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TrueNAS

TrueNAS

Overview

What is TrueNAS?

TrueNAS is a network-attached storage featuring all-flash and hybrid storage editions, from iXsystems headquartered in San Jose.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

TrueNAS has been widely praised by users for its intuitive interface and versatility in various use cases. Users have found it easy to …
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TrueNAS Review

10 out of 10
September 15, 2022
I've been using TrueNAS for about 5 years now, mostly in lab environments. It's been running solid for those 3 years, through …
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Awards

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Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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What is TrueNAS?

TrueNAS is a network-attached storage featuring all-flash and hybrid storage editions, from iXsystems headquartered in San Jose.

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Product Details

What is TrueNAS?

TrueNAS is a universal data platform that enables users to adopt a modern, open-source approach to store and protect their growing data. TrueNAS harnesses the ZFS file system to provide unified storage (File, Block Object, and Apps) with the reliability and performance demanded by virtualization, backup, and many other data-heavy workloads. The TrueNAS CORE edition (formerly FreeNAS) is based on FreeBSD for unified scale-up storage. The TrueNAS SCALE edition is based on Debian Linux for either scale-up or scale-out solutions and offers Linux Containers, VMs (KVM), and scale-out ZFS storage capabilities. Both versions are free to use and work well on a variety of hardware.

TrueNAS Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

TrueNAS is a network-attached storage featuring all-flash and hybrid storage editions, from iXsystems headquartered in San Jose.

TrueNAS starts at $0.

Synology DiskStation, Dell PowerScale, and HPE StoreEasy 1000 Storage are common alternatives for TrueNAS.

The most common users of TrueNAS are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(47)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

TrueNAS has been widely praised by users for its intuitive interface and versatility in various use cases. Users have found it easy to spin up virtual machines, conduct testing, and sandboxing. It is also commonly used for setting up a Plex media server and storing documents, downloads, and media backups. The integration of TrueNAS with security protocols like ActiveDirectory, LDAP, and Kerberos networks ensures file and folder-level security. Additionally, the ZFS Filesystem in TrueNAS provides data safety in the event of hard drive failure. Its compatibility with UPS allows for power outage notifications. TrueNAS is also utilized for home security camera monitoring and recording through ZoneMinder instances. Users have reported using TrueNAS in professional environments for long-term file storage and spinning up virtual machines for testing purposes. Furthermore, in the video production industry, TrueNAS plays a crucial role in storing camera data and referencing it during edits. Educational institutions rely on TrueNAS as part of their core criteria for Networking and SMB solutions. Organizations choose TrueNAS as their main on-premises storage solution, particularly for photo and video media storage. With features like SSD-based caching, a 10GB Ethernet port, and expandable network connectivity, TrueNAS offers speed and cost-effectiveness. It is frequently used as an iSCSI Datastore in VMware for primary NAS/iSCSI servers and nightly backups of VMs. Home users benefit from using TrueNAS Core as their business data management tool or home media server due to its simplicity and reliability. TrueNAS is often implemented as a backup/sync server, replacing tape backup systems to enable snapshots and reduce file recovery time. Integration with Nextcloud makes it scalable for file sharing, collaboration, and cost reduction purposes. In server set-ups, TrueNAS serves as a SAN providing simplicity of management, high availability configuration, and excellent support. Its fast performance and power make it ideal for mission-critical backups. Users prefer TrueNAS over Docker containers or virtual machines for its efficiency in managing, storing, and sharing data. It is especially recommended as an inexpensive enterprise-grade storage option for low-cost high-performance NAS systems. TrueNAS Scale, whether installed on a Virtual Machine in VMware Workstation Pro or on dedicated hardware, offers a solid software and user experience. Users have found it easy to install and appreciate its good performance and various applications for advanced testing. For those requiring fast and robust performance in primary data centers, the all-flash devices like TrueNAS M40 are the preferred choice. Lastly, users have had positive experiences with the salespeople and support teams from iX Systems, the parent company of TrueNAS. This level of satisfaction with both the product and the company further demonstrates the trust and reliability that users have in TrueNAS.

Overall, TrueNAS has proven to be a highly versatile and user-friendly solution for a wide range of use cases. Whether it's for personal media storage, professional file management, virtual machine deployment, or data backup, TrueNAS provides the necessary features and performance to meet the needs of its users. The ability to integrate with various security protocols, collaborate through Nextcloud, and serve as a reliable SAN or backup server makes it a valuable choice for businesses and organizations of all sizes. With its affordability, speed, scalability, and excellent customer support, TrueNAS continues to be a preferred storage solution for many users across different industries.

