FreeNAS vs HPE StoreEasy comparison

FreeNAS and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are both solutions in the NAS category. FreeNAS is ranked #16, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.8. FreeNAS holds a 2.0% mindshare in N, compared to Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s 4.3% 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

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612 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HPE StoreEasy

Read 12 HPE StoreEasy reviews

1,208 Views
1,208 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: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS vs. HPE StoreEasy

September 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

16th

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

8th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the NAS category, the mindshare of FreeNAS is 2.0%, down from 2.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE StoreEasy is 4.3%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

NAS Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
HPE StoreEasy	4.3%
FreeNAS	2.0%
Other	93.7%

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

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 integrates well into either Windows or Linux environments."

"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."

"It has the best storage capacity."

"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."

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

"The solution has been very stable so far."

"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."

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

"I can use both the on-premises and cloud storage options. I need to have an APR extension from StoreEasy, and it's that simple."

"StoreEasy is a better solution for backup purposes."

"I like the user quotas, integrations, and separations for storage."

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

"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."

"The most valuable feature of HPE StoreEasy is the storing of virtual machines."

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

More HPE StoreEasy pros

Cons

"The support for S3 needs to be improved."

"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."

"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."

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

"They should include clustering for the solution."

"FreeNAS should be better prepared for clustering."

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

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

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

"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."

"I would like to improve the tool's technical support. I would also like to see the product's hybrid cloud version."

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

"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."

More HPE StoreEasy cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"We use the free version of the program."

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

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

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

"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."

"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

Comms Service Provider

15%

Performing Arts

13%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Construction Company

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Large Enterprise	2

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	5

Questions from the Community

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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...

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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

QNAP NAS Storage vs FreeNAS

Compared 21% of the time

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs FreeNAS

Compared 18% of the time

StarWind Storage Appliance vs FreeNAS

Compared 18% of the time

NetApp FAS Series vs FreeNAS

Compared 15% of the time

Qumulo vs FreeNAS

Compared 14% of the time

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Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs HPE StoreEasy

Compared 50% of the time

NetApp FAS Series vs HPE StoreEasy

Compared 22% of the time

IBM Scale-out NAS vs HPE StoreEasy

Compared 10% of the time

Dell PowerStore vs HPE StoreEasy

Compared 7% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS

October 2025

Download FreeNAS product report

Buyer's Guide

NAS

October 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

September 2025

Free Report: FreeNAS vs. HPE StoreEasy

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