--- title: TrueNAS, Unraid, and Proxmox all replace Synology, but... description: Comparing three popular Synology alternatives for home lab enthusiasts: TrueNAS, Unraid, and Proxmox. TrueNAS is presented as the closest true NAS replacement... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/truenas-unraid-and-proxmox-all-replace-synology-but-only-one-does-the-same-job-zk58xtl7p twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: TrueNAS, Unraid, and Proxmox all replace Synology, but only one does the same job | daily.dev og:description: Comparing three popular Synology alternatives for home lab enthusiasts: TrueNAS, Unraid, and Proxmox. TrueNAS is presented as the closest true NAS replacement... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/truenas-unraid-and-proxmox-all-replace-synology-but-only-one-does-the-same-job-zk58xtl7p og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/zK58XTL7P.png og:image:alt: TrueNAS, Unraid, and Proxmox all replace Synology, but only one does the same job og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # TrueNAS, Unraid, and Proxmox all replace Synology, but only one does the same job **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 4 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Comparing three popular Synology alternatives for home lab enthusiasts: TrueNAS, Unraid, and Proxmox. TrueNAS is presented as the closest true NAS replacement thanks to ZFS-based snapshots, scrubbing, and replication, though it has a steeper learning curve than Synology's set-and-forget approach. Unraid offers flexible mixed-drive storage expansion and can separate app storage (SSD) from bulk storage (spinning disks). Proxmox goes furthest into server/virtualization territory, offering VM and container backups but requiring the most involved setup. The right pick depends on whether the priority is storage-first NAS functionality or a broader server platform. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What's the best Synology alternative if I want a true NAS replacement rather than a full server? TrueNAS is the closest direct replacement for a Synology NAS. It includes standard NAS functions like snapshots, data integrity checks, scrubbing, and replication built on ZFS, and can still run Docker-based applications, though it requires more manual configuration than Synology's set-and-forget approach. _Comparing NAS platforms before committing hardware and data gets easier with side-by-side breakdowns on daily.dev._ ### How does Unraid handle mixed hard drive sizes compared to a traditional RAID array? Unraid lets you mix drives of different sizes and capacities in a single array without requiring matched disks, similar to Synology's SHR approach. This makes incremental storage expansion cheaper and more practical for home labs, and it also supports separating application storage on SSDs from bulk storage on spinning drives. _Home lab builders weighing storage flexibility against cost track tools like Unraid on daily.dev._ ### Why would someone choose Proxmox over TrueNAS or Unraid for a home server? Proxmox is chosen when the goal goes beyond NAS functions into full virtualization, since it can back up entire virtual machines and containers for a complete backup workflow. This flexibility comes with a much more involved setup than Synology, TrueNAS, or Unraid, making it better suited to server-first rather than storage-first needs. _Developers deciding between NAS-focused and virtualization-focused platforms compare options like Proxmox on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [I tried replacing Proxmox with TrueNAS, and it's closer than I expected \(but not there yet\)](https://daily.dev/posts/i-tried-replacing-proxmox-with-truenas-and-it-s-closer-than-i-expected-but-not-there-yet--dulvk17eq) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Synology's DSM is brilliant until you realize what TrueNAS and Unraid can actually do](https://daily.dev/posts/synology-s-dsm-is-brilliant-until-you-realize-what-truenas-and-unraid-can-actually-do-mbxpca2lc) · XDA Developers · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#self-hosting](https://daily.dev/tags/self-hosting), [#proxmox](https://daily.dev/tags/proxmox), [#truenas](https://daily.dev/tags/truenas) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/truenas-unraid-and-proxmox-all-replace-synology-but-only-one-does-the-same-job-zk58xtl7p) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"TrueNAS, Unraid, and Proxmox all replace Synology, but only one does the same job","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/truenas-unraid-and-proxmox-all-replace-synology-but-only-one-does-the-same-job-zk58xtl7p","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/truenas-unraid-and-proxmox-all-replace-synology-but-only-one-does-the-same-job-zk58xtl7p"},"datePublished":"2026-09-02T14:01:37.097Z","dateModified":"2026-09-02T14:12:24.448Z","description":"Comparing three popular Synology alternatives for home lab enthusiasts: TrueNAS, Unraid, and Proxmox. 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