FreeNAS vs NetApp Private Storage comparison

FreeNAS and NetApp are both solutions in the NAS category. FreeNAS is ranked #11 with an average rating of 9.0, while NetApp is ranked #16 with an average rating of 8.5. FreeNAS holds a 2.9% mindshare in N, compared to NetApp’s 1.5% 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

831 Views
587 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

NetApp Private Storage

Read 14 NetApp Private Storage reviews

284 Views
246 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: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS vs. NetApp Private Storage

January 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

11th

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

16th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the NAS category, the mindshare of FreeNAS is 2.9%, down from 4.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetApp Private Storage is 1.5%, down from 1.6% 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.

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Pramod-Talekar

Sr Service Engineer at Evolent Health

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…

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

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

"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."

"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."

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

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

"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."

"NetApp is faster than other storage brands."

"The solution is stable."

"The most valuable feature is integration."

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

"As opposed to cloud, we have full control over security, use, who uses it. We own a number of different companies, so we can partition however we want."

More NetApp Private Storage pros

Cons

"They should include clustering for the solution."

"FreeNAS should be better prepared for clustering."

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

"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 support for S3 needs to be improved."

"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."

"It is not the fastest storage solution."

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

"I think that it should work better with Microsoft solutions, more integrated with Microsoft. We also need integrated NAS and block storage."

"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."

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

"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."

"There is room for improvement in the support. It has been a problem for our team."

"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."

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."

"It is an expensive solution."

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

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

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

"The price could be lower."

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

"The product is costly."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

23%

Government

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

20%

Real Estate/Law Firm

16%

Financial Services Firm

16%

Manufacturing Company

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

Comparisons

StarWind Storage Appliance vs FreeNAS

Compared 32% of the time

Qumulo vs FreeNAS

Compared 21% of the time

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs FreeNAS

Compared 19% of the time

NetApp FAS Series vs FreeNAS

Compared 14% of the time

HPE StoreEasy vs FreeNAS

Compared 14% of the time

More FreeNAS Competitors

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs NetApp Private Storage

Compared 48% of the time

NetApp FAS Series vs NetApp Private Storage

Compared 28% of the time

Qumulo vs NetApp Private Storage

Compared 24% of the time

More NetApp Private Storage Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS

January 2025

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Buyer's Guide

NetApp Private Storage

January 2025

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Also Known As

No data available

NPS

Learn More

FreeNAS

NetApp

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.

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.

Sample Customers

Morroni Technologies Inc., Creative Integrations

ASE IT, Concerto Cloud

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS vs. NetApp Private Storage

January 2025

Free Report: FreeNAS vs. NetApp Private Storage

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