FreeNAS vs Panzura CloudFS comparison

FreeNAS and Panzura are both solutions in the NAS category. FreeNAS is ranked #12 with an average rating of 9.0, while Panzura is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.2. FreeNAS holds a 2.0% mindshare in N, compared to Panzura’s 3.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of FreeNAS users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Panzura users who would recommend it.

FreeNAS

Read 9 FreeNAS reviews

699 Views
472 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Panzura CloudFS

Read 8 Panzura CloudFS reviews

847 Views
572 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

FreeNAS

Panzura CloudFS

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 18, 2025

Panzura CloudFS and FreeNAS compete in the storage solutions category. Panzura CloudFS has an advantage in enterprise-level scalability and integration, while FreeNAS is preferred for its open-source flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

Features: Panzura CloudFS is known for its global file system capabilities, real-time collaboration, and cloud integration, which make it ideal for enterprises. FreeNAS offers ZFS file system support, extensive plugin availability, and robust storage features appealing to tech-savvy users seeking customization.

Room for Improvement: Panzura CloudFS could enhance its open-source adaptability, reduce initial costs, and expand community-driven support. FreeNAS might improve its ease of deployment, enterprise-level scalability, and dedicated customer support.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Panzura CloudFS features a streamlined deployment process with dedicated support, suitable for large organizations aiming to minimize downtime. In contrast, FreeNAS deployments can be more complex due to their open-source nature, but offer comprehensive documentation for self-service. Panzura provides strong customer support, whereas FreeNAS relies on a community-driven support system.

Pricing and ROI: Panzura CloudFS generally incurs higher initial setup costs due to its enterprise features but offers significant ROI through increased productivity and cloud integration. FreeNAS is appealing for budget-conscious environments due to its low setup cost and potential for high ROI from adaptability and minimal licensing fees.

To learn more, read our detailed FreeNAS vs. Panzura CloudFS Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS vs. Panzura CloudFS

April 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

FreeNAS

Ranking in NAS

12th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Panzura CloudFS

Ranking in NAS

10th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

File System Software (3rd), Cloud Storage (11th), Cloud Storage Gateways (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the NAS category, the mindshare of FreeNAS is 2.0%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Panzura CloudFS is 3.0%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

NAS

Featured Reviews

Vincenzo D'Aniello

Software developer at TREXON S.R.L.

Open-source with great disk management and task synchronization

The system itself allows you to add any feature. The only bad thing is that this maybe depends on FreeBSD, and sometimes finding documentation is difficult. For example, we knew that previous versions automatically enabled the Linux kernel, yet with the recent version, this was no longer the case. Now, there was the possibility of being able to create Debian-based jails, and finding the documentation was not easy or fast. That said, in the end, we succeeded. If you find the documentation, it is always incomplete and fragmented.

Read full review

Roger Clark

I.T. Infrastructure Manager at Thompson Engineering

Handles file locks effectively enabling seamless remote collaboration in global teams

It has not reduced the data storage cost. We have been trying to come up with a plan internally to archive project data at a certain time frame. However, our data continues to grow, so at the point of 25 terabytes, we had to buy another 25 terabytes license to exceed that threshold. It would have been nice if they had offered them in increments, of 5, 10, 15, or 20 terabytes than having to get a whole chunk of 25 terabytes again for licensing purposes, which is a little costly. It would be nice if Panzura offered data in increments instead of 25 terabytes per license. They have done a pretty good job of development from the point of offering new products. Pricing seems to be high for certain things, such as the audit feature of Panzura Data Services. It would be nice to see who deleted that 100 gig of data out there. They should make the pricing plan more attractive for a company of our size. We have almost 700 employees over the southeast from Texas to Florida and up to Tennessee, so we are a pretty big region.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"What I like about it is that I can work on it from any computer or any device. The initial setup is very simple. The setup wizard is really helpful."

"Its stability is the most valuable. It is reliable, and we don't have to worry too much about it."

"The ease of use of the 'jail', the management of backups, and copies to easily create test and pre-production scenarios have speeded up the development and distribution of business apps."

"It has the best storage capacity."

"It integrates well into either Windows or Linux environments."

"The solution has been very stable so far."

"FreeNAS is much simpler and easier to use than other solutions, but we don't have the complete range of features that come with the full version."

"What I appreciate most about Panzura CloudFS is that it really solves the problem we had when we moved all our server workloads to Azure, reducing our on-prem data center footprint sizably. We don't have to maintain a huge on-prem storage array, which is nice. It just works, and we haven't had any issues this whole time."

"It is a very solid product. We keep all of our older files on their system. It is easy to restore if a file gets deleted. We have good disaster recovery. It is very reliable and very quick, and we do not have files that get overwritten because it locks the file."

"Its most valuable features are the collaboration, the file snapshots, and the data protection the solution provides."

"Panzura is a hundred percent better than what we had before."

"For instance, if I'm in India but need to access data in China or Spain, it simplifies the process and enhances collaboration."

"Primarily, it is the way Panzura CloudFS handles the file locks and the way these filers, along with the authoritative copy of all our data, which is about 27 terabytes located in an AWS bucket in the cloud, operate."

"Panzura CloudFS has helped to increase the network resilience by 100%."

"Panzura has not increased its data storage costs."

