Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs FreeNAS comparison

Dell Technologies and FreeNAS are both solutions in the NAS category. Dell Technologies is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.7, while FreeNAS is ranked #15. Dell Technologies holds a 15.1% mindshare in N, compared to FreeNAS’s 2.7% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of FreeNAS users who would recommend it.

Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

Read 76 Dell PowerScale (Isilon) reviews

10,615 Views
5,201 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

FreeNAS

Read 9 FreeNAS reviews

762 Views
762 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

FreeNAS

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 7, 2024

FreeNAS and Dell PowerScale compete in the network-attached storage category. Dell PowerScale appears to have the upper hand due to its enhanced scalability and enterprise features, appealing to large-scale environments.

Features: FreeNAS is appreciated for its support of the ZFS file system, data protection features, and flexibility in hardware deployment. Dell PowerScale offers advanced data management, seamless scalability, and high-performance tuning options suitable for significant storage demands.

Room for Improvement: FreeNAS could improve in terms of their user interface design, automated updates, and increasing official support options. Dell PowerScale might enhance integration with lower-tier storage solutions, reduce hardware costs, and provide better licensing transparency.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: FreeNAS is known for its straightforward setup on diverse hardware and a supportive community, although it may necessitate more technical expertise. Dell PowerScale is favored for its smooth integration processes and comprehensive support services, easing enterprise-level deployments.

Pricing and ROI: FreeNAS presents an economical setup due to its open-source nature, promising substantial ROI for smaller deployments. Dell PowerScale demands higher initial investment but offers long-term value and performance, appealing to enterprises with larger financial plans aiming for extended returns.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs. FreeNAS Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs. FreeNAS

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

Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

Ranking in NAS

2nd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

File and Object Storage (2nd)

FreeNAS

Ranking in NAS

15th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the NAS category, the mindshare of Dell PowerScale (Isilon) is 15.1%, down from 17.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of FreeNAS is 2.7%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

NAS Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Dell PowerScale (Isilon)	15.1%
FreeNAS	2.7%
Other	82.2%

NAS

Featured Reviews

Bill Engelmeyer

Systems Engineer at Unisity LLC

Flexibility and reliability have supported seamless data growth

I cannot think of anything to improve about Dell PowerScale (Isilon). The hardest challenge we have is due to how we've bought things over time. The way that we moved to the PowerEdge platform for the newer systems creates a scale problem as I still buy the older style systems, which are more dense storage. They're different chassis, so the problem we run into in the data center is the depth of the actual equipment. The newer equipment, if we buy an FX910 or a 900, it's a lot shorter in scale than if I buy an 83,000, which is much bigger. This makes it more complicated for deployment.

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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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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Dell PowerScale (Isilon) stability is solid as a rock."

"I don't have to rebuild the cluster to add a node."

"It's easy to manage. The web UI is very intuitive, and there's CLI also that you can use to manage it."

"The most valuable feature for me is SyncIQ."

"The solution's scalability is very good."

"It is stable and very user-friendly."

"The most valuable feature is its single space of storage."

"Eyeglass is used to monitor for malware, which is very useful for us."

More Dell PowerScale (Isilon) pros

"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."

"It has the best storage capacity."

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

"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 integrates well into either Windows or Linux environments."

"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."

Cons

"I would want to see more AI features with Dell PowerScale (Isilon)."

"The pricing could be reduced."

"My experience with customer service and technical support has been challenging. The reason is that it is difficult to find subject matter experts around the solution."

"They could improve implementation, as we had to rack and stack it ourselves."

"Additional metadata reporting would be great. We have to use a separate tool to report on that. We would like to view the age of data and how long it has been since someone has accessed a file."

"The only thing that I think PowerScale could do better is improving the HTTP data access protocol. At the present, you cannot protect access to data via HTTP or HTTPS the same way that you can secure data access through other protocols like NFS or SMB[...]the Unified Permission Model that would allow a user to authenticate before being able to access a private file, does not apply."

"I would make Dell PowerScale (Isilon) better by improving SmartSync in the graphical user interface. Currently, everything has to be done through the command line, and I prefer having a graphical interface."

"The tool's support team and the way the cases are handled by the product's technical support team are both areas of concern where improvements are required."

More Dell PowerScale (Isilon) cons

"If you find the documentation, it is always incomplete and fragmented."

"The support for S3 needs to be improved."

"The latest version of the dashboard doesn't work as good as the previous version."

"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."

"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."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I always want things to be less expensive. However, I would say the pricing is fair. Their costs are in alignment with their competitors. It is a good value for the money."

