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Zentyal vs Samba: catalog facts
Zentyal	Samba
Paid Yearly or lifetime licences covering unlimited users, with a free 15-day trial.	Free Free and open source under the GNU GPL.
Linux, Self-hosted	Linux, Self-hosted
Active Directory compatible domain controller for Windows clients Mail, groupware and network services in one interface	Serves files and printers to Windows, macOS and Linux clients Can run as an Active Directory domain controller
Paid licence after the trial Aimed at small and mid-sized office servers rather than home use	Configuration can be complex, especially for AD roles Runs on Linux and Unix-like systems only
Self-hosted, Operating system	Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-3.0
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.