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Lightbits SDS vs SeaweedFS

Both stand on software-defined storage software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Lightbits SDS

Free trial Self-hostedWeb

Lightbits SDS offers NVMe/TCP block storage across on-premises and cloud deployments, with data services and resilience controls. The listed free trial has no stated duration or terms, so clarify those before planning an evaluation.

Visit Lightbits SDS

SeaweedFS

Free plan APILinuxMac+2

SeaweedFS combines several storage access methods in one cluster, with stated support for very large file collections. Check the production license requirement and the separate cost of enterprise support when assessing it for deployment.

Visit SeaweedFS

The facts

Lightbits SDSSeaweedFS
Free planA free trialYes
Open sourceNot publishedNot published
Runs onSelf-hosted, WebAPI, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows
Lowest paid planSee the plansCapacity license — Yearly: $20 a year
Plans published210
MakerNot publishedNot published
Websitelightbitslabs.comseaweedfs.com
On software-defined storage software#15 of 30#11 of 30

Lightbits SDS: what it does well

  • Separates compute and storage over standard Ethernet.
  • Supports AWS, Azure, on-premises, and hybrid deployment.
  • Includes Kubernetes, OpenStack, and VMware integrations.
  • Lists replication and erasure coding capabilities.
  • Offers multi-cluster management and programmatic controls.

What to know first

  • No free plan is listed.
  • Free-trial duration and terms are unspecified.
  • No S3-compatible access is listed.

SeaweedFS: what it does well

  • One cluster serves S3 objects, Iceberg tables, and POSIX files.
  • Supports S3, POSIX, HDFS-compatible access, Iceberg REST, and WebDAV.
  • Iceberg catalog works with Spark, Trino, Dremio, and DuckDB.
  • Enterprise offers point-in-time restoration and shard repair.

What to know first

  • Production use requires a paid license regardless of size.
  • Free trial recovery retention is limited to one hour.
  • Enterprise support is purchased separately from capacity licensing.

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