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FreeNAS vs HPE StoreEasy comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 7, 2024

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
9
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
12
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 - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Vinoth Bala - PeerSpot reviewer
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"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."
"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."
"It has the best storage capacity."
"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."
"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 solution's most valuable feature is the duplication."
"The most beneficial feature of HPE StoreEasy for us is its easy implementation and maintenance."
"StoreEasy is a better solution for backup purposes."
"I like the tool's provisioning feature and OneView."
"HPE StoreEasy is a stable and high-performing solution that HPE supports effectively."
"I like the user quotas, integrations, and separations for storage."
"StoreEasy offers reliable file services, which is a critical factor for customers looking for solid infrastructure."
 

Cons

"They should include clustering for the solution."
"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 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."
"The support for S3 needs to be improved."
"FreeNAS should be better prepared for clustering."
"They can improve the integration with PSA systems. This functionality could be better."
"There are some SKUs in StoreEasy that are built to order, and there are only limited options, such as StoreEasy 1670 and 1870, which can be configured to order based on customer preferences."
"The support of HPE StoreEasy can improve its responsiveness. Dell support is better."
"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 are some SKUs in StoreEasy that are built to order, and there are only limited options, such as StoreEasy 1670 and 1870, which can be configured to order based on customer preferences."
"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."
"I would like to improve the tool's technical support. I would also like to see the product's hybrid cloud version."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For our configuration, we pay a little bit less than €10,000 ($12,000 USD) per year."
"Its licensing cost is based on the hardware capacity."
"Its price is okay. It suits our needs."
"We use the free version of the program."
"This is an economical solution for the company and I am satisfied with the pricing."
"I would rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten. You need to pay additional costs for the solution."
"Based on what I hear from our customers, it is not very expensive. From the cost perspective, I see nobody complaining about its cost."
"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
13%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Performing Arts
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Construction Company
8%
Retailer
8%
 

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.
What needs improvement with FreeNAS?
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 versi...
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.
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...
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.
 

Also Known As

No data available
HP StoreEasy
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Morroni Technologies Inc., Creative Integrations
John Lewis, HPE IT, Comline AG, AmeriPride Services
Find out what your peers are saying about FreeNAS vs. HPE StoreEasy and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
859,579 professionals have used our research since 2012.