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HPE BladeSystem vs Lenovo Flex System comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

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

HPE BladeSystem
Ranking in Blade Servers
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
140
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Lenovo Flex System
Ranking in Blade Servers
9th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Blade Servers category, the mindshare of HPE BladeSystem is 8.6%, down from 13.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Lenovo Flex System is 4.5%, up from 3.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Blade Servers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
HPE BladeSystem8.6%
Lenovo Flex System4.5%
Other86.9%
Blade Servers
 

Featured Reviews

Kapil Pandey - PeerSpot reviewer
Technology Management Consultant at National Institute for Smart Government - NISG
Reliability and reasonable pricing enhance data center management
I researched on peerspot.com about IT solutions, specifically about HPE BladeSystem and HPE Synergy, because we are already using HP servers in our state data center. In HP Cloud System, we are using a converged infrastructure to connect LAN and SAN connectivity across the network. Regarding Virtual Connect technology, there is a noticeable impact on network management. For day-to-day operations, we use various applications such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams to connect virtually. Using HPE BladeSystem Virtual Connect technology in HP Cloud System, we achieve efficient network management with well-defined LAN and SAN connectivity. We already have a defined modular architecture in place designed by the HP team for our data center. My company name is National Institute for Smart Government, also called NISG, under the National e-Governance Division. My title is Technology Management Consultant. I would rate HPE BladeSystem as an eight out of ten.
FA
Senior System Administrator at Khushhali Microfinance Bank
Used to run the compute load on servers, but firmware and driver upgrades are a bit difficult
We use the solution for multiple purposes, such as in the virtualization cluster and the standalone applications We use the solution as a compute model to run the compute load on servers. The solution's firmware and driver upgrades are a bit difficult. I have been using Lenovo Flex System for…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Uptime and service are valuable for us. When we have an issue, uptime and being able to get an emergency replacement or actual service is the most important thing for us."
"Items which are more cost-effective have a greater tendency to be refurbished."
"It is a single integrated solution that can be deployed anywhere, and is the best solution for our mobile tracking station."
"The most valuable feature of HPE BladeSystem is the ease of management. It is easy to communicate from the server to the storage."
"The scalability is great."
"This product saved the data center space (only use 10 U Spaces for max 16 servers) and has better performance for the VMware, vCenter, and vMotion."
"No critical outages have occurred at a blade enclosure level in over nine years of use with c7000 generations, other than a single defective OA module."
"It has reduced, by about 50%, our administration time in terms of server maintenance and we have the ability to withstand an outage that we didn’t have before."
"We use the solution as a compute model to run the compute load on servers."
"Flex System's best features are its performance and stability."
"I'd recommend Flex System to others as it's much better than any other product we've had and advise that they use XClarity for system management."
"The stability and speed are always good. The processor is good and it's still working with our loads."
"The Lenovo Flex System is very stable."
"The Lenovo Flex System is very stable."
"The product is very user-friendly and has many resources at the enterprise level."
"It's stable, it works well, and we have had no problem with it for a long time."
 

Cons

"​Storage capacity could be enhanced."
"The servers are a little bit huge, so it would be great if they could renew the size."
"The only issue I’ve encountered has been with pre-sales support (i.e. getting accurate quotes to purchase systems)."
"The tool must provide integration with the cloud."
"I guess with its ease of use, as far as the configuration of the virtual switches, and things like that all need work."
"A single OA replacement caused 15 servers with VPC protection to be dropped off the network when the device was failed from active to passive; completely disrupting 200+ VMs and >2000 users; all when it was assured to failover gracefully."
"The management side of this solution could be improved."
"BladeSystem is an old-fashioned server and not very well developed for new features and new areas of data centers, which is not very good for enterprise companies."
"The solution could improve by providing more integration with other platforms."
"Flex System's integration with the XClarity Management System could be improved."
"The most valuable feature of the Lenovo Flex System is the storage system."
"The installation was not easy."
"The price of the Lenovo Flex System could improve."
"Continuing the production of this product is necessary. It is currently out of support, and we are seeking support from other sources besides Lenovo."
"It does not have the same module flexibility that was present in IBM Blade. On the Blade System, I was able to choose between the Cisco module, or BMC module. Since the switch to Lenovo, I have not had the same choice of modules, only the BMC modules."
"I had some difficulties with the initial setup."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is not expensive, really, in this class of server products."
"Its pricing was good. We selected this solution because it was within our budget. We paid just once when we bought it. We never bought any license."
"The price of HPE BladeSystem is less expensive than some other solutions, such as Dell. The cost of replacement equipment is expensive."
"Their licensing program is pretty simple."
"I need to pay for the license, and it is expensive. We make yearly payments."
"The prices for the HPE Virtual Connect Modules are expensive compared to other I/O Modules available."
"The licensing is on an annual basis."
"Add OneView and ILO advanced to the base product. Don’t adjust the price, but just include them."
"There is a one-off payment to buy the equipment and the support is purchased annually."
"The price is interesting. I am able to quote a client based on their needs and offer them either Lenovo or Dell."
"We are just paying the operational cost, which is not much."
"The 14 blade server allows significant room for upscaling before having to invest in another chassis. You would have to purchase another chassis much sooner in the case of an eight or nine blade server."
"The is an annual license cost to use the Lenovo Flex System. If the price was less expensive and flexible overall and for additional features, our customers would be happier."
"We have the whole maintenance for the 3 years, starting the deployment. We also have the VMware license for 3 years and I think we have another license to buy. There are no additional costs besides licensing."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Construction Company
11%
Marketing Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Construction Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise40
Large Enterprise104
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Large Enterprise7
 

Questions from the Community

How would you choose between HPE's Bladesystem and Synergy?
For me, choosing between HPE’s Bladesystem and Synergy came down to which solution was more powerful, reliable, and stable. It turns out Bladesystem was the winner. Bladesystem is excellent because...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE BladeSystem?
With around 19 years of exposure in working with various servers, including HPE, I encounter challenges in identifying reasonable prices during the setup cost and licensing process, especially for ...
What needs improvement with HPE BladeSystem?
The main area for improvement I see is the training process. When you use anything, how easily it is to manage is very important in hyper-converged solutions. If you compare it with VMware, it is v...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Lenovo Flex System?
Compared to its quality, the pricing is very reasonable and represents good value.
What needs improvement with Lenovo Flex System?
Continuing the production of this product is necessary. It is currently out of support, and we are seeking support from other sources besides Lenovo.
What is your primary use case for Lenovo Flex System?
We are using Lenovo Flex System on the server for our VMware environment, which includes our VMs and all our servers, Linux and Windows. It manages the daily operation efficiently.
 

Also Known As

HP ProLiant BL Series Servers, HP ProLiant BladeSystem
Flex System Blade Servers, Flex System SN Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

EMIS Health
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about HPE BladeSystem vs. Lenovo Flex System and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
892,678 professionals have used our research since 2012.