HPE Synergy vs Lenovo Flex System comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Lenovo are both solutions in the Blade Servers category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.6, while Lenovo is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.7. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 19.5% mindshare in Blade Servers, compared to Lenovo’s 3.0% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Lenovo users who would recommend it.

HPE Synergy

Read 91 HPE Synergy reviews

3,239 Views
2,235 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Lenovo Flex System

Read 10 Lenovo Flex System reviews

398 Views
398 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HPE Synergy

Lenovo Flex System

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

HPE Synergy and Lenovo Flex System are contenders in the enterprise IT infrastructure space. HPE Synergy, with its composable infrastructure, leads in flexibility and resource optimization, whereas Lenovo Flex System is recognized for user-friendliness and performance.

Features: HPE Synergy is noted for its composable infrastructure, enabling dynamic resource reallocation and efficient utilization. It integrates central management through HPE OneView and supports enhanced deployment with Image Streamer. Lenovo Flex System prioritizes user-friendliness and performance, offering high server density and scalable network and storage capabilities.

Room for Improvement: HPE Synergy needs better integration with third-party hardware and improved compatibility with non-HPE platforms. Users call for streamlined management and faster firmware updates. Enhancements in network speed and storage sharing could enhance its competitiveness. Lenovo Flex System could improve by increasing module flexibility and cloud-native app compatibility while refining firmware and driver update processes and support for future technologies.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HPE Synergy supports flexible deployment options across on-premises and hybrid clouds and is backed by HPE's extensive support network, though experiences vary with issue complexity. Lenovo Flex System focuses on straightforward deployment in on-premises and private cloud environments, lacking the comprehensive hybrid support of HPE but still providing reliable technical assistance.

Pricing and ROI: HPE Synergy often involves higher initial costs but offers long-term savings via operational efficiency and reduced hardware needs, yielding a substantial ROI in complex deployments. Lenovo Flex System presents competitive pricing, appealing for budget-conscious clients needing scalable solutions, though Synergy's broader platform may promise greater savings and ROI over time.

To learn more, read our detailed HPE Synergy vs. Lenovo Flex System Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HPE Synergy vs. Lenovo Flex System

September 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 867,676 peers since 2012

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 Synergy

Ranking in Blade Servers

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Composable Infrastructure (1st)

Lenovo Flex System

Ranking in Blade Servers

9th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Blade Servers category, the mindshare of HPE Synergy is 19.5%, down from 21.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Lenovo Flex System is 3.0%, up from 3.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Blade Servers Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
HPE Synergy	19.5%
Lenovo Flex System	3.0%
Other	77.5%

Blade Servers

Featured Reviews

CarlosArdila

Project Manager, Information Technology at Telelago

Helps grow horizontally or vertically within one box or chassis

The initial setup is very easy. We deployed this in two days, including installation, system setup, firmware upgrades, configuration, and network connection. By the next day, we were already deploying virtual machines. We initially began with the Blade system. As the migration to SAP HANA approached, it seemed prudent to upgrade our hardware. Consequently, we facilitated their transition from the Blade system to Synergy. Subsequently, we collaborated closely with the SAP consultancy company to oversee the migration process, ensuring seamless integration of all workloads and sub-environments. We have four people working on the deployment, including a project manager, two specialists, and one tech support.

Read full review

Syed Ibrahim

Assistant Manager Systems - IT Infrastructure at a transportation company with 10,001+ employees

Provides a high initial ceiling before upscaling is required, user-friendly and rich in resources, but has occasional stability issues

The solution should come with cloud native applications to prepare for cloud based solutions. Forced restarts due to free upgrades is an issue that needs to be resolved. We can manage this as we have high availability and redundancy, but without that it could be a real problem. The level of customer support needs to be improved. There is currently an issue with Lenovo switching out SAN switches from the chassis, which will cause problems for people who already have a set up with the SAN switch connected to the central storage. This could require an entirely different network, adding an additional cost for the user.

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 scalability is great."

"The most valuable features of HPE Synergy are the two composers."

"All components in the HPE Synergy solution are redundant; if we experience any downtime in a component, a redundant one is available in our Synergy frame, therefore the downtime and stability for HPE Synergy solution are very good and highly appreciated."

"Ability to easily re-utilize parts of the hardware for different purposes."

"The solution helps us to implement new business requirements quickly, by using the Composer for efficiency. It has also improved the productivity of our development team due to the efficiency of being able to deploy via Composer."

"The most valuable features are the evolution of our existing HPE portfolio, the integration with our existing tool sets, and the enhanced capabilities that OneView bring."

"We like that the solution can be arranged for an all-in-one single pane of glass, something our customers find important."

"The initial setup is fine."

More HPE Synergy pros

"We use the solution as a compute model to run the compute load on servers."

"It comes at a good price. We didn't face any problems with this product."

"The functionality is reliable and requires minimal support."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"One of the most valuable features of this solution is its ease of use."

"The product is very user-friendly and has many resources at the enterprise level."

"The Lenovo Flex System is very stable."

"The stability and speed are always good. The processor is good and it's still working with our loads."

