Which Homelab OS? Unraid vs TrueNAS vs Proxmox Selector

Unraid, TrueNAS CE and Proxmox VE in plain English

Unraid

A NAS operating system with a parity array, storage pools, Docker apps and virtual machines on one server. (Unraid pricing page; Unraid docs, Run Docker containers: Overview; Unraid docs, Create virtual machines: Overview and system prep)

NTK's view: of the three, Unraid asks for the least storage planning up front, because drives of different sizes can join the array later; the trade is a paid licence and apps that come from community maintained templates.

TrueNAS Community Edition (formerly SCALE)

A storage platform built on OpenZFS, with SMB and NFS shares, Apps (Docker) and virtual machines. (TrueNAS Community Edition features page; TrueNAS 25.10 documentation, Configuring Virtualization and Apps; TrueNAS 25.10 documentation, Apps screens)

NTK's view: TrueNAS CE asks for the most planning before you copy data in, because the pool layout (mirror or RAIDZ, and how many disks) is hard to change later; after that, shares and apps are everyday web interface work.

Proxmox VE

A server virtualization platform: KVM virtual machines and LXC containers, single server or cluster. (Proxmox VE features page)

NTK's view: Proxmox VE is the most setup work if the goal is a file server, because you design the storage and run file sharing yourself in a VM or container; it is the least if virtual machines are the point.

The eight questions, and what each one does

What is this machine mainly for? Compares file shares, apps or virtual machines, depending on your answer. Never rules anything out.
File shares from the web interface? Yes compares built-in SMB / NFS share management.
Virtual machines? Yes is a must have: a platform without VMs would be ruled out (all three run them).
Clustering, high availability or live migration? Yes is a must have; "maybe later" is compared as a preference.
Drives? "Different sizes, all in one redundant pool" is a must have.
Checksums and repair? Yes compares how each platform checksums and repairs data.
Paying for the OS? "Must be free" is a must have; "prefer free" is a preference; "fine to pay" changes nothing, so it never counts against a free platform.
A separate backup? Never changes the result. Every result tells you the operating system is not your backup.

"Not sure" on any question rules nothing out, and the result lists what you were unsure about.

Unraid vs TrueNAS CE vs Proxmox VE: what each one does

Each cell is NTK's plain-English summary of the sources linked under it. A blank cell means its source could not be confirmed today.

