No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

HPE Apollo Systems vs HPE Synergy comparison

Why PeerSpot?
The compared HPE Apollo Systems and HPE Synergy solutions aren't in the same category. HPE Apollo Systems is ranked #2 in DOS , with an average rating of 8.5, and holds a 21.2% mindshare in the category. HPE Synergy is ranked #5 in Blade Servers , with an average rating of 8.5, and holds a 8.6% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of HPE Apollo Systems users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of HPE Synergy users who would recommend it.
HPE Apollo Systems
Read 25 HPE Apollo Systems reviews
  • 3,294 Views
  • 626 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
HPE Synergy
Read 91 HPE Synergy reviews
  • 5,914 Views
  • 4,022 Comparison Views
91% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report
Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between HPE Apollo Systems and HPE Synergy based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Cisco and others in Density Optimized Servers.

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE REPORT
To learn more, read our detailed Density Optimized Servers Report (Updated: August 2026).
Buyer's Guide
Density Optimized Servers
August 2026
Download the complete report
Helped 913,924 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 Apollo Systems
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
5.0
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Rack Servers (9th), Density Optimized Servers (2nd)
HPE Synergy
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
91
Ranking in other categories
Blade Servers (5th), Composable Infrastructure (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are IT Hardware and Infrastructure solutions, they serve different purposes. HPE Apollo Systems is designed for Density Optimized Servers and holds a mindshare of 21.2%, up 19.3% compared to last year.
HPE Synergy, on the other hand, focuses on Blade Servers, holds 8.6% mindshare, down 19.5% since last year.
Density Optimized Servers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
HPE Apollo Systems21.2%
Dell PowerEdge C- Series19.0%
HPE Moonshot17.6%
Other42.199999999999996%
Density Optimized Servers
Blade Servers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
HPE Synergy8.6%
Dell PowerEdge MX- Series8.4%
HPE BladeSystem8.0%
Other75.0%
Blade Servers
 

Featured Reviews

Gökhan DURMAZ - PeerSpot reviewer
Gökhan DURMAZ
Account Manager at TD SYNNEX
High-quality integration and strong support have optimized our rack server operations
HPE Apollo Systems is a good product because it has better support and best quality with integrity. When I speak about integrity, I speak about GPU integration or other integrations such as GPU integration, backup software integration, and hypervisor integration. Regarding the integration of high-speed interconnectors in HPE Apollo Systems, they impact computational tasks because the high-speed interconnect affects performance. I don't remember the specifics. Regarding the cooling technologies, they help to reduce operational costs. The positive impact I see from HPE Apollo Systems is that support is good and quality is good. In general, HPE Apollo Systems appears to be for rack servers with some optimization capabilities.
Read full review
MS
Msheroz S
Works at Saudi Telecom Company
Manage servers efficiently with an integrated view while reducing downtime
My use case is to serve the complete IT environment of the telecom, including all cloud applications. I use HPE Synergy servers for my private cloud and for network management systems. 70% of my workload is running on HPE servers The integrated view, such as managing complete servers and…
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

"It's pretty flexible."
"It enables us to implement software defined solutions very easily, because Apollo servers are certified for use with Linux systems"
"Tech support has been outstanding."
"The solution is well documented in a data sheet."
"HPE Apollo Systems is a good product because it has better support and best quality with integrity."
"Stability has been extremely good."
"For us, the most valuable features are the price and density."
"We are running Apollo with SL-series servers and the best thing about them is the density of the storage area available."
More HPE Apollo Systems pros
"Synergy is first in class for composable infrastructure; it has the scalability that meets our future needs and the automation that builds into something that we are really looking forward to using."
"A single unified infrastructure that can be optimized for all workloads via software makes our life easier."
"The density and the flexibility that it provides are the most valuable features."
"On a typical server build, it probably saves eight hours, and in our environment we could be building and tearing down dozens of servers a week so just do the math on that, it's hundreds of hours in savings."
"We build out a whole stack at one time, so we don't have to worry about it until that stack is full, then that gives us time to get the next one ready."
"Being able to connect my 3PAR arrays to the Synergy platform is the most valuable aspect to me."
"This is a robust, stable, scalable solution."
"It gives us ease of use. It's nice because we don't have to mess with networking once it's set up. Once it's done, we just put another blade in and go from there. We don't have to go back in, run more cables, deal with more data center stuff. We stick a blade in, use the server profile template, build out a server profile from that, and it just goes."
More HPE Synergy pros
 

