Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Debian OS
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Debian OS is an open source operating system.N/A
FreeNAS
Score 5.5 out of 10
N/A
FreeNAS is an open source operating system that allows nearly any hardware serve as a network-attached storage device. It was developed by iXsystems.N/A
Linux Mint
Score 9.4 out of 10
N/A
Linux Mint is a free and open source operating system and Linux distribution, presented as an alternative to Microsoft Windows and Apple MacOS as a low cost, lightweight but adequate alternative.N/A
Pricing
Debian OSFreeNASLinux Mint
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
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Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Debian OSFreeNASLinux Mint
Free Trial
NoNoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Debian OSFreeNASLinux Mint
Considered Multiple Products
Debian OS
Chose Debian OS
Its has all the needy features that we are looking for plus the support and updates for the OS as well. This means we get all the support and updates in the mean time. Also comparing to others, Debian OS helps us with more security features in built which is also updated over …
FreeNAS
Chose FreeNAS
Before swapping to FreeNAS, we'd been using plan old Linux servers running Samba and NFS with ZFS storage underneath. This worked really well for our requirements at the time but required a lot of administration when new versions came along, or new users had to be added or …
Chose FreeNAS
FreeNAS effectively uses all resources really well and it is highly recommended for in premises NAS. It has unlimited ROI as it is really free and open-source. The only payment we need to pay is when we need any support from those guys. FreeNAS helps us to effectively do our …
Linux Mint
Chose Linux Mint
Pure Debian OS, freshly installed, is missing some Quality Of Life tools that need to be installed to make it usable.
Ubuntu has not a great user interface for work purpose, seems more like a toy than an OS.
Both Mint and Ubuntu are derived from Debian, so same great package …
Best Alternatives
Debian OSFreeNASLinux Mint
Small Businesses
Ubuntu
Ubuntu
Score 8.5 out of 10
DiskStation
DiskStation
Score 8.8 out of 10
Ubuntu
Ubuntu
Score 8.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.0 out of 10
Dell Unity XT Unified Storage
Dell Unity XT Unified Storage
Score 8.8 out of 10
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.0 out of 10
Dell Unity XT Unified Storage
Dell Unity XT Unified Storage
Score 8.8 out of 10
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Debian OSFreeNASLinux Mint
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(7 ratings)
9.0
(7 ratings)
9.5
(2 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Debian OSFreeNASLinux Mint
Likelihood to Recommend
Open Source
My favorite way to use Debian OS is to run shared, hosted, network applications for easy segmentation of apps so that when doing work on one you don't have to effect or take down others. I would not use it is for a daily use desktop style OS. For that I would stick to Windows, macOS, or a distribution of Linux that is already geared towards a daily use desktop OS.
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iXsystems
FreeNAS is well suited for most storage serving scenarios, whether it be for an office file server, backup destinations, data replication across the internet, or as backend storage for virtual machines. It can serve various types of clients via a plethora of standard protocols and can easily integrate with existing infrastructure using LDAP authentication and so on. It's pretty simple to use (it helps to have at least a basic understanding of the underlying technologies) and almost maintenance-free. One scenario that springs to mind that it may not be appropriate for (yet) is as S3 storage. However, S3 functionality was added in a recent release and may have improved greatly since then. I'm sure it will eventually work very well for this.
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Open Source
Linux Mint is a great, stable product when you need an OS and software to "just work". I use it for file servers, docker, scripting, air-gapped backups, email notifications and more. Simple, inexpensive and stable. That's how software should be, and that's what Mint delivers on. The main thing holding Mint and other Linux distros back is the corporate walls that have been built shutting everything out except Microsoft. If companies would start supporting Linux better with their hardware and software we could and would ditch Microsoft in a heartbeat. but, alas, Microsoft has a stranglehold on businesses.
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Pros
Open Source
  • The APT package manager is dead simple to use, and the APT repositories contain pretty much every package you can think of. If there's something missing from the standard repositories, there's a good chance a third-party repository can be added to fill the gap.
  • Debian OS releases are often considered, "boring". But that's a good thing! The Debian developers do not make changes for change's sake and this means new releases are very predictable and intended to cause as little drama as possible.
  • Debian is such a widely used and popular Linux distribution, that practically all Linux software vendors officially support it.
  • The Debian community is huge, especially when you consider Ubuntu is derived from it. If you need help with anything, you'll usually find it has been asked before and already has a resolution.
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iXsystems
  • The FreeNAS web interface is modern looking. It makes tasks like provisioning drives into raid volumes easy.
  • The ZFS raid option allows you to add in an SSD as a cache drive to increase performance.
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Open Source
  • terminal
  • file management
  • OS and software updates
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Cons
Open Source
  • The installation could include suggested partitioning schemes for those beginning users or those who have their first approach with Debian OS
  • offer encryption of the home partition or the entire hard drive by default
  • an improved visual package manager and if it could be native it would be very well received
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iXsystems
  • Not good for beginners as it requires deep understanding of networking and storage.
  • Most of the good and required features are not available in free version.
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Open Source
  • some more User Interfaces - like for services
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Usability
Open Source
Debian is one of the most well-thought-out, logical, and intuitive Linux operating systems you can use. Configuration, package management, file system layouts, etc, are all based on many years of usage, and it's very rare to find anything surprising or confusing in everyday usage. Package management and updates are handled by APT in such a way that once configured, you can almost guarantee your system will behave as expected for the lifetime of its service. Top-notch system integration provides all the tools you'd expect from a modern Linux system, with all the stability you demand from a demanding server OS.
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iXsystems
No answers on this topic
Open Source
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Open Source
No answers on this topic
iXsystems
There were some things that can be found by other users on forums and Google and some things that were not.
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Open Source
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Open Source
Its has all the needy features that we are looking for plus the support and updates for the OS as well. This means we get all the support and updates in the mean time. Also comparing to others, Debian OS helps us with more security features in built which is also updated over time.
Read full review
iXsystems
FreeNAS effectively uses all resources really well and it is highly recommended for in premises NAS. It has unlimited ROI as it is really free and open-source. The only payment we need to pay is when we need any support from those guys. FreeNAS helps us to effectively do our work with the legacy systems as it manages all the components really well. FreeNAS although rebranded to TrueNAS will still be there until our legacy systems run.
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Open Source
Pure Debian OS, freshly installed, is missing some Quality Of Life tools that need to be installed to make it usable. Ubuntu has not a great user interface for work purpose, seems more like a toy than an OS. Both Mint and Ubuntu are derived from Debian, so same great package manager, but for work purpose I think Mint is a great OS.
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Return on Investment
Open Source
  • Having no software cost for my business has made me much more profitable, and I never need to worry about a license expiring and crippling features.
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iXsystems
  • Low-Cost Network Attached Storage
  • Provides additional network storage to support client & business operations
  • FreeNAS secures our data using custom encryption keys
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Open Source
  • It has saved tens of thousands of dollars just for being our air-gapped backup solution. other software would have been very expensive, and harder to manage
  • Providing simple, easy to use applications (docker, for example) that can quickly, easily, and inexpensively deployed saves many, many hours and dollars
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ScreenShots