (NAS) solution designed for home users and small businesses. It is praised for its ease of installation, user-friendly web interface, and robust set of features. The platform supports a wide range of services such as SSH, (S)FTP, SMB/CIFS, DAAP media server, RSync, and more. Additionally, it allows for extensive customization through plugins and has an active community for support.

Recommended for

    Home users, small businesses, and tech enthusiasts who want a customizable and budget-friendly NAS solution without compromising on features.

Analysis of Unraid

Overall verdict

  • Unraid is a robust and versatile network-attached storage (NAS) solution that is highly regarded by both beginners and advanced users. Its flexibility in storage configuration and strong community support make it a good choice for many use cases.

Why this product is good

  • Unraid is appreciated for its flexible storage management, allowing users to mix and match drives of different sizes and types. It provides a user-friendly interface suitable for beginners, while also offering advanced features for experienced users. Unraid supports virtualization, making it possible to run multiple virtual machines on the same hardware, and has a strong community support system with numerous plugins and Docker container options available.

Recommended for

  • Home media servers
  • Small business data storage
  • Tech enthusiasts looking for customizable solutions
  • Users needing virtualization capabilities
  • People interested in maximizing storage capacity efficiently

OpenMediaVault videos

+ Add

Freenas vs Openmediavault: Battle of the NAS Titans

More videos:

  • Review - OpenMediaVault NAS Linux Distro Review
  • Review - OpenMediaVault Network-Attached Storage (NAS) Solution

Unraid videos

+ Add

8 months on unRAID

More videos:

  • Review - unRaid - One Year Later - My Thoughts
  • Review - Freenas vs Unraid vs Openmediavault : Best Nas Software 2019

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenMediaVault and Unraid)

OpenMediaVault

Unraid

Cloud Storage
64 64%
Cloud Storage
36% 36
Cloud Computing
63 63%
Cloud Computing
37% 37
Storage
67 67%
Storage
33% 33
File Sharing
100 100%
File Sharing
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare OpenMediaVault and Unraid

OpenMediaVault Reviews

9 Of The Best FreeNAS Alternatives For Your Storage Needs
Openmediavault is maybe the best FreeNAS alternatives in the market as of now. This comes with an appended capacity (NAS) arrangement. It works on Linux, and you can also use some powerful administrations like DAAP media servers.
Source: technicalustad.com
Top 7 FreeNas Alternative For Your PC
Openmediavault is one highly advanced and next-generation NAS solution based on Debian Linux. This platform was designed mainly for small offices and homes and offers a simple GUI solution to manage NAS storage hardware. This has many services such as SMB/CIFS, FTP, SSH, DAAP media server, BitTorrent, RSync, etc. This software has a modular design and is made advanced with...
Source: www.sysprobs.com
Top 15 Best TrueNAS Alternatives In 2022
The most notable characteristics of OpenMediaVault include its ability to operate right out of the box, web-based administration volume control, file sharing, including aggregation, email notification, and extensibility via a plugin, among others. This is another truenas alternative.
Source: www.dashtech.org
15 FreeNAS Alternatives 2020 | Best Storage Operating System
Known as the best alternatives to FreeNAS, OpenMediaVault is a free next-generation NAS solution based on Debian Linux. It contains administrations such as NFS (v3/v4), DAAP, SSH, (S)FTP, SMB/CIFS media servers, RSync, BitTorrent clients, etc. OpenMediaVault is simple, stable, comprehensive, and does not necessitate expertise to install and administrate.
Source: solutionsuggest.com
10 Best FreeNas alternatives in 2020
Openmediavault is one of the most popular FreeNas alternative you can have a try. It is the cutting edge organize appended capacity (NAS) arrangement dependent on Debian Linux. It contains administrations like SSH, (S)FTP, SMB/CIFS, DAAP media server, RSync, BitTorrent customer and some more. Openmediavault is principally intended to be utilized in little workplaces, or home...
Source: omy9.com

Unraid Reviews

9 Of The Best FreeNAS Alternatives For Your Storage Needs
You can use the free 30-day trial version to see if Unraid is suitable for your hardware. You will experience full functionality in the trial version without any storage device limit. However, you will require an internet connection for the trial versions.
Source: technicalustad.com
Top 7 FreeNas Alternative For Your PC
unRaid is software made to transform any computer into a NAS server. An easy to use processor clocked at 1GHz with 512MB RAM does all the tricks. In simple terms, the motherboard must provide the possibility to boot on a USB key. It doesn’t need installing disks of the same capacity. Hence, you can try the free sector repair solution if your disk isn’t working.
Source: www.sysprobs.com
Top 15 Best TrueNAS Alternatives In 2022
Network-attached storage systems, UnRAID application servers, and UnRAID virtualization hosts make up the bulk of UnRAID’s offerings.
Source: www.dashtech.org