More Lenovo Flex System pros

Cons

"The performance could be better. The converged network cards initially didn't work. However, later on in the newer version, they came up with 50 GB network cards to replace the 20 GB ones, and it's perfectly fine now. At times, it could also be more stable."

"We haven't seen any ROI, and it hasn't reduced our cost of operations."

"We had an issue during the initial setup with the 40 Gigabyte cards. They weren’t working, so we had to work really closely with HPE support to get them to work."

"They were not so deep into integration with VMware."

"I would like the ability to have my storage components accessed from any other frame across the backplane. If we have a storage module and we run out of space in that frame, it'd be nice to be able to share it across the frames. You can do it with hyperconverged. Why can't you do it with Synergy?"

"I would like it to connect to the HPE Cloud Connect compute platform for simplicity of our infrastructure."

"I would really like a way to validate the firmware in my specific environment before trying to deploy it. Those were the issues we had early on with firmware upgrades, particularly around certificates. All in all, having some level of confidence aside from it just having been tested generically would help. Something more specific to my environment would be very helpful."

"Technical support for this solution has a very good initial response; however, escalation takes time, and most of the time the first level of support cannot solve your case."

More HPE Synergy cons

"The most valuable feature of the Lenovo Flex System is the storage system."

"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."

"The solution's firmware and driver upgrades are a bit difficult."

"The user-interface needs improvement, because they have an application from which we have to manage the whole system and all the infrastructure. This application is not working at our premises, because of some problem with the hardware itself. So although we brought it with our systems, and we used it to manage all the systems: the storage, the switches, and everything, nevertheless we have to support every part alone and enter the interface in one-by-one."

"Continuing the production of this product is necessary. It is currently out of support, and we are seeking support from other sources besides Lenovo."

"Forced restarts due to free upgrades is an issue that needs to be resolved. We can manage this as we have high availability and redundancy, but without that it could be a real problem."

"The solution could improve by providing more integration with other platforms."

"I had some difficulties with the initial setup."

More Lenovo Flex System cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Our IT infrastructure costs have gone up each year by 20 percent."

"The platform that we run Synergy on is all virtualized. Our primary cost is likely VMware."

"The solution has reduced our IT infrastructure costs by 50 percent."

"Synergy has lowered our total cost of ownership significantly. I would say ballpark around 25 percent, maybe more."

"When we made the purchase of the hardware, we added Professional Services to it."

"We are satisfied with its price."

"The biggest cost is the VMware licensing."

"VMware is part of the cost. We bought the chassis, we bought the solution. The blades are roughly running us $60,000 a pop right now."

More HPE Synergy pricing and cost advice

"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."

"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 are just paying the operational cost, which is not much."

"The price is interesting. I am able to quote a client based on their needs and offer them either Lenovo or Dell."

"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."

"There is a one-off payment to buy the equipment and the support is purchased annually."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Blade Servers solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

867,676 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Healthcare Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	30
Midsize Enterprise	15
Large Enterprise	56

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Large Enterprise	7

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...

See all answers

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

As far as the prices are concerned, rack mount solutions are less expensive than HPE Synergy prices; however, HPE Synergy prices are higher but justify themselves as the solution accommodates all t...

See all answers

What needs improvement with HPE Synergy?

In my opinion, for future improvements in HPE Synergy, there should be better management of power consumption complexity as well as an increase in the number of servers that can fit in a single Syn...

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

Comparisons

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs HPE Synergy

Compared 27% of the time

HPE BladeSystem vs HPE Synergy

Compared 25% of the time

Dell PowerEdge MX- Series vs HPE Synergy

Compared 15% of the time

Cisco UCS B-Series vs HPE Synergy

Compared 7% of the time

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs HPE Synergy

Compared 3% of the time

More HPE Synergy Competitors

HPE Superdome X vs Lenovo Flex System

Compared 52% of the time

More Lenovo Flex System Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HPE Synergy

September 2025

Download HPE Synergy product report

Buyer's Guide

Blade Servers

August 2025

Download Lenovo Flex System product report

Also Known As

No data available

Flex System Blade Servers, Flex System SN Series

Overview

HPE Synergy, the first platform built from the ground up for Composable Infrastructure, offers an experience that empowers IT to create and deliver new value instantly and continuously. It is a single infrastructure that reduces operational complexity for traditional workloads and increases operational velocity for the new breed of applications and services. Through a single interface, HPE Synergy composes physical and virtual compute, storage, and fabric pools into any configuration for any application. As an extensible platform, it easily enables a broad range of applications and operational models such as virtualization, hybrid cloud, and DevOps. With HPE Synergy, IT can become not just the internal service provider but the business partner to rapidly launch new applications that become the business.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Flex System is Lenovo’s proven, 2nd generation blade, that efficiently runs your infrastructure applications with up to 80% better density than standard rack server deployments.

Lenovo

Sample Customers

HudsonAlpha, Virgin Media, EMIS, United

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

HPE Synergy vs. Lenovo Flex System

September 2025

Free Report: HPE Synergy vs. Lenovo Flex System

Find out what your peers are saying about HPE Synergy vs. Lenovo Flex System and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

867,676 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our HPE Synergy vs. Lenovo Flex System report.

See our list of best Blade Servers vendors.

We monitor all Blade Servers reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.