Synology NAS vs TrueNAS DIY or Cloud?

synology nas truenas cloud

Let us explore whether Synology NAS, DIY NAS or Cloud NAS with TrueNAS is most suitable for you. Synology is a popular NAS appliance while TrueNAS (previously known as FreeNAS) is the preferred open source NAS software. You will need an NAS if you store lots of data or wish to share certain files or folders with other persons.

Is Synology NAS good?

In 2017, Synology ranks Number 1 in market share for NAS in offices with fewer than 50 staff. The combination of reliable hardware and easy to use software makes Synology the preferred NAS. Perhaps the biggest advantage of Synology NAS is the out-of-box setup is easy. However, this combination does also come at its own cost. It is not cheap to purchase Synology NAS if you consider the price you pay for gets you specifications that are weaker than an entry level PC.

Is DIY NAS better?

DIY NAS is an obvious alternative you may consider, after looking at Synology NAS price tag. If you do not mind the hassles of selecting your CPU, RAM, motherboard, hard drives and chassis, the total hardware bill is still lower than Synology. Once you assemble your DIY NAS, you will require a good software, and TrueNAS meets the objective. However, the major disadvantage of DIY NAS is the higher power consumption. Synology NAS typically consumes 30 Watts of power, on a two-bay configuration. Your DIY NAS will easily surpass this power consumption, no thanks to the more powerful specifications. Furthermore, your DIY NAS is also noisier due to all the fans to cool your hardware down. Finally, you must keep the receipts of every hardware you purchase as each comes with different warranty terms & duration. Synology on the other hand, gives you 3 years coverage on its hardware.

Is Cloud NAS the best?

Is there an alternative that has low to zero power consumption and lifetime warranty? What about very quiet to no noise pollution? This is where Cloud NAS comes as a viable option. If you purchase a large Storage VPS and install it with TrueNAS, you get yourself a Cloud NAS. Some of the key benefits of Cloud NAS are as follow:

  • Scalable storage – upgrade to a larger VPS Hosting only when you need more space
  • Lifetime warranty – your VPS hosting provider is responsible for maintaining their own hardware
  • Reliable network connectivity
  • Potentially cheaper – There is no upfront cost to purchase hardware and no unexpected hardware replacement costs
  • No vendor lock in – TrueNAS is an open source NAS software
  • Absolutely no noise pollution
  • No additional power use at your office or at home

Conclusions

We hope you find this article useful to help you find the best NAS for you. Be it Synology NAS, True NAS in the Cloud or DIY Hardware, always remember that garbage-in-garbage-out. It may be a good practice to perform good data housekeeping to ensure your data storage cost is optimum.

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