Capability	Unraid	TrueNAS CE	Proxmox VE
Licence and cost	Paid, perpetual licence: Starter $49 one time (6 storage devices, 1 year of updates); Unleashed $109 one time (unlimited storage devices, 1 year of updates); Lifetime $249 one time (unlimited storage devices, lifetime updates), as listed (the pricing page shows no currency code). After the first year, Starter and Unleashed updates need an optional extension of $36 USD a year; without it you keep your version. Free 30 day trial. Unraid pricing page; Unraid docs, Licensing FAQ	Free and open source. TrueNAS blog, 25.04 release	Free and open source (GNU AGPLv3). Optional per socket subscriptions add support and the Enterprise Repository; every plan includes every feature. Proxmox VE features page; Proxmox VE pricing page
Mixed drive sizes in one redundant pool, each drive's full size used	Yes, the parity array: mix any sizes and add one disk at a time. Each parity disk must be at least as large as the largest data disk. Unraid docs, FAQ; Current docs	No: a ZFS vdev (mirror or RAIDZ) limits every disk to the usable capacity of its smallest disk. Mixed sizes still work, but the extra space on larger disks is not used. TrueNAS 25.10 documentation, Managing Pools	Not as a supported feature: local redundant storage is ZFS (the same per vdev rule) or BTRFS, which Proxmox VE calls a technology preview. Proxmox VE features page; TrueNAS 25.10 documentation, Managing Pools; Proxmox VE Administration Guide
Virtual machines	Yes, KVM virtual machines from the web interface, alongside Docker. Unraid docs, Create virtual machines: Overview and system prep	Yes, built-in KVM virtual machines with their own virtual hardware. TrueNAS 25.10 documentation, Configuring Virtualization and Apps; TrueNAS Community Edition features page	Yes, KVM virtual machines are its core job, with LXC containers. Proxmox VE features page
Clustering, high availability, live migration	Not described: the Unraid pages NTK checked describe no clustering, high availability or live migration. Unraid docs	Not in Community Edition: TrueNAS lists HA options with its Enterprise appliances. TrueNAS Community Edition features page	Yes: the cluster stack ships with every install; live migration between nodes; HA needs at least three nodes. Proxmox VE features page; Proxmox VE Administration Guide
Checksums and self repair	On ZFS or BTRFS pools. On the parity array it is optional (BTRFS or ZFS formatted array disks); XFS is the array default. Unraid docs, FAQ; Unraid docs, File systems; Unraid pricing page	Every pool is OpenZFS: checksums on every block; repair from a mirror or RAIDZ copy; scrubs. TrueNAS Community Edition features page; OpenZFS documentation, Checksums and Their Use in ZFS	When you choose ZFS storage (one of its options): checksums, and repair where the pool is redundant. Proxmox VE features page; OpenZFS documentation, Checksums and Their Use in ZFS
SMB / NFS file shares from its own web interface	Yes, the Shares tab. Unraid docs, Shares	Yes, SMB and NFS shares on pools and datasets. TrueNAS 25.10 documentation, Configuring Virtualization and Apps	Its storage holds VM disks, ISO images, container templates and container root directories; its docs describe no share manager for your network, so file sharing runs in a VM or container you set up. Proxmox VE Administration Guide; searched by NTK, not found
Docker apps from a catalogue	Yes, through the Community Applications plugin (community maintained templates). Docker Compose is not native. Unraid docs, Run Docker containers: Overview; Unraid docs, Community Applications	Yes, Apps on Docker, plus custom apps from Docker Compose YAML. Its LXC Containers are experimental in 25.10. TrueNAS 25.10 documentation, Apps screens; TrueNAS 25.10 documentation, Containers	No Docker catalogue: it manages LXC containers and VMs. Proxmox does not recommend Docker directly on the host and suggests a VM for it. Proxmox VE features page; Proxmox VE Administration Guide
Built around virtual machines	VMs sit alongside the storage and Docker apps. Unraid docs, Create virtual machines: Overview and system prep	VMs sit alongside the storage and Apps. TrueNAS 25.10 documentation, Configuring Virtualization and Apps	Yes, it is a server virtualization platform. Proxmox VE features page
Adding drives later	Array: add a data disk no larger than parity. ZFS pools: single vdev RAIDZ grows one drive at a time from Unraid 7.2. Unraid array; Unraid 7.2.0 and later	Extend a RAIDZ vdev one disk at a time (parity level unchanged; data written before keeps its old data to parity ratio), or add a vdev. TrueNAS 25.10 documentation, Managing Pools; OpenZFS zpool-attach	Depends on the storage you choose; Proxmox VE 9.2 ships ZFS 2.4, and RAIDZ expansion is an OpenZFS 2.3 feature. Proxmox VE Roadmap wiki, release history; OpenZFS 2.3.0 and later
Updates and support	Perpetual licence; a lapsed Starter or Unleashed keeps its version but gets no new major updates. Unraid docs, Licensing FAQ	General release 25.10.7 recommended for general users; Early Adopter builds are pre-release. TrueNAS Software Status page	No subscription repository free for testing and non production use; subscriptions add the Enterprise Repository and support. Proxmox VE Administration Guide; Proxmox VE pricing page

The operating system is not your backup

Parity, mirrors, RAIDZ, checksums and snapshots protect against some failures on the same machine. None of them is a separate copy: if the machine is stolen, burns, or is wiped, the data on it goes with it. Whichever platform you pick, keep at least one copy of important data somewhere else.

Plan it with the Backup Time Calculator and our 3-2-1 backup strategy guide.

Things to know before you choose

Unraid: each parity disk must be at least as large as the largest data disk, so buy parity at your largest drive size. (Current docs)
Unraid: bit rot detection on the parity array is optional (BTRFS or ZFS formatted array disks; XFS is the default). For ZFS checksums with repair, use a ZFS mirror or RAIDZ pool. (Unraid docs, FAQ; Unraid docs, File systems; OpenZFS documentation, Checksums and Their Use in ZFS)
TrueNAS CE: you can extend a RAIDZ vdev one disk at a time; data written before an extension keeps its old data to parity ratio until rewritten. (TrueNAS 25.10 documentation, Managing Pools; OpenZFS zpool-attach)
TrueNAS CE: Apps (Docker) are the app path; LXC Containers are experimental in 25.10 and may not upgrade reliably. (TrueNAS 25.10 documentation, Apps screens; TrueNAS 25.10 documentation, Containers)
ZFS repairs a corrupt block only from a redundant copy (mirror or RAIDZ); a single disk pool can detect corruption but not repair it. (OpenZFS documentation, Checksums and Their Use in ZFS)
Proxmox VE with TrueNAS CE as a VM for file sharing: TrueNAS says a production TrueNAS VM must be given its storage controller by PCI passthrough. (TrueNAS blog, Yes, You Can)
Proxmox VE: high availability needs at least three nodes for reliable quorum. (Proxmox VE Administration Guide)
Proxmox VE: Proxmox does not recommend Docker directly on the host; it suggests a VM for Docker style application containers. (Proxmox VE Administration Guide)

How the selector decides

Must haves first. For each must have you picked, every platform gets a pass or a fail from its sourced facts. A fail rules it out, and the result says why. Preferences can never bring it back.
Then what matters to you. The platforms left are compared only on what you said matters: a strong, partial or no fit for each, with the fact behind it. The best fit has the most strong fits, then the most partial fits. If two are level, the result says it is a tie and shows where they differ.
Never inputs. Your backup answer, and being happy to pay. Neither moves a platform up or down.
No score. Nothing is added up into a number. If no platform meets every must have, the result says so instead of picking one.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Unraid, TrueNAS Community Edition and Proxmox VE?