"The price of the solution is high."

"It is a really expensive solution."

"Our company finds the pricing high, but it decreases over time."

"We use the TNA approach which is a great opportunity for us to better manage the licenses based on how much consumption is available for the different customers so we can use that approach and scalability."

"The price of Dell PowerScale (Isilon) is reasonable."

"The general cost for a system like this is expensive. The total cost depends on your use case. You need to pay for every additional feature that you use."

"It is an expensive solution."

More Dell PowerScale (Isilon) pricing and cost advice

"We use the free version of the program."

"Its price is okay. It suits our needs."

"Its licensing cost is based on the hardware capacity."

"For our configuration, we pay a little bit less than €10,000 ($12,000 USD) per year."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Comms Service Provider

16%

Performing Arts

12%

Computer Software Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	17
Midsize Enterprise	19
Large Enterprise	42

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Large Enterprise	2

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?

The solution provides massive performance, scalability, efficiency, and ease of management.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?

As for my experience with the pricing, setup cost, and licensing, we have had Dell PowerScale (Isilon) for a while now, so we are basically on the renewal track all the time. We did not find it to ...

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What needs improvement with Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?

I think Dell PowerScale (Isilon) is very good right now. Perhaps improvements could be made on the CPU level with a better CPU. I haven't used the NVIDIA yet, but a better Intel CPU would be benefi...

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Comparisons

NetApp FAS Series vs Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

Compared 18% of the time

Pure Storage FlashBlade vs Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

Compared 10% of the time

Qumulo vs Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

Compared 7% of the time

Dell ObjectScale vs Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

Compared 5% of the time

HPE StoreEasy vs Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

Compared 4% of the time

More Dell PowerScale (Isilon) Competitors

NetApp FAS Series vs FreeNAS

Compared 11% of the time

QNAP NAS Storage vs FreeNAS

Compared 11% of the time

StarWind Storage Appliance vs FreeNAS

Compared 10% of the time

Buurst SoftNAS vs FreeNAS

Compared 9% of the time

Cloudian HyperFile NAS Storage vs FreeNAS

Compared 8% of the time

More FreeNAS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

January 2026

Download Dell PowerScale (Isilon) product report

Buyer's Guide

FreeNAS

January 2026

Download FreeNAS product report

Also Known As

PowerScale, Dell EMC Isilon

No data available

Overview

Dell PowerScale leads in unstructured data management with unified file and object storage, massive scalability, security, and cloud adaptability, enhancing AI, analytics, and enterprise applications with exceptional performance and resilience.

Dell PowerScale Isilon provides a comprehensive platform for unstructured data, excelling in scalability, management, and performance. With features like single-pane management, SyncIQ, and SmartQuotas, it handles large datasets with flexibility and robust security. Its multi-protocol support and seamless expansion improve operational efficiency. While it offers strong data protection, enhancements in cloud integration, cybersecurity, and performance are sought. Users note potential for cost reductions and streamlined configurations and mention desired improvements in object storage handling and NFS support.

What are the key features of Dell PowerScale Isilon?

Single-pane management: Simplifies data control and monitoring through a unified interface.
SyncIQ: Ensures efficient data replication for business continuity.
SmartQuotas: Provides intelligent quota management for optimized storage allocation.
Multi-protocol support: Facilitates cross-platform data access and integration.
Seamless storage expansion: Allows effortless scaling to accommodate growing data needs.

What benefits should users consider when reviewing Dell PowerScale Isilon?

Operational efficiency: Reduces workload with easy management and automation.
Enhanced security: Offers comprehensive data protection and recovery options.
Scalability: Supports large-scale data storage with flexible growth capabilities.
Performance: Delivers high-speed data processing for demanding applications.
Integration flexibility: Adapts to on-prem and hybrid cloud environments for diverse deployment needs.

Organizations across industries utilize Dell PowerScale Isilon for large-scale unstructured storage, supporting applications like video archiving, genomic data storage, and high-resolution imaging. Educational institutions, research centers, and media enterprises rely on its scaled-out storage capabilities, providing centralized, secure storage for diverse applications in hybrid, cloud, and on-prem environments.

Dell Technologies

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

Sample Customers

OMRF, University of Utah, Translational Genetics Research Institute, Arcis, Geofizyka Torumn, Cyprus E&P Corporation, Colburn School, Columbia Sportswear, Harvard Medical School, University of Michigan, National Library of France,

Morroni Technologies Inc., Creative Integrations

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs. FreeNAS

December 2025

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