FreeNAS vs HPE StoreEasy comparison

FreeNAS and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are both solutions in the NAS category. FreeNAS is ranked #11 with an average rating of 9.0, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.8. FreeNAS holds a 2.0% mindshare in N, compared to Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s 4.7% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of FreeNAS users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users who would recommend it.

FreeNAS

Read 9 FreeNAS reviews

664 Views
381 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HPE StoreEasy

Read 12 HPE StoreEasy reviews

1,321 Views
655 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

FreeNAS

HPE StoreEasy

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 7, 2024

HPE StoreEasy and FreeNAS are competing network-attached storage solutions. HPE StoreEasy has an advantage with its integration and support services, appealing to corporate environments, while FreeNAS stands out for its open-source flexibility suited to tech-savvy users.

Features: HPE StoreEasy offers seamless integration with Windows environments, an intuitive management system, and robust security features. FreeNAS provides flexibility, advanced snapshot capabilities, and comprehensive open-source plugins.

Room for Improvement: HPE StoreEasy could enhance feature customization, reduce its initial setup complexity, and expand support for non-Windows environments. FreeNAS would benefit from simplified deployment, more user-friendly management for beginners, and enhanced technical support to ease the setup process.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HPE StoreEasy is known for straightforward deployment within business infrastructure, benefiting from reliable technical support and detailed documentation. FreeNAS offers a more complex setup requiring technical knowledge, providing flexibility for customized solutions for those with expertise.

Pricing and ROI: HPE StoreEasy's initial costs are generally higher, justified by integration services and customer support, ensuring quick ROI through streamlined operation. FreeNAS, available without upfront licensing costs, is cost-effective for users willing to invest time in setup and maintenance, offering significant long-term value through customization.

To learn more, read our detailed FreeNAS vs. HPE StoreEasy Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS vs. HPE StoreEasy

June 2025

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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

11th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

HPE StoreEasy

Ranking in NAS

7th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the NAS category, the mindshare of FreeNAS is 2.0%, down from 2.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE StoreEasy is 4.7%, up from 4.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

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.

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Vinoth Bala

HPE Consultant at Mannai

Reliable, cost-effective, and easy to deploy and manage

I did not have any difficulties in deploying StoreEasy for the customers. It is user-friendly and easy to deploy. It has a Windows Server and a required license built in. For implementation, we follow the HPE documentation. We follow the Configuration guide and the Installation guide. For all HPE products, we follow the HPE documentation. For a single box, it takes a maximum of two days. It depends on the customer's availability. For different configurations, it can take two to three days. The number of people required varies from customer to customer, but generally, it requires three people. For mounting the storage, we always have three people to unbox, mount, and do other things. It does not require any maintenance. From the data center perspective, maintaining StoreEasy is very easy. No customer has complained about any difficulty in maintaining StoreEasy.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has the best storage capacity."

"The ease of use of the 'jail', the management of backups, and copies to easily create test and pre-production scenarios have speeded up the development and distribution of business apps."

"The solution has been very stable so far."

"FreeNAS is much simpler and easier to use than other solutions, but we don't have the complete range of features that come with the full version."

"What I like about it is that I can work on it from any computer or any device. The initial setup is very simple. The setup wizard is really helpful."

"Its stability is the most valuable. It is reliable, and we don't have to worry too much about it."

"It integrates well into either Windows or Linux environments."

"The most beneficial feature of HPE StoreEasy for us is its easy implementation and maintenance."

"The solution's most valuable feature is the duplication."

"This solution allows me to better and more easily manage user data without impacting my primary storage."

"The tool's data protection capabilities are robust."

"StoreEasy is a better solution for backup purposes."

"StoreEasy offers reliable file services, which is a critical factor for customers looking for solid infrastructure."

"HPE StoreEasy is a stable and high-performing solution that HPE supports effectively."

