openmediavault
Light, free, runs on a Pi
openmediavault (OMV) is a free NAS system built on Debian, started by Volker Theile in 2009. Version 8 is based on Debian 13 and supports 64-bit PCs and ARM boards. It is light enough for a Raspberry Pi and does the basics well: shares, users, RAID and disk health. Apps come through the omv-extras Compose plugin, which runs Docker containers.
openmediavault specs and requirements
What openmediavault can do
Strengths
- Very light: runs on old PCs and Raspberry Pi boards
- Free, open source and built on plain Debian
- Does file sharing and backups without extra layers
Trade-offs
- Plain interface with no app store out of the box
- Docker apps need the omv-extras plugin and some command-line setup
- Raspberry Pi install means installing Debian first
Local AI on openmediavault
No built-in AI features. Local AI apps can run as Docker containers through the Compose plugin. How far you get depends on your memory: see what each kind of hardware can run.
openmediavault vs other NAS systems
Tinkerers with a Raspberry Pi or an old PC who mainly want file shares.
| Feature | openmediavault | TrueNAS | Unraid | ZimaOS | umbrelOS | HexOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free to useUsable with no licence fee for a normal home setup. | Yes | Yes | No | YesUp to 4 drives | Yes | No |
| One-click app storeInstall apps such as Plex, Jellyfin or Nextcloud from a catalog in the web interface. | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in photo libraryA photo app made by the NAS maker, not just a third-party app you install. | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Local AI apps in the storeOllama or another local AI runtime can be installed from the official catalog or a built-in feature. | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Mix drive sizes freelyAdd drives of different sizes over time and use their full capacity. | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| ZFS file systemZFS checks data for silent corruption and supports snapshots. It works best with matching drives and more RAM. | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Runs on a Raspberry PiAn official or documented way to run it on a Raspberry Pi. | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| PriceOne-time prices in US dollars. | Free | Free | From $49 | Free · Plus $29 | Free | From $199 |
| Minimum RAMAs stated by the maker. | 1 GB | 8 GB | — | — | 4 GB | — |
Compare openmediavault with
openmediavault: common questions
Is openmediavault free?
Yes. openmediavault is free. Licence: Open source (GPLv3).
What hardware does openmediavault need?
Processor: 64-bit x86 or ARM. RAM: 1 GB minimum, 4 GB recommended for beginners. System drive: 4 GB minimum, 120 GB recommended. Supported architectures: x86-64, ARM64.
Can openmediavault run AI locally?
No built-in AI features. Local AI apps can run as Docker containers through the Compose plugin.
What is openmediavault based on?
openmediavault is based on Debian 13. Storage: Linux software RAID and standard file systems; plugins add more.
Who is openmediavault best for?
Tinkerers with a Raspberry Pi or an old PC who mainly want file shares.
Other NAS systems
Sources, checked October 19, 2026: openmediavault prerequisites · openmediavault on Wikipedia · OMV 8 release (CNX Software) · omv-extras wiki. The level is our judgment of how much a first-time NAS builder has to learn.