8 Best FreeNAS Alternatives

by Hashir Zuniga

Best FreeNAS Alternatives

When you install an application, the premium version doesn’t always give the best features on its fields. Sometimes, the free ones or alternatives are often better than the main application due to some reasons. Here, you’ll get information about the FreeNAS alternatives, as a result, you can spend less money and use a similar application.

First of all, let’s talk about FreeNAS before we go into some other FreeNAS alternatives below. The main function of FreeNAS is to transfer any data using record-based sharing protocols that are different from the current device. FreeNAS is utilized in a variety of settings, including the household, small company, and enterprise.

What is FreeNAS?

FreeNAS basically is a free platform and it is first operating like Linux, using the open-source system. This application needs a high requirements PC to install, you can install FreeNAS on 8GB PC RAM or more. This application has many functions, you can do almost anything with FreeNAS, its own everything you need.

They will read your documents as a ZFS framework so the app can oversee, store, and also take some information there. With that ZFS framework, this application offers high features to protect some information on your gadget without moving it. Moreover, you can reduce the sizes of documents easily while using this app, it actually speeds up travel.

Not only storing some files but also sharing some programs or applications even such as Windows easily without any difficulty. Besides, this framework can easily handle other activities like taking a snapshot, duplicate, or plugin reading as easily as sharing.

You can easily install this application on your PC but before that, make sure your PC is above the requirement. This application is the perfect option if you have large businesses that need a safe place to exchange and store information centrally.

Top FreeNAS Alternatives

No one will doubt if we say FreeNAS is the top 1 application in open-source systems and applications. Some people still need a FreeNAS alternatives because they have a lower PC than minimum requirements. The minimum RAM you need to prepare for using this application is 8 RAM and also a dependable disk drive to save your data. Here is some recommendation of alternative to FreeNAS for you:

1. XigmaNAS

XigmaNAS

Our first FreeNAS alternatives for you falls into this XigmaNAS application that has almost the same features as FreeNAS. XigmaNAS also has the name NAS5Free. You can write down some codes like in FreeNAS and XigmaNAS and still can read them perfectly.

Another advantage of this application is you can install and use XigmaNAS in all OS without any worry. If you use a MAC program, you still can use this application, it also works both on Linux or Windows.

The FreeNAS replacement, XigmaNAS, is simple to install no matter what kind of hardware that you use. Sharing some data storages from your PC data can be easier, they just use your computer network as storage. XigmaNAS stands for the easy sharing of data and storage using the open-source principle. Above all, you can share any kind of data while using this app!

2. Open Media Vault

Open Media Vault

Open Media Vault is cutting-edge, this application is one of the fastest developments in the NAS solution that stands in Linux. This framework was created to control small offices or small houses as their main working strategies.

You can use this application to manage some media like FTP or NAS and others without any difficulties. Don’t worry about your needs because you can provide the function of this application to fulfill it before anyone else.

At the start, they only provide a modular nature but you can also customize or enhance its features for your benefit. You can build your own plugins or use this application to read something you got from the internet.

3. TrueNAS

TrueNAS

Here comes one pro application that we can categorize as a FreeNAS alternatives and it is still so much worth it. When you just log in, you may get several features like CIFS or iSCSI, not pretty different from FreeNAS. It might feel like you just bought big storage to store data or also block some traits while using this. Its interface is also very friendly even for a newbie.

One of the biggest problems we face is the high cost only to get flash performance and free storage. If you bought it at the normal price, you should be ready to spend a lot of money because it is quite expensive. TrueNAS has an integrated modular system, it can help you to manage the data of the big industrial company.

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The minor of TrueNAS is placed in the combination of ZFS if you need more space to handle your management data. Don’t need to worry about the size of your files because this application said that they can handle them for free. They’re also available storage for more than terabytes or petabytes you can use to store almost all your data.

4. Rockstor

Rockstor

Having many features like FreeNAS, this application can help you to serve one area of data online. Rockstor is based on CentOS 7. You can use additional RPMs and also Anaconda System for direct installation process you can access from anywhere.

You can manage your data, even your hardware, and then change it as an online program, then use it easily. A 64-bit processor is needed, we think it is easy to fulfill and also needs a “reasonable” amount of RAM.

Rockstor uses BTRFS as a file system and attempts to cram as many programs as possible into it. When this device is installed, Rockstor will tell us which IP address we can use to access its web management system.

5. Openfiler

Openfiler

Openfiler offers several powerful tools so you can have one room that can be bigger as you need. This application also lets you maintain that storage in many devices, you can use not only your Mac but also your PC.

We strongly recommend this app as a good alternative for FreeNAS because your mobility is not restricted. This app always puts you in a position that has a big ability to control each environment in storage. You can make use of this app to control the storage efficiently and also maximize every single space of storage resources.

There are many useful features available in Openfiler, the most useful is it can block some replication on the storage. It also has iSCSI technology that stands above the virtualization of every data you send to the main storage. There are no such lame features in this app, everything proposed to give a good storage environment.

6. UnRaid

UnRaid

Just like other apps above, UnRaid gives you the ability to exchange any device as a NAS server.  This application needs very low requirements, you only need to prepare a 1GHz processor and minimum RAM only 512MB.

To put it another way, you should prepare a motherboard that can let you boot from a USB drive. You don’t need to install any disks in the same size, better when you choose a bigger one than before.

As a result, whenever your disk stopped working, you should try to recover it using some free tools repair solution. You can only use three disks if you only use the basic version of this app. Another way, you can also make some changes to this app so it can hold more. UnRaid makes a connection between your main motherboard with another controller you use.

7.  Amahi

Amahi

Amahi is an application that is not pretty the same as FreeNAS because this app is just a smaller NAS system. FreeNAS itself holds more NAS systems from their root and another feature almost not available there. This FreeNAS alternative isn’t the same because it was more flexible for your needs.

You can use this application only in Linux because the developer uses Linux OS as the main system. At the start, this application was only about Linux distribution Fedora and as time went by, there were new features available. The developer decided to add some features to Amahi that might be suitable for your needs.

Amahi maintains a steady stream of releases focused on Fedora. On the other hand, Amahi also simplifies and streamlines the management of home automation systems. You can use Amahi for several purposes outside the NAS system like a VPN server or set the calendar reminder.

8. Acronis File Connect

Acronis File Connect

This app is a multi-OS NAS server that lets you control the main resource through Mac or Windows. Like others, this application offers you the easiest way to share any content and also edit it at the same time. Another great FreeNAS alternative.

You can do the synchronization from your device to the main server without using the internet (offline mode). Are you using a MAC? This is good news for you because this app has recovered several problems like file naming and other issues. You don’t need to open your laptop to manage your files because this app also lets you in from your smartphone.

There might be some bugs happening on this application especially when you use the low specs device. Sometimes, your files there can be corrupted too because this app didn’t recover poor SMB Protocol bug identification.

So there are several recommendations if you are searching for the FreeNAS alternative that might be perfect for your needs. Today, we all need FreeNAS as an open-source program so we can access our data efficiently. 

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