Robust and Reliable File System: Many users have praised the ZFS file system in TrueNAS for its robustness and reliability, providing them with peace of mind for their storage needs.

Seamless Integration with Mac and Linux Machines: Several reviewers have appreciated the seamless integration of TrueNAS with Mac and Linux machines. This integration allows for easy sharing of data through protocols like SMB and NFS, enhancing collaboration among different operating systems.

Flexibility and Stability of Software RAID: The flexibility and stability of the software RAID in TrueNAS has impressed many users. They have highlighted how it allows for customizable storage configurations, providing them with a reliable solution for their specific needs.

Confusing User Interface: Some users have reported that they find the user interface of TrueNAS to be confusing and not intuitive, which can make it challenging to configure and perform tasks efficiently. This issue has been mentioned by multiple reviewers, highlighting the need for improvements in terms of usability and navigation.

Challenging Initial Installation Process: The initial installation process has been described as quite challenging by some users, requiring significant effort and time. Several reviewers have expressed their difficulties during the installation phase, suggesting that a more streamlined and user-friendly approach would greatly enhance the overall experience.

Lack of Certain Functionalities: Users have expressed their desire for additional functionalities within TrueNAS. Specifically, there are requests for better VNC support for VMs and Jails, improved DLNA services for seamless video asset serving, and increased plugin integrations. These suggestions indicate that there is room for enhancement in these areas to meet the diverse needs of users effectively.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-8 of 8)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
Jesse Furr | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I have run TrueNAS Core on small desktops to enterprise servers, in a home environment to an enterprise datacenter. Obviously better performance on the enterprise hardware, but even the small desktop deployments weren't slow.
  • Runs on anything
  • Reliable on reliable hardware
  • Lots of ways to connect
  • Maybe too steep of a learning curve for Joe User
  • UI not as slick as Synology yet
  • No tiering storage levels yet (hot, cold tiers)
I have run TrueNAS Core on small desktops to enterprise servers, in a home environment to an enterprise datacenter. Obviously better performance on the enterprise hardware, but even the small desktop deployments weren't slow. The expandability through jails is a really nice feature, to be able to add on Plex, Nextcloud, etc. with just a few clicks is very attractive.
Rob Anderson | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I've been using TrueNAS / FreeNAS (in earlier years) for out companies iSCSI Datastore in VMware.
It allows me to make use of older hardware to make secondary / primary NAS /iSCSI Servers.

I also use these servers to do nightly backups of all our VMs. The ability to use TrueNAS Core software
has really helped us out in the last 3 years especially.

