FreeNAS vs HPE Sonexion comparison

FreeNAS and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are both solutions in the NAS category. FreeNAS is ranked #14, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #20. FreeNAS holds a 3.1% mindshare in N, compared to Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s 1.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of FreeNAS users are willing to recommend the solution.

FreeNAS

Read 9 FreeNAS reviews

892 Views
892 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HPE Sonexion

346 Views
346 Comparison Views

FreeNAS

HPE Sonexion

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 22, 2026

FreeNAS and HPE Sonexion compete in storage solutions, focusing on different deployment needs. FreeNAS is favored for its cost-effectiveness and flexibility, while HPE Sonexion is preferred for its enterprise features.

Features: FreeNAS provides an open-source model with scalability and various plugins, making it suited for small to medium environments. HPE Sonexion offers high-performance architecture, integrated management tools, and support for high-throughput storage, designed for large-scale enterprises.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: FreeNAS has a simple deployment process with community support, requiring technical knowledge for optimal setup. HPE Sonexion offers comprehensive deployment, supported by professional services for seamless integration into existing structures.

Pricing and ROI: FreeNAS has a low initial setup cost due to its open-source nature. HPE Sonexion demands a higher investment, justified by premium features and support, promising higher returns in performance-critical environments.

To learn more, read our detailed NAS Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

NAS

February 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 882,744 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

FreeNAS

Ranking in NAS

14th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

HPE Sonexion

Ranking in NAS

20th

Average Rating

0.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the NAS category, the mindshare of FreeNAS is 3.1%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Sonexion is 1.3%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

NAS Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
FreeNAS	3.1%
HPE Sonexion	1.3%
Other	95.6%

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

Use HPE Sonexion?

Leave a review

See which vendors are best for you

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

See recommendations

882,744 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

15%

Performing Arts

12%

Computer Software Company

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Large Enterprise	2

No data available

Comparisons

QNAP NAS Storage vs FreeNAS

Compared 11% of the time

NetApp FAS Series vs FreeNAS

Compared 11% of the time

StarWind Storage Appliance vs FreeNAS

Compared 9% of the time

Buurst SoftNAS vs FreeNAS

Compared 9% of the time

Cloudian HyperFile NAS Storage vs FreeNAS

Compared 7% of the time

More FreeNAS Competitors

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs HPE Sonexion

Compared 47% of the time

Huawei N2000 V3 Series NAS Storage System vs HPE Sonexion

Compared 21% of the time

More HPE Sonexion Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS

February 2026

Download FreeNAS product report

Buyer's Guide

NAS

February 2026

Download HPE Sonexion product report

Also Known As

No data available

Sonexion Scale-out Lustre Storage System

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

HPE Sonexion is a flexible storage solution designed for high-performance computing environments, delivering efficient data management and rapid access in demanding scenarios.

HPE Sonexion provides scalable storage solutions with seamless integration and robust data management capabilities, perfect for users looking to optimize compute performance. Designed to tackle large datasets, it is ideal for industries requiring reliable and fast data access. Leveraging Lustre file systems, it ensures efficient throughput and bandwidth necessary for computational workloads.

What are the key features of HPE Sonexion?

High Scalability: Manage and grow storage as demands increase.
Efficient Data Access: Leverages Lustre for high-speed and efficient data retrieval.
Integration Capabilities: Seamless deployment with existing systems.
High Reliability: Ensures data integrity and availability.

What benefits can users expect when evaluating HPE Sonexion?

Improved Performance: Enhanced data throughput boosts computational efficiency.
Cost-effectiveness: Streamlined integration reduces operational costs.
Scalability: Easily adapts to growing data storage needs.

HPE Sonexion sees widespread adoption in sectors such as research, financial services, and healthcare, where quick access to vast amounts of data is critical. Its robust features make it a preferred choice for organizations focusing on scientific simulations, real-time data analysis, and other intensive computational tasks.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Sample Customers

Morroni Technologies Inc., Creative Integrations

Petrobras, Korea Meteorological Association

Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, NetApp, CTERA and others in NAS. Updated: February 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

882,744 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our list of best NAS vendors.

We monitor all NAS 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.