Compare the three most popular home server operating systems: Proxmox VE, Unraid, and TrueNAS. Find out which is best for VMs, containers, and storage.
Choose Proxmox for VM-heavy workloads and enterprise features. Choose Unraid for the best beginner experience and flexible media server setup. Choose TrueNAS when data integrity is paramount and you need enterprise NAS features. Many advanced users run Proxmox with TrueNAS as a VM for the best of both worlds.
Yes, Proxmox VE is fully free and open source. The paid subscription provides enterprise support and access to the stable update repository, but is not required for full functionality.
Unraid has three tiers: Basic ($59, 6 drives), Plus ($89, 12 drives), and Pro ($129, unlimited drives). It's a one-time purchase with free updates.
Unraid has the most user-friendly Docker implementation with its Community Apps store. Proxmox supports Docker through LXC or VMs. TrueNAS Scale has native Docker via TrueCharts.
Yes, Unraid supports KVM virtual machines with GPU passthrough. However, Proxmox offers more advanced VM features like clustering, live migration, and better resource management.
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