Cons

"The solution could improve the hardware, such as the motherboard or servers. We have had hardware faults in the past."
"We would like to see SimpliVity on top of the Apollo."
"I would want to see the flexibility of being able to run various network protocols including InfiniBand, Fibre Channel, as well as iSCSI, with iSCSI going up to 100 gigabytes per second - that would be outstanding."
"One drawback which I had: When I needed to expand storage on the Apollo, I had significant problems getting disks for it. It was a very long wait-time. So, if I were to give any advice in regards to improving this product, I would say make more of the 8TB disks available quicker."
"The solution's deployment, security, and scalability need improvement."
"If there could be some training for our team, we would be better equipped to promote and support HPE Apollo."
"The technical support for HPE Apollo Systems could be improved."
"Big stability issues with the CPU on the first generation which made them virtually unusable."
More HPE Apollo Systems cons
"The technical support was about the only negative experience that I had. It was a mixed bag when we were first standing it up."
"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."
"Operationally, it is a little bit challenging to manage at this point. When you add onto it, you have to be very aware of where you are in the frame, on your count, and what components."
"I find the product documentation to be disorganized; it's not intuitive and the info required for checking a specific step-by-step configuration is buried under too much literature."
"Gen 11 is being released. That's going to have a lot of advantages over Gen 10 and previous generations in terms of the cooling modules in the servers to keep them cooler and run with more efficiency and better performance. There are more management features with iLO 6 and the latest OneView management."
"​Because we're using 2012, we're having issues making templates."
"I would definitely like to see them fix the firmware updates on all the blades."
"I would like more storage with this solution, because we still need 3PAR or other storage outside the box for the amount of data that we have."
More HPE Synergy cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Obviously I would like to see the cost go down. That speaks for itself."
"The price of the solution is more expensive than Dell which is their main competitor. However, there are times we have managed to receive a comparable price."
"There is an annual license required to use HPE Apollo."
"Compared to other products, HPE Apollo is not an expensive solution."
"It is an expensive solution but it is worth the money. The standard licensing cost is for the GPU and the features that someone is using. There are additional charges but they depend on the solution."
"The hardware licensing cost is reasonable."
"When we made the purchase of the hardware, we added Professional Services to it."
"For me, the scalability is how much money that I need to spend on switches for how many frames, which ultimately means servers. To get the best bandwidth before the most recent product announcement, I have buy new switches every three frames. The competition is shipping a product right now where I only need switches every ten frames."
"We do a biannual renewal. I know how much that renewal is, but I don't know how much it breaks down to be just Synergy, since we have our VMware, all of our physical equipment, etc. all rolled up into one renewal, which is a little over $300,000 every two years. However, only a subset of that is the Synergy product."
"For temporal use, when you throw on the fact that you're essentially doubling your capacity, right there you could claim a 50 percent TCO reduction."
"It costs us around $60,000 a year."
"We are satisfied with its price."
"We pay for licensing on the fibre channel uplinks, on the Virtual Connect, which is an add-on."
More HPE Synergy pricing and cost advice
report
See which vendors are best for you
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Density Optimized Servers solutions are best for your needs.
See recommendations
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Outsourcing Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise15
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise56
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with HPE Apollo?
It is too early to say what improvements HPE Apollo Systems could implement because the report still needs to come out and the customer needs to properly evaluate the solution.
See all answers
What is your primary use case for HPE Apollo?
My main use case for HPE Apollo Systems is replacing many of the servers and storage boxes at one of the customer's sites to achieve workload optimization and optimized solutions. Additionally, whe...
See all answers
What advice do you have for others considering HPE Apollo?
My advice for someone considering HPE Apollo Systems is that if they are looking for consolidation and their workload involves high availability requirements, or if they want to utilize GPUs, then ...
See all answers
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
 

