HexOS vs NovaNAS
HexOS
hexos.comNovaNAS
novanas.orgSide by side
| Figure | HexOS | NovaNAS |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · NAS Software | 7.9 (#12) | 8.5 (#3) |
| Purpose | HexOS provides a private home server for storage, streaming, virtual machines, and other apps. | NovaNAS is an open-source NAS operating system managed through a desktop-like web interface. |
| Security | The privacy policy says the company uses encryption, firewalls, and secure data storage, while noting no system can be completely secure. | The site lists UFW firewall controls, DynDNS, and automatic Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS certificate management. |
| Storage | HexOS can configure storage devices into pools intended to protect against data loss if one device fails. | NovaNAS supports ZFS and EXT4 pools, RAID management, and SMB/CIFS and NFS shared folders. |
| Support | HexOS directs users to its Discord community for support and provides support by email at [email protected]. | The README points users to documentation and GitHub Issues for support and bug reports. |
| System requirements | The minimum requirements are a 2-core 64-bit CPU, 8 GB memory, and a 16 GB or larger SSD boot device; at least one storage pool is required. | The installer is designed for a fresh Debian 13 system with at least 2 GB RAM, a 1-core CPU, and a 20 GB system drive. |
Plans
In their own words
NovaNAS
NovaNAS is a free, open-source NAS operating system managed through a desktop-like web interface. Its browser file manager supports browsing, uploading, downloading, and previewing files. Storage features include ZFS and EXT4, RAID management, and SMB/CIFS and NFS shared folders with access controls. A community app store offers one-click deployment of Docker applications such as Plex, Nextcloud, and Pi-hole. The project describes automated backups to external drives or cloud storage, and network backups between NovaNAS systems using API key authentication. Security and network tools include UFW firewall management, DynDNS, automatic Let's Encrypt certificates, and WebAuthn/FIDO2 passkey login. The interface monitors CPU, memory, disk, and network activity in real time. NovaNAS currently supports Debian 13 only, and its installer is intended for a fresh system, not an existing one. Minimum requirements are 2 GB RAM, a 1-core CPU, and a 20 GB system drive, plus data drives. Virtualization, historical monitoring, and scheduled tasks are listed as coming soon.