I've got a Basic license currently. Good enough. But I'm thinking of expanding my setup with an 8-bay NAS function, so I should need to upgrade to a Plus license.

 

But I was thinking. What is the actual difference between Basic, Plus, and Pro? Surely, it can't be just upping the arbitrary limit of storage devices, can it? If that, is it an arbitrary limit in the first place, or is inherently more difficult or does it require very different logic, to support more than 6 storage devices? Or does a bigger license grant other advantages that I'm not seeing?

 

It's seems kind of uneven to me that it costs $39 for an upgrade that turns a 6 into a 12. So please let me know how this works.

Edited June 22, 20206 yr by thany

The only difference is the number of disks.

Each additional license tier allows more attached devices. No other changes.

 

Pricing in tiers allows you to have a lower price point for those who don't have a need for more devices. The cost difference is subsidized by those who choose to spend more for more devices. You get the same upgrade and capability benefits as those who pay much more for the top tier license, but at a discount because you are limited to fewer attached drives.

 

The difference between buying the more expensive license outright vs. buying a lower tier and upgrading is because there is an administrative cost associated with each transaction. They are essentially providing a rebate towards the price of the higher tier when you "trade in" your lower tier license.

 

If that discount isn't enough incentive, feel free to keep your basic license for another machine that needs fewer disks, and purchase the higher tier outright. That way you keep both licenses, and can run a second machine as a backup.

 

At the end of the day, the Unraid license is close to being the cheapest part of a NAS build, a very small percentage of the total cost.