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Dell PowerFlex vs VxRail comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Customer Service

Sentiment score
8.5
StarWind Virtual SAN offers highly responsive, 24/7 support with quick resolutions and expert guidance, ensuring a stress-free experience.
No sentiment score available
Dell PowerFlex support offers 24/7 assistance; opinions vary, with praise for reliable resolution but concerns about delays and communication.
No sentiment score available
VxRail's customer service is generally praised for responsiveness and hardware support, though experiences with technical support vary.
 

Room For Improvement

Sentiment score
6.8
StarWind Virtual SAN requires improved documentation, enhanced tools, user interface, management features, and better cross-platform and cloud integration.
No sentiment score available
Dell PowerFlex users desire enhanced monitoring, reporting, integration, user interface, flexibility, automation, cloud migration, and improved documentation.
No sentiment score available
VxRail users seek improved compatibility, streamlined installation, cost-effective licensing, enhanced automation, and better scalability, support, and integration features.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
StarWind Virtual SAN excels in scalable growth with flexible, efficient handling and enhanced performance through licensing for evolving needs.
No sentiment score available
Dell PowerFlex is praised for its scalability, easily accommodating large environments, despite minor scalability enhancement needs.
No sentiment score available
VxRail offers seamless scalability and flexibility for diverse workloads, supporting various industries with efficient growth and integration capabilities.
 

Setup Cost

Sentiment score
8.4
StarWind Virtual SAN offers flexible, cost-effective pricing with scalable, low-cost setup and valued support, ideal for budget-conscious enterprises.
No sentiment score available
Dell PowerFlex pricing is competitive with medium-range affordability, valued for flexibility, but users seek better cost management and incentives.
No sentiment score available
VxRail offers reliable, cost-effective performance, but upfront costs vary by configuration and may challenge smaller enterprises.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.9
StarWind Virtual SAN offers reliable performance and support, excelling in uptime and data management even amidst hardware failures.
No sentiment score available
Dell PowerFlex offers stable, reliable performance for small to mid-sized environments, though less ideal for high-end needs.
No sentiment score available
VxRail is praised for its stability and performance, with minimal issues and positive feedback on resilience during failures.
 

Valuable Features

Sentiment score
8.4
StarWind Virtual SAN excels in high availability, seamless integration, cost-effectiveness, and performance, ensuring uninterrupted operations and scalability.
No sentiment score available
Dell PowerFlex enhances management, scalability, and performance with strong VMware integration, improving efficiency, reliability, and data protection.
No sentiment score available
VxRail offers seamless integration, high performance, and easy management, enhancing scalability, cost-effectiveness, and efficient virtual machine management.
 

Categories and Ranking

StarWind Virtual SAN
Sponsored
Ranking in HCI
4th
Average Rating
9.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.1
Number of Reviews
189
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined Storage (SDS) (1st)
Dell PowerFlex
Ranking in HCI
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
VxRail
Ranking in HCI
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Number of Reviews
128
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the HCI category, the mindshare of StarWind Virtual SAN is 2.3%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerFlex is 12.6%, up from 7.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VxRail is 21.2%, up from 21.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
HCI
 

Q&A Highlights

NC
Nov 16, 2022
 

Featured Reviews

Ahmed Hosni - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides a cost-effective way to run an HCI storage platform for almost any hypervisor
You can maintain and update it with little to no fuss, even the free version is incredibly capable whilst it brings the cost of a Highly Available HCI solution down to a very cost-effective point. Having used Starwind Virtual SAN for many years both for clients and for internal systems, it has always done exactly what it set out to do. It provides a cost-effective way to run an HCI storage platform for almost any hypervisor, but it is most effective with Hyper-V. It's simple and easy to use, The software monitoring should be web-based to be reachable from any VLAN workstation.
Ayodeji  Oyewole - PeerSpot reviewer
A hyper-converged infrastructure that is like a mini data center of its own
There are two categories, namely, the appliances and the racks. The partners are able to set up the Dell PowerFlex appliances, but not fully. The partners are able to physically set up the appliances, while the OEM will set them up logically. The PowerFlex racks are fully set up by the OEM, both physically and logically. The solution's initial setup is not pretty straightforward in emerging markets at the moment.
Sushil MIshra - PeerSpot reviewer
Trouble-free architecture, we don't have to juggle multiple components like in a traditional three-tier architecture
I like the caching mechanism. Frequently used data is stored, so it definitely improves performance. VxRail's integration with VMware environments is very good. Our VxRail is built on VMware, and the integration is seamless. We haven't faced any challenges. We can migrate VMs between servers in real-time and replicate them to our DR site without any problems.
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Answers from the Community

