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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    FreeNAS

    Score5.4 out of 10
    N/AFreeNAS 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

    Google Drive

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/AGoogle Drive is a cloud file storage, synchronization, and collaboration platform and service, that features Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides for document editing and presentation.

    $6

    per month

    Pricing
    FreeNASGoogle Drive
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Basic
    $6.00
    per month
    Business
    $12.00
    per month
    Enterprise
    Contact Vendor for Quote
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    FreeNASGoogle Drive
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Discounts are available for students, educators, and non profit organizations.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    FreeNASGoogle Drive
    Considered Both Products
    iXsystems
    No answer on this topic
    Google
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    99%
    Would buy again
    120 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    99%
    Delivers good value for the price
    114 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    117 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    81 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    99%
    Implementation went as expected
    93 Answers
    Features
    FreeNASGoogle Drive
    File Sharing & Management
    Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of FreeNAS and Google Drive
    Feature
    FreeNAS
    -
    Ratings
    Google Drive
    8.4
    221 Ratings
    0% above category average
    Versioning00 Ratings8.7195 Ratings
    Video files00 Ratings7.8190 Ratings
    Audio files00 Ratings8.3184 Ratings
    Document collaboration00 Ratings9.0218 Ratings
    Access control00 Ratings8.0216 Ratings
    File search00 Ratings8.1220 Ratings
    Device sync00 Ratings8.9205 Ratings
    Cloud Storage Security & Administration
    Comparison of Cloud Storage Security & Administration features of FreeNAS and Google Drive
    Feature
    FreeNAS
    -
    Ratings
    Google Drive
    8.6
    215 Ratings
    1% below category average
    User and role management00 Ratings9.0202 Ratings
    File organization00 Ratings8.0213 Ratings
    Device management00 Ratings8.799 Ratings
    Cloud Storage Platform
    Comparison of Cloud Storage Platform features of FreeNAS and Google Drive
    Feature
    FreeNAS
    -
    Ratings
    Google Drive
    8.9
    214 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Performance00 Ratings9.2212 Ratings
    Reliability00 Ratings9.1214 Ratings
    Storage Reports00 Ratings8.587 Ratings
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    FreeNASGoogle Drive
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    DiskStation
    Score8.8 out of 10
    IDrive Online Backup and Object Storage e2
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    DiskStation
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Apple iCloud
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    DiskStation
    Score8.8 out of 10
    ownCloud
    Score9.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    FreeNASGoogle Drive
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (7 ratings)
    8.5
    (224 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.8
    (54 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (7 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    1.0
    (49 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    FreeNASGoogle Drive
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    It is possible to share files and folders with up to 200 email addresses, as well as with persons outside the company.Use the drop-down arrow to select who may see, comment on, or change the file or folder before sending out an invitation.I am very much impressed with this feature
    Read full review
    Pros
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • Any user with access can store a file using different platforms like Android, IOS, Windows, or Ubuntu (Desktop version)
    • You can share files with any number of different users with different access rights or you can even keep it public by providing the access link and assign different rights for public access
    • You can open Excel/Word files using google software Sheets/Docs in the browser environment without having to install software like Microsoft Office etc on your Windows OS
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • Having a little bit more control and clarity over what is shared and how it is shared would be a useful improvement.
    • Could be more robust and flexible as far as assigning restrictions.
    • Google Sheets could be enhanced because Excel really is not there yet as a product with equal capabilities as there are still quite a few limitations to the functionality.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    iXsystems
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    It's perfect for me. It keeps things saved and is easy to remove items if needed. Also, I very much enjoy the formatting options. Along with the integrations it has for SSO. Overall, this is the most user friendly system I have ever come across.
    Read full review
    Usability
    iXsystems
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    It's easy enough to use for computer users of all ages and skill levels. I am an advanced user, and I think the hardest part might be showing someone how to download and set up the app on their device if they weren't too familiar with computers, but overall it is very easy to understand.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    iXsystems
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    Always available
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    iXsystems
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    The documents load fairly quickly and also update in real time, especially given the fact that multiple people can be using it at once. The "Offline" feature works great to allow the user to make edits and access the document without access to the internet, and then sync changes later once they're back.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    iXsystems
    There were some things that can be found by other users on forums and Google and some things that were not.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    It takes a few days for customer support to get back to you. Although, I have not had to use support too often. Once you get an email back, they are very thorough and work hard to fix the problem quickly. It is a really great resource and a great way to get the help you need if you're stuck. A phone call also works quickly but you have to call during specific times.
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    iXsystems
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    The effective google workspace using training that my organization received and was conducted by me (as a team lead of the ICT team) was mind-blowing and as a result, our staff is performing well in terms of using the application for their daily jobs than before. Now, in my institution, all teachers and all the administrative personnel are very much interested in cloud storage facilities, in previous my institution was afraid of losing all important documents in the cloud storage. But, after having received the training they are now realized that if anyone has only one google account then he or she can use 15GB of cloud storage freely and they are now happy because now it is not necessary for anyone to carry the traditional pen drive.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    iXsystems
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    It's an extremely easy software to implement, once you sign up for a google account you automatically have access to google drive with a set amount of storage space. The business or Google Suite accounts have more storage space than a regular free account, but setting up and accessing google drive is very easy in both cases
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    In short, Google Drive is better for independent users who store a normal amount of stuff. OneDrive makes more sense for businesses and teams that are doing heavy-duty storage or large-scale syncing. Realistically, though, most users will fall somewhere in between the two, where either platform would meet their needs.
    Read full review
    Scalability
    iXsystems
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    I have always been able to access
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    iXsystems
    • Low-Cost Network Attached Storage
    • Provides additional network storage to support client & business operations
    • FreeNAS secures our data using custom encryption keys
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • It has given our operation remote capabilities
    • Easier to access and understand client's need through collaborative enviroment
    • availability to digital resources fast and easy
    • saved our operation hundreds of dollars in physical storage (both investment and maintenance)
    • our operation became easier for new staff to get onboard: small learning curve to use it
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Google Drive Screenshots

    Screenshot of Google Drive PriorityScreenshot of Comment on Microsoft Files in Google DriveScreenshot of Shared drives