Side by side
unRAID vs Proxmox
unRAID
27 positive (84%) · 3 mixed (9%) · 2 negative (6%)
Trust + time weighted: +80%
AI summary — not a quote
unRAID is a popular NAS operating system favored by the homelab and data hoarding communities for its extreme flexibility with hardware and power efficiency. Users frequently highlight its ability to mix and match hard drive sizes and its feature that spins down idle disks to reduce electricity costs. While it is widely praised for its ease of use in media server setups (like Plex) and automation, recent sentiment is tempered by concerns over changes to its pricing model and a shift toward subscription-based licensing.
Pros
- Supports mixing and matching hard drives of different sizes and brands
- Power-efficient drive management through the ability to spin down idle disks
- Runs directly from a USB flash drive, leaving internal SATA ports free for storage
- Includes a 'preclear' utility for testing new disks and adding them without parity rebuilds
Cons
- Paid software with a perceived trend toward higher prices and subscription models
- May be too resource-intensive for very low-power ARM devices with limited RAM
- Occasional hardware compatibility issues with specific expansion cards
Top excerpts
Bro please get something like unraid setup for this, this hurts me
Unraid sounds really intriguing and potentially ideal for my uses.
I am a media hoarder (142 TB raw Unraid server) if I'm a hoarder.
However you typically trade the flexibility of something like truenas or unraid for whatever the devices OS allows you to do.
I am very happy with the automation setup I have and my main workflow is browsing Letterboxd and learning about movies while and adding those movies to lists which then download
Proxmox
80 positive (75%) · 21 mixed (20%) · 6 negative (6%)
Trust + time weighted: +68%
AI summary — not a quote
Proxmox is a highly regarded open-source virtualization platform, widely praised for its ability to repurpose older hardware into functional servers. It is frequently cited as a top alternative to enterprise solutions like VMware and Hyper-V, offering a Debian-based environment with a native web-based UI for managing virtual machines and containers. While it is a staple in the homelab community, professional sentiment is mixed regarding its readiness for large-scale corporate environments compared to established competitors.
Pros
- Excellent for repurposing older hardware (e.g., Optiplex, mini PCs) into capable servers.
- Comprehensive, well-organized native web UI for management.
- Flexible Debian-based architecture allows for a wide variety of VM and container use cases.
- Strong community recommendation as a viable migration path from VMware or Hyper-V.
Cons
- Virtual machines are often blocked by aggressive e-sports anti-cheat systems (e.g., Valorant, Rainbow 6 Siege).
- Multi-cluster management tools are considered less mature than enterprise alternatives like vCenter.
- Some users find the interface and workflow unintuitive or lacking a 'corporate' feel.
- Documentation is sometimes viewed as less intuitive compared to competitors like TrueNAS Scale.
Top excerpts
All of those features are built into Proxmox, with a clear and well organised UI, natively. Why forsake them?
Mommy gon be mad when she finds out her "Windows Home Server" is running Proxmox now.
Mini Server running ProxMox (AdGuard, Tailscale, A.R.M.)
Turned all my old parts into a server. Runs on proxmox and does all my video and music streaming now. Requires a bit of investment but it's been so worth it compared to the services I had been using.
Proxmox has a few more configuration options and management access aswell as performing a bit better. Truenas scale has a better ui, more intuitive monitoring and settings and (imo) better documentation. In normal use cases theres nothing proxmox does that truenas cant, so if you have a working setup, just stick to it.