FreeNAS vs HPE Sonexion comparison

FreeNAS and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are both solutions in the NAS category. FreeNAS is ranked #17, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #20. FreeNAS holds a 2.4% mindshare in N, compared to Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s 1.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of FreeNAS users are willing to recommend the solution.

FreeNAS

Read 9 FreeNAS reviews

688 Views
688 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HPE Sonexion

258 Views
258 Comparison Views

FreeNAS

HPE Sonexion

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 16, 2025

FreeNAS and HPE Sonexion are products in the network-attached storage and high-performance computing markets. FreeNAS appears to offer a cost-effective solution for small to medium-sized deployments, while HPE Sonexion provides advanced features and scalability for larger enterprises.

Features: FreeNAS is valued for its open-source nature, ease of customization, and support for various plugins. HPE Sonexion offers a high-performance storage solution with advanced data management features and scalability options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: FreeNAS provides straightforward installation and community-driven support, useful for tech-savvy organizations. HPE Sonexion offers a comprehensive deployment service and professional support, ideal for seamless integration and reliability.

Pricing and ROI: FreeNAS provides a lower setup cost due to its open-source model, appealing to budget-conscious organizations. HPE Sonexion, with its higher initial investment, demonstrates strong ROI through robust performance and scalability.

To learn more, read our detailed NAS Report (Updated: November 2025).

Buyer's Guide

NAS

November 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 879,259 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

FreeNAS

Ranking in NAS

17th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

HPE Sonexion

Ranking in NAS

20th

Average Rating

0.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2025, in the NAS category, the mindshare of FreeNAS is 2.4%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Sonexion is 1.1%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

NAS Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
FreeNAS	2.4%
HPE Sonexion	1.1%
Other	96.5%

NAS

Featured Reviews

Vincenzo D'Aniello

Software developer at TREXON S.R.L.

Open-source with great disk management and task synchronization

The system itself allows you to add any feature. The only bad thing is that this maybe depends on FreeBSD, and sometimes finding documentation is difficult. For example, we knew that previous versions automatically enabled the Linux kernel, yet with the recent version, this was no longer the case. Now, there was the possibility of being able to create Debian-based jails, and finding the documentation was not easy or fast. That said, in the end, we succeeded. If you find the documentation, it is always incomplete and fragmented.

Read full review

Use HPE Sonexion?

Leave a review

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which NAS solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

15%

Performing Arts

14%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Large Enterprise	2

No data available

Comparisons

QNAP NAS Storage vs FreeNAS

Compared 14% of the time

NetApp FAS Series vs FreeNAS

Compared 13% of the time

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs FreeNAS

Compared 11% of the time

StarWind Storage Appliance vs FreeNAS

Compared 11% of the time

NetApp Private Storage vs FreeNAS

Compared 5% of the time

More FreeNAS Competitors

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs HPE Sonexion

Compared 71% of the time

More HPE Sonexion Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS

December 2025

Download FreeNAS product report

Buyer's Guide

NAS

November 2025

Download HPE Sonexion product report

Also Known As

No data available

Sonexion Scale-out Lustre Storage System

Overview

FreeNAS is an operating system that can be installed on virtually any hardware platform to share data over a network. FreeNAS is the simplest way to create a centralized and easily accessible place for your data. Use FreeNAS with ZFS to protect, store, backup, all of your data. FreeNAS is used everywhere, for the home, small business, and the enterprise.

FreeNAS

HPE Sonexion is a flexible storage solution designed for high-performance computing environments, delivering efficient data management and rapid access in demanding scenarios.

HPE Sonexion provides scalable storage solutions with seamless integration and robust data management capabilities, perfect for users looking to optimize compute performance. Designed to tackle large datasets, it is ideal for industries requiring reliable and fast data access. Leveraging Lustre file systems, it ensures efficient throughput and bandwidth necessary for computational workloads.

What are the key features of HPE Sonexion?

High Scalability: Manage and grow storage as demands increase.
Efficient Data Access: Leverages Lustre for high-speed and efficient data retrieval.
Integration Capabilities: Seamless deployment with existing systems.
High Reliability: Ensures data integrity and availability.

What benefits can users expect when evaluating HPE Sonexion?

Improved Performance: Enhanced data throughput boosts computational efficiency.
Cost-effectiveness: Streamlined integration reduces operational costs.
Scalability: Easily adapts to growing data storage needs.

HPE Sonexion sees widespread adoption in sectors such as research, financial services, and healthcare, where quick access to vast amounts of data is critical. Its robust features make it a preferred choice for organizations focusing on scientific simulations, real-time data analysis, and other intensive computational tasks.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Sample Customers

Morroni Technologies Inc., Creative Integrations

Petrobras, Korea Meteorological Association

Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, NetApp, CTERA and others in NAS. Updated: November 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our list of best NAS vendors.

We monitor all NAS reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.