HPE BladeSystem vs Lenovo Flex System comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Lenovo are both solutions in the Blade Servers category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.6, while Lenovo is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.7. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 10.5% mindshare in Blade Servers, compared to Lenovo’s 4.4% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Lenovo users who would recommend it.

HPE BladeSystem

Read 140 HPE BladeSystem reviews

2,206 Views
2,162 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Lenovo Flex System

Read 10 Lenovo Flex System reviews

549 Views
549 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HPE BladeSystem

Lenovo Flex System

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

HPE BladeSystem and Lenovo Flex System are key players in the enterprise server market. Reviews suggest HPE BladeSystem has an advantage in terms of support and scalability, while Lenovo Flex System stands out with resource capacity and user-friendliness.

Features: HPE BladeSystem is known for durability and configurability, particularly for its iLO management and reliability over time. It offers comprehensive management tools and scalability. Lenovo Flex System is praised for reliability and performance, with a focus on storage capabilities and user-friendliness, providing high resource capacity before upscaling.

Room for Improvement: HPE BladeSystem faces challenges with outdated technology and limited parts availability, with concerns over scalability and licensing processes. Its management lags behind competitors, needing better support and integration. Lenovo Flex System requires improved integration with other platforms and better module flexibility, with users noting initial setup and customer support issues.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HPE BladeSystem offers reputable customer service with proactive support but regional discrepancies in response times are noted. Lenovo Flex System shines in initial customer service but struggles with consistent issue resolution, indicating a need for more uniform support.

Pricing and ROI: HPE BladeSystem is perceived as having high initial costs but delivers excellent long-term ROI through reduced operational expenses. It's ideal for large enterprises. Lenovo Flex System offers competitive pricing and more cost-effective scalability options, delivering significant ROI with upfront savings. Both systems have tailored pricing strategies for distinct market needs.

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

Buyer's Guide

HPE BladeSystem vs. Lenovo Flex System

December 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

HPE BladeSystem

Ranking in Blade Servers

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

140

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

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 January 2026, in the Blade Servers category, the mindshare of HPE BladeSystem is 10.5%, down from 13.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Lenovo Flex System is 4.4%, 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 BladeSystem	10.5%
Lenovo Flex System	4.4%
Other	85.1%

Blade Servers

Featured Reviews

Kapil Pandey

Technology Management Consultant at National Institute for Smart Government - NISG

Reliability and reasonable pricing enhance data center management

I researched on peerspot.com about IT solutions, specifically about HPE BladeSystem and HPE Synergy, because we are already using HP servers in our state data center. In HP Cloud System, we are using a converged infrastructure to connect LAN and SAN connectivity across the network. Regarding Virtual Connect technology, there is a noticeable impact on network management. For day-to-day operations, we use various applications such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams to connect virtually. Using HPE BladeSystem Virtual Connect technology in HP Cloud System, we achieve efficient network management with well-defined LAN and SAN connectivity. We already have a defined modular architecture in place designed by the HP team for our data center. My company name is National Institute for Smart Government, also called NISG, under the National e-Governance Division. My title is Technology Management Consultant. I would rate HPE BladeSystem as an eight out of ten.

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Farhan-Ahmad

Senior System Administrator at Khushhali Microfinance Bank

Used to run the compute load on servers, but firmware and driver upgrades are a bit difficult

We use the solution for multiple purposes, such as in the virtualization cluster and the standalone applications We use the solution as a compute model to run the compute load on servers. The solution's firmware and driver upgrades are a bit difficult. I have been using Lenovo Flex System for…

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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

"The most valuable feature of the HPE BladeSystem is the ease of management and the robust design."

"It is very stable."

"The product is quite stable. Its performance is reliable."

"The benefit is the density and the capability for global harmonization on the hardware, because all the hardware chassis are the same. We can also purchase the same network cards too, chassis by chassis, so it gives us a global solution."

"Basically, in a cluster, it works really nicely, especially within a cluster environment. Also, it's easily configurable."

"No issues with scalability. We can scale by adding another enclosure."

"The most valuable feature of the HPE BladeSystem is the ease of management."

"HPE BladeSystem is a scalable solution. It is a composable infrastructure which we can manage our external services. This is the one factor which I can see the server is much more suitable for the OneView console."

More HPE BladeSystem pros

"The initial setup is straightforward."

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

"The functionality is reliable and requires minimal support."

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

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

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

"The Lenovo Flex System is very stable."

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

More Lenovo Flex System pros

Cons

"The support from HPE has not been satisfactory in the last two to three years."

"The only side that must be improved is the active-passive interconnect module architecture."

"We require more reliable things because if something goes down in the controller and center control, it is very tough to manage."

"If the hardware offered higher efficiency, that would be an ideal situation for our company."

"The integration and price of HPE BladeSystem could be improved."

"We would like to see OneView software features as an additional feature."

"The solution could improve by having more automation, such as the automatic mapping feature that is available in the Synergy Blade series."

"The tool must provide integration with the cloud."

More HPE BladeSystem cons

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

"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."

"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 product could improve its integration capabilities."

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

"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."

More Lenovo Flex System cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The chassis itself, with no blade server inside, so expensive. The C7000 model costs around $100,000."

"The pricing is competitive."

"I need to pay for the license, and it is expensive. We make yearly payments."

"it would make everyone happy if the solution were less expensive."

"I would recommend this solution for large enterprises. Medium-sized companies would find it difficult to afford the HPE BladeSystem's overall capital expenses."

"The licensing is on an annual basis."

"I don't have access to your financial information or the specific details of this solution's pricing. There are no additional fees. It is the hardware and the support."

"The prices for the HPE Virtual Connect Modules are expensive compared to other I/O Modules available."

More HPE BladeSystem pricing and cost advice

"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."

"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."

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

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

"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."

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Government

14%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	29
Midsize Enterprise	40
Large Enterprise	104

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...

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What do you like most about HPE BladeSystem?

The solution is scalable, offering flexibility and expansion options to meet changing business needs.

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

With around 19 years of exposure in working with various servers, including HPE, I encounter challenges in identifying reasonable prices during the setup cost and licensing process, especially for ...

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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.

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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 Synergy vs HPE BladeSystem

Compared 50% of the time

Dell PowerEdge MX- Series vs HPE BladeSystem

Compared 13% of the time

Supermicro SuperBlade vs HPE BladeSystem

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco UCS B-Series vs HPE BladeSystem

Compared 7% of the time

More HPE BladeSystem Competitors

HPE Superdome X vs Lenovo Flex System

Compared 25% of the time

HPE Synergy vs Lenovo Flex System

Compared 21% of the time

Dell PowerEdge MX- Series vs Lenovo Flex System

Compared 16% of the time

Supermicro SuperBlade vs Lenovo Flex System

Compared 11% of the time

More Lenovo Flex System Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HPE BladeSystem

January 2026

Download HPE BladeSystem product report

Buyer's Guide

Blade Servers

January 2026

Download Lenovo Flex System product report

Also Known As

HP ProLiant BL Series Servers, HP ProLiant BladeSystem

Flex System Blade Servers, Flex System SN Series

Overview

HP ProLiant BladeSystem share power, cooling, network, and storage infrastructure via the blade enclosure. Since equipment is not needed for each server, you get a dramatic reduction in power distribution units, power cables, LAN and SAN switches, connectors, adapters, and cables. And you can add the newest-generation technologies by simply changing individual components.

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

EMIS Health

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

HPE BladeSystem vs. Lenovo Flex System

December 2025

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