Social recommendations and mentions

Unraid might be a bit more popular than OpenMediaVault. We know about 13 links to it since March 2021 and only 10 links to OpenMediaVault. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

OpenMediaVault mentions (10)

  • Windows to Linux Switch
    I'm using openmediavault.org for my "NAS" OS. No desktop, but it does have a good web-based GUI. To automount your NAS drive, you'd have to modify your fstab file. Lots of good tutorials online. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Thinking about making a home storage server
    Basically, there a few options to start with. The most decent ones are TrueNAS/FreeNAS (https://www.truenas.com/) , OMV (openmediavault.org), both supports zfs. Also, you can look into UnRAID (https://unraid.net/) which allows you to scale easily. Also, some info on zfs https://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/hardware/10-reasons-why-zfs-rocks/ https://www.starwindsoftware.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-zfs. Source: over 2 years ago
  • just how well does the nvidea shield pro do as a plex server?
    I have 5 Optiplex 3010's (i3-3rd Gen processors) sitting in my closet with 4GB RAM that would work just fine as a direct play Plex server with openmediavault as it's OS. And should even HW Transcode a couple of 1080p files with a Plex Pass. Source: over 2 years ago
  • How I reclaimed my server after resetting devices after the breach (Ubuntu)
    Wow, I'm on a Debian based headloess OS (openmediavault.org) and my update was much easier. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • No write access after clean install of Linux Mint
    The link that u/Fribbtastic had quite a bit of detail. Or there is always r/linux4noobs. I don't have mine installed on Mint and the GUI of my openmediavault.org OS is quite a bit different (I.e. There is no desktop, only a web interface/command line). But the command line should be the same for all distros built off of Debian. Source: almost 3 years ago
View more

Unraid mentions (13)

  • what are your digital decluttering routines?
    Really: I've got a Synology 10-disk unit in JBOD mode (each drive independent, but see SnapRaid) containing backup of backups and recent set of 4x 14TB unopened drives. I'm working at building a new UnRaid system to contain everything; I just need to confirm the power supply max load and if I can stagger the drives to avoid the maximum inrush. RAID5 is great (but Is Not A Backup), UnRaid is a "daily" RAID5... Source: over 2 years ago
  • Build upgrade - OS advice
    As an example, I have qemu+kvm host running my VMs (NAS, plex, Nextcloud etc.). As for NAS OS, TrueNAS is a great options. With different drive size you can consider UnRAID. It allows to pool drives of a different size. https://unraid.net/product. Source: over 2 years ago
  • my first NAS. need some input on what to buy. synology?
    You can turn a PC case into a NAS with NAS OS like openmediavault (https://www.openmediavault.org/), unraid (https://unraid.net/product), or TrueNAS Core (https://www.truenas.com/docs/core/gettingstarted/corehardwareguide/). They require +8 GB RAM (Unraid system requirements say 4 and OMV is ok with +1GB RAM). To start, I'd go with openmediavault. If you need it to be windows, say, using for anything else, you can... Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Low cost storage server - is there a need?
    Take a look at using unraid as a backup server. https://unraid.net/product. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Homelab iSCSI Resizable Storage
    In case you are interested in software options. UnRAID is a nice option. Https://unraid.net/product. Source: about 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing OpenMediaVault and Unraid, you can also consider the following products

TrueNAS Core - TrueNAS Core (formerly FreeNAS) is a storage operating system strong and robust enough to meet the needs of enterprise level businesses.

Rockstor - Rockstor is a free and open source NAS (Network Attached Storage) operating system.

XigmaNAS - File Sharing, OS & Utilities, and Security & Privacy

Amahi - Amahi is a media, home and app server software known for its easy-to-use user interface. Amahi has the best media, backup and web apps for small networks.

PetaSAN - PetaSAN is an open source Scale-Out SAN solution offering massive scalability and performance.

Openfiler - Openfiler is the name of the open-source storage management system that is best known for its unified storage system.

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