Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Unraid

Simplicity. Flexibility. Scalability. Modularity. Unraid empowers you to build the system youโ€™ve always wanted using your preferred hardware, software, and operating systems.

Unraid

Unraid Reviews and Details

This page is designed to help you find out whether Unraid is good and if it is the right choice for you.

Screenshots and images

  • Unraid Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-26

Features & Specs

  1. Ease of Use

    Unraid offers a user-friendly web-based GUI that makes system management straightforward, even for those without extensive technical knowledge.

  2. Extensibility

    Supports a wide range of plugins and Docker containers, allowing users to customize and extend the functionality of their system easily.

  3. Scalability

    Allows for easy addition of storage drives to expand capacity without the need for complex setups.

  4. Data Protection

    Offers robust data protection through parity-based data redundancy, ensuring that data is not lost even if a drive fails.

  5. Virtualization

    Supports running virtual machines, giving users the ability to run different operating systems and applications in isolated environments.

  6. Resource Allocation

    Provides advanced options for CPU pinning and RAM allocation to optimize performance for specific applications or virtual machines.

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Videos

8 months on unRAID

unRaid - One Year Later - My Thoughts

Freenas vs Unraid vs Openmediavault : Best Nas Software 2019

Social recommendations and mentions

We have tracked the following product recommendations or mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you see what people think about Unraid and what they use it for.
  • 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: almost 3 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: about 3 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: about 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: over 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: over 3 years ago
  • Build a NAS, where to start?
    As for NAS OS, TrueNAS is great. There are alternatives, which you can consider as well. UnRAID is very popular. https://unraid.net/product. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Which OS for storage NAS and which for the docker NAS? Advice needed for a beginner
    For storage there are multiple options. Couple examples: UnRAID https://unraid.net/product. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Bare minimum for linux
    Limetech on unRAID (read up on VM Management & VM Guest Support). Source: almost 4 years ago
  • NAS suggestion from the MAC community
    However, it might make sense to deploy a software RAID (zfs, mdadm, etc). Check out UnRaid https://unraid.net/product, OVM https://www.openmediavault.org/, or Starwinds SAN & NAS https://www.starwindsoftware.com/san-and-nas if you want to virtualize the NAS. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Help with fault tolerance on a Plex server
    Probably what you want is UnRaid: https://unraid.net/product. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Building a cloud for people on small-to-medium IaaS providers
    So one thing that's really interesting to me is that I didn't know how big unraid was. Every time I'd see it mentioned in various places. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Help me choose storage please
    You can build something yourself and use something like TrueNAS (FreeNAS) or Unraid. Check hardware requirements of the products: Https://unraid.net/product. Source: about 4 years ago
  • I saw someone using unRAID in one of LTT videos, can someone explain me in a simple terms what unraid is for mid-level IT person? Is it basically VM manager to host multiple virtual machines while sharing the hardware within that server to many different VMs?
    Does this page not tell you enough? https://unraid.net/product because if not, they should change it. Source: over 4 years ago

Summary of the public mentions of Unraid

Summary of Public Opinion on Unraid

Unraid, a versatile solution for network-attached storage (NAS), cloud storage, and virtualization, has garnered noteworthy attention within the technology community. Its primary appeal lies in its ability to transform almost any hardware setup into a functional NAS server. Users frequently cite the ease of use, flexibility, and its multi-faceted approach as key selling points for potential adopters looking for an alternative to more traditional storage solutions.

One of the unique features highlighted is Unraidโ€™s ability to handle drives of unequal sizes, distinguishing it from many NAS solutions requiring uniform storage configurations. This flexibility makes it particularly appealing for users who upgrade their storage incrementally or who wish to maximize storage without wastage due to mismatched drive capacities. This aspect was noted across several digital forums and product discussions.

In terms of usability, Unraid promises a relatively low entry barrier by requiring only basic hardware specifications. Specifically, a processor clocked at 1GHz with 512MB RAM can suffice, and setups can boot from a USB drive. This makes Unraid accessible to both hobbyists and professionals who seek a cost-effective yet powerful solution without enormous upfront investment. Additionally, Unraidโ€™s user-friendly interface is repeatedly praised as making it simple for both novice and experienced users to manage their storage systems effectively.

Comparatively, Unraid is frequently mentioned alongside TrueNAS Core, OpenMediaVault, and other competitors. It stands out in discussions related to its suitability for NAS OS, especially when deployed in mixed-size drive configurations, or as a VM manager hosting multiple virtual machines with shared resources. Users lean towards Unraid when flexibility and ease of use are principal concerns, while competitors like TrueNAS Core are favored for more traditional and sometimes more robust RAID configurations.

The community-driven discussions often emphasize Unraid's capability to serve in both casual and professional environments, being suitable not just for data storage but also for application servers and virtualization uses. This multi-use capability is an attractive feature for users building homelabs or requiring a low-cost yet efficient backup solution.

However, the public opinion isnโ€™t without critiques. Unraid is noted to require an active internet connection for the trial version, which could be a limitation in certain scenarios. Furthermore, there's an acknowledgment amongst users that while Unraid offers excellent daily RAID and backup solutions, it still "Is Not A Backup" in the traditional sense, reinforcing the need for additional backup strategies.

Overall, Unraidโ€™s public perception is largely positive, driven by its flexibility, ease of use, and the ability to efficiently utilize existing hardware. It continues to be a viable choice for those in search of NAS solutions capable of handling dynamic storage requirements, with a robust community backing its ongoing development and support.

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Is Unraid good? This is an informative page that will help you find out. Moreover, you can review and discuss Unraid here. The primary details have not been verified within the last quarter, and they might be outdated. If you think we are missing something, please use the means on this page to comment or suggest changes. All reviews and comments are highly encouranged and appreciated as they help everyone in the community to make an informed choice. Please always be kind and objective when evaluating a product and sharing your opinion.