FreeNAS vs NetApp Private Storage comparison

FreeNAS and NetApp are both solutions in the NAS category. FreeNAS is ranked #12 with an average rating of 9.0, while NetApp is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.5. FreeNAS holds a 2.0% mindshare in N, compared to NetApp’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of FreeNAS users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of NetApp users who would recommend it.

FreeNAS

Read 9 FreeNAS reviews

639 Views
352 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

NetApp Private Storage

Read 14 NetApp Private Storage reviews

358 Views
198 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

FreeNAS

NetApp Private Storage

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 7, 2024

FreeNAS and NetApp Private Storage are major contenders in the network-attached storage sector. NetApp seems to have the upper hand with its advanced features, particularly appealing to those needing enterprise-level solutions.

Features: FreeNAS offers open-source versatility, compatibility with diverse hardware, and a robust community-support ecosystem, making it suitable for small to mid-sized deployments. NetApp Private Storage is known for high availability, advanced data management, and seamless cloud integration, ideal for enterprise settings. Its comprehensive feature set justifies the higher cost for those in need of advanced storage solutions.

Room for Improvement: FreeNAS could enhance its scalability and enterprise-level features to better compete with larger environments. Another area for improvement is the simplification of some advanced configurations. Enhancing professional support options could also benefit FreeNAS users. For NetApp, reducing costs could make it more accessible to smaller budgets. Simplifying its robust feature set may help in contexts that do not require all offerings. Improving initial deployment time could better serve resource-constrained teams.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: FreeNAS is known for its easy setup and community support, attracting technical users and hobbyists. NetApp Private Storage offers professional deployment support and dedicated customer service, essential for organizations that require guaranteed performance and reliability.

Pricing and ROI: FreeNAS is cost-effective due to its free open-source model and flexible hardware usage, offering attractive ROI for budget-conscious users. In contrast, NetApp Private Storage involves a substantial initial investment balanced by its enterprise features, promising a strong ROI through enhanced data security and productivity, appealing to organizations seeking future-proof solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed FreeNAS vs. NetApp Private Storage Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS vs. NetApp Private Storage

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

12th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NetApp Private Storage

Ranking in NAS

15th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the NAS category, the mindshare of FreeNAS is 2.0%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetApp Private Storage is 1.7%, up from 1.0% 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.

Read full review

Pramod-Talekar

Sr Service Engineer at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Well-suited for virtualized environments and highly stable solution

We are in a VMware Intra environment, so we are utilizing NetApp Storage for our virtualization infrastructure NetApp offers multiple features that we utilize for our projects. At the moment, we are extensively using SnapMirror Flex. There is room for improvement in the support. It has been a…

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution has been very stable so far."

"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."

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

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

"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."

"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."

"At the moment, we are extensively using SnapMirror."

"NetApp has its own dedicated operating system, so it will not be affected by any wireless piggybacking or malware. That's the beauty of NetApp's operating system."

"The solution scales well."

"Integration with other NetApp solutions and merging them is manageable."

"NetApp has really added a lot of features over the years to improve the product and performance. They can do things now like control ingress. They can control egress."

"Disaster recovery. And I like the security very much. I think they have the needed options for security. Can manage NPS using the same tools and process that we use today."

"The most valuable feature of NetApp Private Storage is out-of-the-box integration with the SAN switches. They are much easier compared to Dell solutions. Additionally, the connector that comes with the solution that allows connection back to the Cisco SAN switches is very good. In Dell, I would need to use an FCIP or CIP port that is required."

"Very stable and very scalable."

More NetApp Private Storage pros

Cons

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

"FreeNAS should be better prepared for clustering."

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

"They should include clustering for the solution."

"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 support for S3 needs to be improved."

"I would like to have the Active-Active feature. Some competitors already have it. I would like NetApp to add it to stay competitive."

"They need a little more technical people in Akola. Most of the NetApp people are in Bangalore, Mumbai, or Delhi, but there are very few in Akola. I think NetApp has few technicians in Akola because they mostly rely on partners to service this area."

"We had to write a number of custom tools or scripts ourselves to use it as a staging area between our on-premises datacenter and our cloud installation."

"The solution could improve by having better support experts. For example, they do not have clear instructions on configuration."

"I'm not sure how easy it is to use on the cloud versus on-prem. If they have different user experiences, they should work to make the two as similar as possible to make it easy for a user to understand both even if they only deal mainly with one."

"The hardware does not last as long as it could with new software."

"I would like to see the GUI management simplified in the next release."

"NetApp Private Storage is still integrated into the ISCSI connectivity and the FC protocol. I would recommend them to migrate to the FCIP because the SAN switches are moving further to an FCIP, and are scaling out of the ISCSI connectivity. Sooner or later, that will be an issue for NetApp Private Storage. An NFCIP should be available to them moving three years down the line."

More NetApp Private Storage 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."

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

"We use the free version of the program."

"The price could be lower."

"We negotiate whatever deal we can get on the type of storage that it is, but it's totally under our control,."

"In general, I am pleased with the pricing, though it is a little high."

"It is an expensive solution."

"The price of NetApp Private Storage is similar to other solutions. There is typically an annual license required for this solution."

"The product is costly."

"NetApp Private Storage is cheaper here in India compared to other solutions, such as Dell."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Performing Arts

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

20%

Real Estate/Law Firm

13%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Retailer

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 do you like most about NetApp Private Storage?

NetApp is faster than other storage brands.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetApp Private Storage?

The product is costly. Also, we need to pay for features like SnapMirror, etc. I rate its pricing a nine out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with NetApp Private Storage?

NetApp is a great storage device, but sometimes support is not accessible. Also, the current version has removed most of the dashboard features. We have to use the CLI for some tasks. Additionally,...

See all answers

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Compared 11% of the time

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Compared 34% of the time

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Compared 24% of the time

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Compared 15% of the time

QNAP NAS Storage vs NetApp Private Storage

Compared 15% of the time

Hitachi NAS Platform vs NetApp Private Storage

Compared 12% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS

June 2025

Download FreeNAS product report

Buyer's Guide

NetApp Private Storage

June 2025

Download NetApp Private Storage product report

Also Known As

No data available

NPS

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

NetApp Private Storage (NPS) for Cloud is a family of enterprise storage solutions that lets you use multiple industry-leading clouds and maintain complete control over your data on dedicated storage systems from NetApp.

NetApp

Sample Customers

Morroni Technologies Inc., Creative Integrations

ASE IT, Concerto Cloud

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS vs. NetApp Private Storage

June 2025

Free Report: FreeNAS vs. NetApp Private Storage

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