"It is easy to manage. There is a management console that comes with StoreEasy. It simplifies managing storage permission. There is snapshot scheduling as well. The updates and everything else is good."

More HPE StoreEasy pros

Cons

"They should include clustering for the solution."

"FreeNAS should be better prepared for clustering."

"If you find the documentation, it is always incomplete and fragmented."

"The latest version of the dashboard doesn't work as good as the previous version."

"The support for S3 needs to be improved."

"They can improve the integration with PSA systems. This functionality could be better."

"The one thing that I find difficult to do which is very time-consuming is that I like to have a backup of the important files."

"When I configure the StoreEasy in a complex environment I have problems finding compatibility with all the software."

"The cluster service is not available in the latest version of HPE StoreEasy."

"The areas of HPE StoreEasy that need improvement are scalability and migration."

"There could be improvements in providing more hardening options on the operating system side, similar to iLO's security scoreboard."

"It would be better if it were more scalable. In the next release, I would like to access some Microsoft Windows storage server features. I guess the newest version of Windows Server has some restrictions."

"The support of HPE StoreEasy can improve its responsiveness. Dell support is better."

"We need some monitoring tools and it would be helpful if they were included."

"There is a default Windows installation. Sometimes, when it crashes, the HPE support team asks the customer to reinstall it. That is the only issue customers are facing."

More HPE StoreEasy cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its price is okay. It suits our needs."

"For our configuration, we pay a little bit less than €10,000 ($12,000 USD) per year."

"We use the free version of the program."

"Its licensing cost is based on the hardware capacity."

"Based on what I hear from our customers, it is not very expensive. From the cost perspective, I see nobody complaining about its cost."

"I would rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten. You need to pay additional costs for the solution."

"This is an economical solution for the company and I am satisfied with the pricing."

"The price of HPE StoreEasy is approximately $15,000 to $20,000 and it is a one-time purchase. The price is similar to competitors, such as Dell."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Performing Arts

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about FreeNAS?

The ease of use of the 'jail', the management of backups, and copies to easily create test and pre-production scenarios have speeded up the development and distribution of business apps.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FreeNAS?

The core version is free and open-source.

See all answers

What needs improvement with FreeNAS?

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE StoreEasy?

HPE StoreEasy is competitively priced compared to competitors. It offers configuration options, such as different processor powers, to adapt to the client's needs.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HPE StoreEasy?

The product is stable, running on Windows Server ( /products/windows-server-reviews ) with updates from HPE, including those for iLO. There could be improvements in providing more hardening options...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HPE StoreEasy?

I use HPE StoreEasy ( /products/hpe-storeeasy-reviews ) to provide file sharing to our business users. We are a logistics business, specifically a port.

See all answers

Comparisons

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NetApp FAS Series vs FreeNAS

Compared 12% of the time

QNAP NAS Storage vs FreeNAS

Compared 9% of the time

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Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs HPE StoreEasy

Compared 53% of the time

NetApp FAS Series vs HPE StoreEasy

Compared 26% of the time

IBM Scale-out NAS vs HPE StoreEasy

Compared 9% of the time

Dell PowerStore vs HPE StoreEasy

Compared 3% of the time

HPE 3PAR StoreServ vs HPE StoreEasy

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS

June 2025

Download FreeNAS product report

Buyer's Guide

NAS

June 2025

Download HPE StoreEasy product report

Also Known As

No data available

HP StoreEasy

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

HP StoreEasy Storage is the #1 NAS product family under $15K USD range in units. Count on optimized, efficient, secure and highly available storage that simply addresses file and application storage challenges, no matter the size of your business. Straightforward features and new enhancements mean simpler installation and monitoring of utilization and health status.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Sample Customers

Morroni Technologies Inc., Creative Integrations

John Lewis, HPE IT, Comline AG, AmeriPride Services

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS vs. HPE StoreEasy

June 2025

Free Report: FreeNAS vs. HPE StoreEasy

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