Best Distributed File System Software in 2026
Updated
In short: MooseFS is ranked #1 of 29 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of SeaweedFS and Ceph. The best-ranked option with a free plan is SeaweedFS. The lowest first paid tier on this page is SeaweedFS at $1.67/mo.
When storage spans several machines, distributed file system software helps manage files across them. Compare data replication, multi-site support, and encryption at rest, along with the file access protocols and deployment models each entry lists. Maximum nodes offers another scale-related point of comparison; free plans and paid-from pricing can help you weigh cost. MooseFS, SeaweedFS, and Ceph are among the named options, alongside Hadoop Distributed File System and JuiceFS. Consider which access methods and deployment approaches fit your environment, and which listed replication and security details matter for the way you plan to store data.
29 distributed file system software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
12 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MooseFSWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 2 | SeaweedFSWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $1.67/mo | 6.6 | |
| 3 | CephWindows · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 4 | Hadoop Distributed File SystemWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 5 | JuiceFSWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 6 | OpenAFSWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 7 | QuobyteWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 8 | XtreemFSWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 9 | BeeGFSLinux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 10 | Google Cloud Managed LustreWeb · Linux · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | — | 6.4 | |
| 11 | GlusterLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 12 | GekkoFSLinux | One bar | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.2 | |
| 13 | LizardFSWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 14 | Tahoe-LAFSWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 15 | LustreLinux · Self-hosted | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 16 | Dell APEX AIOps Incident ManagementWeb · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 17 | LucidLinkWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Extension | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | $7/mo | 5.4 |
| 18 | WEKA Data PlatformWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 19 | DDN EXAScaler CloudLinux · Self-hosted | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 20 | GfarmWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 21 | Huawei HiSecEngine USG6800GWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 22 | OrangeFSWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 23 | PanFSWeb · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 24 | Panzura CloudFSSelf-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 25 | Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAPWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment model | Data replication |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MooseFS | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 2 | SeaweedFS | 6.6 | Free plan | $1.67/mo | Yes | 2 /mo | — | — |
| 3 | Ceph | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 4 | Hadoop Distributed File System | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | — | — | self_hosted | Yes |
| 5 | JuiceFS | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | 0.02 /mo | hybrid | Yes |
| 6 | OpenAFS | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | self_hosted | Yes |
| 7 | Quobyte | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 8 | XtreemFS | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 9 | BeeGFS | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 10 | Google Cloud Managed Lustre | 6.4 | No | — | No | 0.06 /mo | — | — |
| 11 | Gluster | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | hybrid | Yes |
| 12 | GekkoFS | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | self_hosted | Yes |
| 13 | LizardFS | 5.6 | No | — | — | — | — | Yes |
| 14 | Tahoe-LAFS | 5.6 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | Lustre | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | self_hosted | No |
| 16 | Dell APEX AIOps Incident Management | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | Yes |
| 17 | LucidLink | 5.4 | No | $7/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 18 | WEKA Data Platform | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 19 | DDN EXAScaler Cloud | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | Gfarm | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | self_hosted | Yes |
| 21 | Huawei HiSecEngine USG6800G | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | OrangeFS | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | self_hosted | — |
| 23 | PanFS | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | Yes |
| 24 | Panzura CloudFS | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | — |
| 25 | Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP | 5.2 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which distributed file system software is ranked first on Freedom251?
MooseFS is ranked #1 of 29 with a score of 6.6. SeaweedFS is second and Ceph third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, SeaweedFS has the lowest first paid tier we found: $1.67/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.