StarWind Virtual SAN

Visit site Alternatives

Score7.1

Rank#5 of 28

PriceFree

Free planYes

Free trialYes

Runs onLinux, Self-hosted, Web, Windows

Summary

StarWind Virtual SAN is software intended to replace physical shared SAN storage in SMB, ROBO, and Edge environments. StarWind says it provides fault tolerance and high availability starting with two nodes. It supports iSCSI, SMB3, NFS v4.1, VVols iSCSI, NVMe over Fabrics, and iSER. Deployment options include Windows-native software in a Hyper-V partition or a Linux-based virtual machine on a chosen hypervisor. An HTML5 console manages hardware and software resources, while listed reliability features include ZFS self-healing, AI-powered telemetry, and call-home systems. Supported hypervisors include VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0 or later, Windows Server Hyper-V 2019 or later, oVirt/OLVM/RHV 4.4 or later, Proxmox VE 9.1 or later, and XCP-ng 8.3 or later. The free edition is self- or community-supported, and its web UI is listed for KVM only; the paid edition lists KVM, Hyper-V, and ESXi. A 30-day trial is available, and paid pricing is provided on request.

Who it is for

It is aimed at SMB, ROBO, and Edge deployments that need shared storage software and high availability. Teams should check the free edition’s KVM-only web UI listing and support model before choosing it.

What is good

High availability starts with two nodes.
Supports multiple storage protocols.
Offers Windows-native and Linux VM deployments.
HTML5 console manages hardware and software resources.

What to know first

Free edition web UI is listed for KVM only.
Free edition is self- or community-supported.
Paid pricing is available on request.

Verdict

StarWind Virtual SAN offers a broad protocol set and deployment options for smaller and edge environments. The free edition has a narrower listed web UI scope and community-oriented support; paid pricing requires a request.

StarWind Virtual SAN plans and pricing

All plans

Virtual SAN Free Free self-supported · functionality limitations · Linux KVM version may have no limitations starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026

Enterprise Not published per-node licensing · minimum two nodes · unlimited nodes · no storage-capacity limits · asynchronous replication available starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026

Datacenter Not published single site/datacenter · unlimited nodes · unlimited capacity · asynchronous replication starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026

Compared on software-defined storage software

Free plan: Yesstarwindsoftware.com
Storage protocols: iSCSI, SMB3, NFSv4.1, NVMe-oF, iSERstarwindsoftware.com

Facts

Purpose: StarWind Virtual SAN is software that replaces physical shared SAN storage and targets Enterprise ROBO, SMB and Edge environments.starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026
High availability: StarWind says Virtual SAN provides fault tolerance and high availability starting with two nodes.starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026
Protocols: The product supports iSCSI, SMB3, NFS v4.1, VVols iSCSI, NVMe over Fabrics and iSER.starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026
Deployment: It can run as Windows-native software in a Hyper-V partition or as a Linux-based virtual machine on a chosen hypervisor.starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026
Management: Hardware and software resources are monitored and managed through an HTML5 console.starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026
Self-healing: StarWind lists ZFS self-healing, AI-powered telemetry and call-home systems as automated reliability features.starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026
Hypervisors: Supported hypervisor versions include VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0 or later, Windows Server Hyper-V 2019 or later, oVirt/OLVM/RHV 4.4 or later, Proxmox VE 9.1 or later and XCP-ng 8.3 or later.starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026
Free-edition limit: The free-versus-paid comparison lists the free edition's web UI as KVM only, while the paid edition lists KVM, Hyper-V and ESXi.starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026
Support: VSAN Free is self-supported or community-supported through StarWind Forums, while the paid edition includes deployment, configuration, integration and responsive technical support.starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026
Trial: The full-force StarWind VSAN free trial lasts 30 trial days.starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026
Pricing model: StarWind states that pricing scales with usable storage capacity and that the quoted license includes all features, professional technical support and assisted deployment.starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026
Security advisories: StarWind publishes security advisories, including September 2026 advisories for Mbed TLS, rsyslog and an OpenZFS vulnerability in StarWind products.starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026
Target users: StarWind says Virtual SAN is designed and priced for SMB, ROBO and Edge deployments.starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026
Product history: StarWind says its Native SAN product was released in 2011 and later rebranded to Virtual SAN.starwindsoftware.com · 1 Oct 2026