File Storage · head to head
Scality RING vs TrueNAS
Scality RING
File Storage
Petabyte-scale object storage software on your own hardware
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
TrueNAS
File Storage
Open-source ZFS storage operating system for network-attached storage
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only TrueNAS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Scality RING hardware is bought separately, so the software quote understates total cost and the buyer carries the sizing risk if the drive and server specification is wrong.; TrueNAS requires self-hosting on x86 hardware, no managed cloud offering; organisations must provision, configure, and maintain their own infrastructure
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Scality RING and TrueNAS actually diverge.
| Attribute | Scality RING | TrueNAS |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | quote | open-source |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Linux | Self-hosted, Linux, Web, API |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (File Storage).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Scality RING
- S3-compatible object storage
- File and object access
- Erasure coding
- Object lock
- Multi-site geodistribution
- Hardware independence
- ARTESCA
Only in TrueNAS
Nothing recorded that Scality RING does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Scality RING
- A broadcaster archiving decades of video where hyperscaler storage and egress costs would be prohibitivenot TrueNAS
- A hospital group holding medical imaging on premises for data residency and retention reasonsnot TrueNAS
- An enterprise building an immutable on premises backup target for Veeam or Commvault with object locknot TrueNAS
- A service provider offering S3-compatible storage to its own customers on hardware it controlsnot TrueNAS
TrueNAS
- On-premises backup and archival storage for enterprisesnot Scality RING
- Home lab and small business network-attached storagenot Scality RING
- Media server storage for video, photo, and document librariesnot Scality RING
- Disaster recovery and business continuity replicationnot Scality RING
- S3-compatible object storage for cloud-native applicationsnot Scality RING
- High-availability storage clusters for datacentresnot Scality RING
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Scality RING
- Hardware is bought separately, so the software quote understates total cost and the buyer carries the sizing risk if the drive and server specification is wrong.
- Running distributed erasure coded storage requires operations skills, and organisations that expected appliance simplicity end up staffing a storage team they had not budgeted.
- Rebuild times after a drive failure on large capacity disks are measured in hours or days, and capacity planning has to leave headroom for that degraded window.
- Pricing is per usable terabyte and quoted, so cost comparisons against cloud object storage require modelling your own retrieval patterns rather than reading a rate card.
- Small deployments carry a minimum viable node count for erasure coding to work sensibly, which makes the entry footprint larger and less economic than the per-terabyte price implies.
TrueNAS
- Requires self-hosting on x86 hardware, no managed cloud offering; organisations must provision, configure, and maintain their own infrastructure
- ZFS filesystem entails high memory requirements (1 GB RAM per 1 TB of storage recommended), increasing costs for large deployments
- Limited ARM/embedded support; Community Edition is primarily x86-64, reducing deployment options for edge installations
- Clustering and replication setup requires operational expertise; misconfiguration can lead to data loss
- Enterprise support and SLA guarantees require paid subscriptions; Community Edition relies on peer-based forums
Pricing, plan by plan
Scality RING
On request- Scality RING$undefined/year
- Priced per usable terabyte, subscription or perpetual
- Server hardware purchased separately by the customer
- Support tiers quoted separately
- Scality ARTESCA$undefined/year
- Lighter object store for smaller footprints
- Priced per usable terabyte
- Commonly deployed as an immutable backup target
TrueNAS
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the TrueNAS review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Scality RING if
- You need s3-compatible object storage.
- You work on Linux.
- You also want file and object access.
Choose TrueNAS if
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Self-hosted, Linux, Web, API.
Questions people ask
- Is Scality RING or TrueNAS better?
- Neither clearly leads. Scality RING starts at On request and TrueNAS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Scality RING or TrueNAS?
- TrueNAS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Scality RING and Free for TrueNAS.
- Does Scality RING or TrueNAS run on more platforms?
- Scality RING runs on Linux. TrueNAS runs on Self-hosted, Linux, Web, API.
- Can I use TrueNAS for free?
- Yes. TrueNAS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Scality RING starts at On request.
- What is Scality RING best used for?
- Scality RING is most often used for a broadcaster archiving decades of video where hyperscaler storage and egress costs would be prohibitive, a hospital group holding medical imaging on premises for data residency and retention reasons, an enterprise building an immutable on premises backup target for veeam or commvault with object lock, a service provider offering s3-compatible storage to its own customers on hardware it controls. Of those, a broadcaster archiving decades of video where hyperscaler storage and egress costs would be prohibitive and a hospital group holding medical imaging on premises for data residency and retention reasons are not what TrueNAS is typically brought in for.
- What can Scality RING do that TrueNAS cannot?
- Scality RING covers S3-compatible object storage, File and object access, Erasure coding, Object lock.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Scality RING: Do we buy hardware from Scality?
No. RING is software; you buy commodity servers and drives yourself, which is the point for buyers who want to rebid hardware at each refresh.
TrueNAS: What is the cost of TrueNAS Community Edition?
TrueNAS Community Edition is free and open-source. There are no licensing fees, but organisations must purchase and maintain their own x86 hardware. Enterprise Edition requires paid support contracts for production environments.
SourceScality RING: Is it S3-compatible enough for backup software?
Yes, it is a common object lock target for Veeam, Commvault and Rubrik. Verify the specific S3 features your backup product needs during a proof of concept.
TrueNAS: Can I replicate TrueNAS data between sites?
Yes. TrueNAS supports snapshot-based replication over network links, enabling disaster recovery and business continuity. Replication can occur between Community Edition systems or between Enterprise Appliances.
SourceScality RING: What is ARTESCA?
A lighter object store from the same company, aimed at smaller footprints and backup targets rather than multi-petabyte archives.
TrueNAS: What storage protocols does TrueNAS support?
TrueNAS simultaneously supports NFS (network file system), SMB (Windows file sharing), iSCSI (block storage), and S3-compatible object storage, all from the same storage pool.
SourceRelated pages
More on Scality RING
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