We don't have to wait on new expensive hardware to get a new NAS / iSCSI server running. The chip shortage
has made it a very scary proposition to try and acquire new hardware in the face of such a shortage should we
have a failed server. It has let me leverage previous investments in hardware to cover any shortages in storage
availability.
  • iSCSI Datastores for virtualization.
  • NFS store for unix storage or backups over networking.
  • Very fast performance, sometimes outclassing SSD arrays even in NFS.
  • The ZFS filesystem has given use much greater flexibility.
  • Using their newer servers we could in theory scale to any height of required storage.
  • Better explanations of what a 'jail' is.
  • Update the UI to support easier creation or clearer creation of new arrays.
  • More plugin integrations.
  • The ability to run scripts to copy things locally such as to a usb RDX hard drive.
  • Proper USB 3.0 support.
Their free TrueNAS Core has been an incredible boon. Using older hardware to create a great lab / array TrueNAS is amazing. NFS Targets for running VEEAM backups over a 10Gb network it worked amazing. Using the ISCSI for datastores in VMware worked amazing as well. I do hope they put some more work into the Virtual Machine UI. I don't know that I'd use TrueNAS to host VMs in a production environment.
Alexander Baese | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We are mainly using TrueNAS as a Storage Service Provider for our local network. Storing Data, Sharing Data and processing Data through various channels. The management of ZFS Storage is kept really simple in the UI and can be left untouched when it is all setup.<br>Therefor providing a higher level of management without that big of a learning curve.
  • SMB Shares
  • Video transcoding via GPU and Docker Containers
  • Hosting mulitple fundamental network Services
  • Heavy loads on the host can interrupt container services heavily. "Always reserved ressources" option might be helpful
Limited by your own capabilities. TrueNAS offers a wide range of possibilities to extend your usage of your appliance / hardware. Centered around a NAS / Storage Device you can implement various sharing services, virtual machines and containerized workloads. So far it handles all our usecases pretty good and you are only limited by what you know about those technologies.A real keeper and a alternative to virtualization focused products.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I setup TrueNAS Scale on a decommissioned engineering desktop I salvaged from being recycled in order to replace a 15 year old NAS appliance that was being decommissioned. It was incredibly simple to install and get going off the bat. I've had no performance issues with my setup, and am pleasantly surprised with the various applications (containers) I was able to get up and running with relative ease having never used a TrueNAS system before. I can't wait to really get into the weeds and test out the more advanced features of the system (potentially even serving as a sandbox hypervisor environment)!
  • Ease of setup
  • Flexibility of hardware options
  • Performance
  • Learning curve for some features
For someone who likes to tinker and play around with additional bells and whistles, TrueNAS is great! For people who just need a basic storage device, it may be a tad overkill.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I have been using TrueNAS Core at home now for the past 12 months, as means to manage my business data and as a home media server. To be honest it took me a little bit of time to get my head around it, but once I understood the fundamentals the rest was like learning to bake a cake. I have an old HP Proliant dual processor box which handles it very well, I stacked it full of SSD and away I went. TrueNAS Core just made itself at home, no glitches and of it went. I love it, and I love that it is free more than anything else.
  • Security is its best function. By utilising the jail system.
  • Encryption throughout the entire system. Most diverse.
  • It's not built on Linux.
  • More functionality for video cards and hardware rendering
  • Have a TrueNAS Core GUI
  • Better HELP options.
I was previous an unRAID user. I found that unRAID users were particularly unhelpful and I was very frustrated with it. Someone suggested that I try TrueNAS Core for my media server needs. I installed it and found that it worked well and graphically displayed very well how my storage pools were coping with space, my various processor cores etc basically how my server was functioning which unRAID didn't do particularly well at the time.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Our old NAS was long in tooth and backups were very slow. We were also bumping up on a storage capacity cap. We use our TrueNAS server for mission-critical backups and the speed and power are excellent.
  • Secure backups
  • Nearly limitless expandability
  • Media server capabilities is a plus
  • Ease of use for a new user
  • Better integration with UPS control
  • Pool expansion. Adding more or larger drives and expanding the pool size without loss of data.
For users that find the off-the-shelf NAS products too expensive or limited TrueNAS is an excellent, scalable solution. I would ONLY recommend it to individuals that want to spend some time learning the interface and are comfortable with the shell for infrequent tasks. Businesses with an IT staff or outside support could definitely benefit.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
This review is based on my home use of TrueNAS HW and software for my storage needs. TrueNAS has been the primary storage my homelab (VM storage, centralized backup), and a few lightweight services run on the TrueNAS mini XL+. The biggest need was solved throughput for the VM storage (10Gbe and more performant iSCSI implementation).
  • High fault-tolerant storage
  • Supports all major storage protocols
  • Graphic Admin UI provides easy configuration
  • SMB/CIF will mandate Windows DC - my environment centered around OpenLDAP
  • Upgrades/patches tend to have regressions
  • Clearer positioning of TrueNAS Scale
I moved from Synology to TrueNAS and TrueNAS is the better technical product. The Synology wins in the easy for administrators (especially if new) but the TrueNAS UI works well for experienced administrators. The TrueNAS hardware is well engineered and the Mini XL+ is a great choice for the "within the workspace" unit; it's powerful enough to provide storage and some services but quiet enough to be within a few feet.
sandra roberts | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
TrueNas has been the best solution we have experienced in terms of data security,functionality, speed and reliability.in the past we had to run Docker containers or virtual machines which were not very efficient,and we found TrueNas to be the better option.it also enables us manage, store,and share data across the network.
  • Offers excellent data security
  • Encrypted replication
  • Activity tracking
  • We experience difficulties to configure at times.
  • Less up-to-date training available online for customer support.
I would highly recommend this tool to companies searching for efficient solution to replace it's old solutions which keeps on running out of space and offers poor performance.also it enables us to facilitate block,file and application storage in either on premises environments or cloud.moreover,it's easy to control accessibility of data due to its permission management feature.
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