NC
Nov 16, 2022
Nov 16, 2022
VxRail vs. Dell EMC PowerFlex VxRail provides stable solutions for technical problems while at the same time not being too expensive for a company to invest in. Even if the user is working with a limited budget the platform offers freedom of choice and a number of different options. In contrast, Dell EMC PowerFlex does run on the more expensive side and cannot offer the same level of cost-effec...
See 2 answers
DG
Oct 14, 2021
VxRail vs. Dell EMC PowerFlex VxRail provides stable solutions for technical problems while at the same time not being too expensive for a company to invest in. Even if the user is working with a limited budget the platform offers freedom of choice and a number of different options. In contrast, Dell EMC PowerFlex does run on the more expensive side and cannot offer the same level of cost-effective solution. VxRail is able to provide both an ability to upgrade the system with an ever-growing library of resources as well as provide powerful processors.This is something that I greatly appreciate. Being able to simply add upgrades to the system without necessarily having to worry about the system being bogged down makes it invaluable. The ability that it provides to apply updates to the system with ease is something worthy of note. If you add this to the fact that VxRail runs on multiple cores at 2 gigahertz or higher then that means that in terms of ability, the VxRail is difficult to match. In terms of usability, it is hard to argue that VxRail delivers. It is pretty simple and easy to both set up and manage the VxRail system. Once the system is set up, all of the management tools are centrally located to assist in providing ease of use. The Dell EMC PowerFlex combines reliability and ease of management. Its connection to alternate storage locations makes it both reliable and an excellent choice. Management teams can use it with ease, because all of the tools are located in one location. Conclusion Both systems offer stable solutions, an ability to upgrade the system, and ease of use for management teams. In terms of cost VxRail is more cost effective and is also more intuitive to use than the Dell EMC PowerFlex.
Emmanuel Alex - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 16, 2022
VxRail is a hyper converged infrastructure. While PowerFlex appliance is a flexible solution with a small starting point and massive scale potential.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about StarWind Virtual SAN?
It is easy to use and can monitor system synchronization and check Storage status. StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN) combin...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for StarWind Virtual SAN?
Choose StarWind Virtual SAN, it is the most flexible, reliable and cheap solution.
What needs improvement with StarWind Virtual SAN?
While using StarWind Virtual SAN so far, I have not found anything missing. It is true that we are using it in a very...
What are the major differences between VxRail and Dell EMC PowerFlex?
VxRail vs. Dell EMC PowerFlex VxRail provides stable solutions for technical problems while at the same time not bein...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell EMC PowerFlex?
From my perspective, pricing is expensive. If they can reduce the pricing or offer more customer incentives, it would...
How does HPE Nimble Storage compare to VxRail?
HPE Nimble Storage dHCI Vs. VxRail One of the best things about the HPE Nimble Storage dHCI is the three, two, one, z...
What Is The Biggest Difference Between vSAN And VxRail?
While both run on the vSAN technology from VMware, vSAN needs to be deployed on vSAN ready nodes while VxRail is an e...
How does VxRail compare with Cisco HyperFlex HX Series?
VxRail provides stable solutions for technical problems while at the same time not being too expensive for a company ...
 

Also Known As

StarWind SAN & NAS
VxFlex, VxRack FLEX, PowerFlex
VCE VxRail
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Baker Tilly BVI, CMS Internet, Board Harpeth Hall School
Canopy, 8x8Inc., Atos, Canadian Pacific, City of Denton, CenturyLink, BNP Paribas, Asyaport, EDF, CSC, Fox Sports, Insight, Hunter, KPIT, Paetec, Rosetta Stone, Sonda, Xerox
World Wide Technology Inc, Renault Sport Formula One Team, 8x8 Inc, Brownes, Canadian Pacific, Canopy, Denton, EDF, Unilin, Xerox
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell PowerFlex vs. VxRail and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
816,192 professionals have used our research since 2012.