Comparisons

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems Logo
HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems
Compared 12% of the time
Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs HPE Apollo Systems Logo
Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs HPE Apollo Systems
Compared 12% of the time
HPE Moonshot vs HPE Apollo Systems Logo
HPE Moonshot vs HPE Apollo Systems
Compared 8% of the time
Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs HPE Apollo Systems Logo
Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs HPE Apollo Systems
Compared 7% of the time
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems Logo
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems
Compared 4% of the time
More HPE Apollo Systems Competitors
HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs HPE Synergy Logo
HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs HPE Synergy
Compared 10% of the time
Dell PowerEdge MX- Series vs HPE Synergy Logo
Dell PowerEdge MX- Series vs HPE Synergy
Compared 10% of the time
HPE BladeSystem vs HPE Synergy Logo
HPE BladeSystem vs HPE Synergy
Compared 9% of the time
Lenovo ThinkAgile CP Series vs HPE Synergy Logo
Lenovo ThinkAgile CP Series vs HPE Synergy
Compared 8% of the time
Supermicro SuperBlade vs HPE Synergy Logo
Supermicro SuperBlade vs HPE Synergy
Compared 3% of the time
More HPE Synergy Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
HPE Apollo Systems
September 2026
HPE Apollo Systems reportDownload HPE Apollo Systems product report
Buyer's Guide
HPE Synergy
September 2026
HPE Synergy reportDownload HPE Synergy product report
 

Also Known As

HP Apollo Systems, HP ProLiant SL, HP Apollo
No data available
 

Overview

HPE Apollo Systems deliver high compute and storage density, scalability, and environmental efficiency with exceptional performance for AI initiatives and data capturing across diverse applications.

HPE Apollo Systems are characterized by their dense compute and storage capabilities, offering flexibility in configurations to meet the demands of AI, deep learning, and high-performance computing. Their management software simplifies deployment, ensuring effective performance across tasks that require significant storage. While Apollo Systems are designed for efficiency and scalability, improvements can be made in security, tech support, and integration with hypervisors and backup solutions. Enhancing cooling and licensing processes, connectivity, and faster drive writing capabilities are also areas for growth.

What are the key features of HPE Apollo Systems?
  • High Compute Density: Supports intense processing needs efficiently.
  • Scalability: Easily adaptable to growing data demands.
  • Environmental Efficiency: Minimizes energy consumption, enhancing sustainability.
  • Flexible Configurations: Caters to a range of applications from AI to data storage.
  • Reliable Performance: Consistently delivers under various workloads.
What benefits or ROI should users look for?
  • Cost Effectiveness: Reduces expenditure with its efficient design.
  • Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly fits into diverse IT environments.
  • Performance Enhancement: Boosts operational efficiency and output.
  • Easy Deployment: Streamlines the setup process for quick operation.

HPE Apollo Systems find extensive use in sectors such as telecom, supporting high-performance computing and AI workloads. They optimize Linux servers, replace legacy systems, and serve as storage solutions across industries. Their applications span from big data management in Splunk clusters to backup solutions in medical faculties, enhancing compute power and storage within compact racks.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

HPE Synergy offers a composable infrastructure enabling hardware reuse and automation, appreciated for manageability through OneView, which simplifies configuration and deployment.

HPE Synergy's strengths include flexibility, scalability, and a modular design that integrates with existing IT infrastructure for improved performance and manageability. It excels in high-density virtualization tasks and is especially suited to VMware and Hyper-V environments, SQL and Oracle databases, and large-scale data centers. Though users note challenges such as complex management interfaces and integration issues with non-HPE systems, its ability to replace aging systems like C7000 and facilitate hybrid cloud transformation is significant. Requirements for streamlined firmware updates, better storage integration, faster deployment, enhanced support, and documentation are acknowledged.

What are the most important features of HPE Synergy?
  • Composable Infrastructure: Enables hardware re-utilization and automation.
  • OneView: Simplifies configuration and reduces deployment time.
  • Image Streamer: Enhances flexibility and ease of use in configuration management.
  • Converged Network Management: Streamlines network operations.
  • Modular Design: Ensures compatibility and scalability.
What benefits and ROI should be evaluated?
  • Ease of Administration: Centralized management reduces complexity.
  • Diverse Workload Handling: Efficiently manages virtualization, databases, and cloud environments.
  • Performance Enhancement: Integrates effectively with existing infrastructure.
  • Reduced Power Consumption: Users seek more efficiency in energy use.
  • Comprehensive Integration: Desirable improvements in OneView integration benefit operations.

HPE Synergy is widely implemented across industries focusing on virtualization and cloud transformation, providing enhanced compute power and flexibility to companies transitioning from older systems. It supports hybrid cloud infrastructure management and handles the demands of large-scale data centers efficiently.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise
 

Sample Customers

Weta Digital
HudsonAlpha, Virgin Media, EMIS, United
Buyer's Guide
Density Optimized Servers
August 2026
Download Free Report
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Cisco and others in Density Optimized Servers. Updated: August 2026.
DOWNLOAD NOW
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.

We monitor all Density Optimized 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.