Unraid is a NAS operating system with a parity array, storage pools, Docker apps and virtual machines on one server. TrueNAS Community Edition (formerly SCALE) is a storage platform built on OpenZFS, with SMB and NFS shares, Apps (Docker) and virtual machines. Proxmox VE is a server virtualization platform: KVM virtual machines and LXC containers, single server or cluster. Which one fits depends on your hard requirements first (free, mixed drive sizes, virtual machines, clustering), then on what you want the machine to do.

Is TrueNAS SCALE the same as TrueNAS Community Edition?

Yes. From TrueNAS 25.04, TrueNAS SCALE is called TrueNAS Community Edition; TrueNAS CORE is in its maintenance phase. TrueNAS Community Edition is free and open source. This page uses TrueNAS CE for short.

When is an Unraid licence worth it?

When what Unraid does differently is what you need, and a paid licence is acceptable. Its parity array mixes drive sizes in one redundant pool (each parity disk must be at least as large as the largest data disk), and it runs Docker apps and virtual machines on the same server. Licence: Starter $49 one time (6 storage devices, 1 year of updates); Unleashed $109 one time (unlimited storage devices, 1 year of updates); Lifetime $249 one time (unlimited storage devices, lifetime updates), as listed (the pricing page shows no currency code). After the first year, Starter and Unleashed updates need an optional extension of $36 USD a year; without it you keep your version. Free 30 day trial. If free and open source is a requirement, or clustering is your goal, it does not fit that requirement and TrueNAS CE or Proxmox VE do. If your drives match and you want ZFS throughout, the mixed size array is not a reason to pay. The trial lets you check before buying.

Can I run Proxmox VE as a NAS?

Proxmox VE is a server virtualization platform. Its storage holds VM disks, ISO images, container templates and container root directories; its docs describe no share manager for your network, so file sharing runs in a VM or container you set up. A common way is TrueNAS CE as a VM: TrueNAS says a TrueNAS VM used for production must be given its storage controller by PCI passthrough, so ZFS has direct access to the controller and drives.

Does TrueNAS work with mixed drive sizes?

Partly. A ZFS vdev (mirror or RAIDZ) limits every disk to the usable capacity of its smallest disk. Mixed sizes still work, but the extra space on larger disks is not used. Adding drives later: extend a RAIDZ vdev one disk at a time (parity level unchanged; data written before keeps its old data to parity ratio), or add a vdev.

Does ZFS, RAIDZ or a parity array replace a backup?

No. ZFS checksums every block and detects corruption when it reads; it repairs a corrupt block only where the pool has redundancy (mirror or RAIDZ) or extra copies to repair from, and scrubs check all data. Parity and RAIDZ keep the data available when a disk fails. None of that is a separate copy: if the machine is stolen, burns or is wiped, the data on it goes with it. NTK's guidance is to keep at least one copy of important data off this machine, whichever platform you pick; the selector does not use your backup answer to rank platforms.

How does the selector decide?

Hard requirements first: if you need the OS to be free, mixed drive sizes in one redundant pool, virtual machines or clustering, any platform whose sourced facts fail that requirement is excluded, with the reason. Then the platforms left are compared on the things you said matter (file shares, apps, virtual machines, checksums, clustering later, preferring free), each shown as a strong, partial or no fit with the fact behind it. There is no score. Equal fits are shown as a tie, and "not sure" never excludes anything.

Does this tool cover Synology, QNAP or UGREEN?

No. It covers operating systems you install yourself. Synology DSM, QNAP QTS and UGREEN UGOS come with the maker's hardware, so on a pre-built NAS the operating system is already decided.

Method last reviewed: 2026-10-08. Platform facts checked at source between 2026-10-06 and 2026-10-12.

Which Homelab OS Should You Run?

What is this machine mainly for?

Do you want to set up SMB or NFS file shares from the operating system's own web interface?

Do you need to run virtual machines?

Do you need more than one server working together: clustering, high availability or live migration?

What about your drives?

Does it matter to you that the file system checksums your data and repairs corruption it finds?

Paying for the operating system?

Will there be a separate backup of the important data on this machine?