More Panzura CloudFS pros

Cons

"They can improve the integration with PSA systems. This functionality could be better."

"The one thing that I find difficult to do which is very time-consuming is that I like to have a backup of the important files."

"If you find the documentation, it is always incomplete and fragmented."

"FreeNAS should be better prepared for clustering."

"The support for S3 needs to be improved."

"They should include clustering for the solution."

"The latest version of the dashboard doesn't work as good as the previous version."

"It is a little costly. The NFS service needs development."

"One area for improvement regarding Panzura CloudFS is moving away from on-prem or local Active Directory. We're exploring a transition to Azure AD or Entra ID, aiming to keep the product functional without heavy reliance on the local Active Directory."

"In terms of improvements for Panzura CloudFS, I would like to see the Edge feature."

"It is a little costly. The NFS service needs development. While Windows and SMB are effective, the NFS service shows some lag, making it a pain point for our many clients who use Linux devices."

"It would be nice if Panzura offered data in increments instead of 25 terabytes per license."

"There are a few file types that do not work well with Panzura CloudFS. Specifically, the GIS data formats, such as a geo database, have been found better kept outside of Panzura CloudFS."

"It should be easy for people not on the network to connect and access their files."

More Panzura CloudFS cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For our configuration, we pay a little bit less than €10,000 ($12,000 USD) per year."

"We use the free version of the program."

"Its price is okay. It suits our needs."

"Its licensing cost is based on the hardware capacity."

"Overall, it is quite costly compared to NetApp and similar solutions."

"The pricing seems high on certain products and features, such as the audit feature of Panzura Data Services. They should consider more attractive pricing for companies of our size. The renewals are yearly, but the pricing is a little high for us."

"It is not bad. It is like everything else. Pricing has gone up quite over the last couple of years, but everybody's pricing has gone up. For what they deliver, it is right in line with what everybody else has."

"It's competitive. I don't know what competitors are charging, but they have been very transparent, which is nice, and we've negotiated to avoid percentage increases."

"The solution's pricing is on the expensive side."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

19%

Financial Services Firm

Performing Arts

Government

Computer Software Company

16%

Construction Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about FreeNAS?

The ease of use of the 'jail', the management of backups, and copies to easily create test and pre-production scenarios have speeded up the development and distribution of business apps.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FreeNAS?

The core version is free and open-source.

See all answers

What needs improvement with FreeNAS?

See all answers

What are the products that Panzura provides?

Panzura offers four main products: CloudFS, data services, smart apps, and global services. They call this "all-in-one solution" and it's for end-to-end cloud data management. Why is it called that...

See all answers

What kind of industries does Panzura serve?

Hello, I think businesses from all industries that have their data on a cloud can benefit from Panzura. Especially if you have offices in various locations or your employees are working from home a...

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Why was Panzura acquired? Is the acquisition going to cause a change?

I think Panzura may change in a positive direction now that it's been bought by Profile Capital. That's a very big investment company for technology businesses and I think it's an opportunity for ...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS

May 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Panzura CloudFS

May 2025

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Also Known As

No data available

Panzura Freedom

Overview

FreeNAS is an operating system that can be installed on virtually any hardware platform to share data over a network. FreeNAS is the simplest way to create a centralized and easily accessible place for your data. Use FreeNAS with ZFS to protect, store, backup, all of your data. FreeNAS is used everywhere, for the home, small business, and the enterprise.

FreeNAS

Panzura CloudFS connects data across a distributed network, offering an efficient solution for file storage and management in a cloud environment.

Designed for businesses needing robust data management, Panzura CloudFS enables seamless access and high availability by providing advanced capabilities for distributed file systems. This technology ensures collaboration and data consistency across multiple locations, optimizing enterprise storage strategies and enhancing data governance and compliance. Effective in reducing latency and operational complexity, it addresses the demands of global enterprises seeking scalable and reliable cloud file services.

What are the key features of Panzura CloudFS?

Global File System: Offers a unified view of file storage across multiple sites.
Data Consolidation: Merges various data silos into a single, cohesive storage network.
Security and Compliance: Ensures data protection with built-in encryption and compliance features.
High Availability: Provides continuous access to data with fault-tolerant architecture.
Quick Deployment: Enables rapid integration into existing infrastructure with minimal downtime.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Cost Reduction: Minimizes data storage costs through efficient use of cloud storage.
Improved Collaboration: Facilitates real-time file access and sharing across geographies.
Scalability: Supports growing data needs without significant infrastructure investment.
Enhanced Productivity: Reduces operational inefficiencies with streamlined data management.
Security Enhancements: Protects critical data assets with advanced security measures.

Panzura CloudFS finds applications in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and media, where data integrity and accessibility are critical. Financial institutions benefit from secure and synchronized data access, while healthcare providers utilize it for managing patient data across locations. The media industry leverages its capabilities for collaboration and efficient media file handling worldwide.

Panzura

Sample Customers

Morroni Technologies Inc., Creative Integrations

Petrofac, Komatsu, HCA Healthcare, Vanguard, Disney, Pokemon, US Department of Justice, Gensler, Fluor, AFRY, Milwaukee Tool, Navy Federal Credit Union, TechTarget

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS vs. Panzura CloudFS

April 2025

Free Report: FreeNAS vs. Panzura CloudFS

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