FlexPod XCS vs IBM VersaStack comparison

NetApp and IBM are both solutions in the Converged Infrastructure category. NetApp is ranked #2, while IBM is ranked #10. NetApp holds a 12.3% mindshare in CI, compared to IBM’s 4.8% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of NetApp users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IBM users who would recommend it.

FlexPod XCS

Read 295 FlexPod XCS reviews

3,863 Views
1,932 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

IBM VersaStack

Read 3 IBM VersaStack reviews

223 Views
221 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

FlexPod XCS

IBM VersaStack

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 2, 2025

FlexPod XCS and IBM VersaStack are competing products in the converged infrastructure space. FlexPod XCS often has the upper hand due to its customer support and competitive pricing, whereas IBM VersaStack appeals to those seeking advanced features and are willing to invest more for quality.

Features: FlexPod XCS offers flexibility and a scalable architecture that integrates with Cisco and NetApp technologies. IBM VersaStack provides comprehensive data management and robust security features. Notably, IBM VersaStack includes advanced analytics tools adding significant value.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: FlexPod XCS provides a straightforward deployment process with dedicated support, making installation and configuration easier. IBM VersaStack requires a complex setup but includes automation features to streamline deployment. FlexPod XCS offers more personalized customer service, beneficial for newer users.

Pricing and ROI: FlexPod XCS presents cost-effective setup options, leading to quicker ROI while maintaining high performance. IBM VersaStack, with a higher upfront cost, offers long-term value through infrastructure efficiency and resource optimization, justifying investment through its enhanced capability and potential ROI over time.

To learn more, read our detailed FlexPod XCS vs. IBM VersaStack Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

FlexPod XCS vs. IBM VersaStack

February 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 881,733 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

FlexPod XCS

Ranking in Converged Infrastructure

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

295

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM VersaStack

Ranking in Converged Infrastructure

10th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Converged Infrastructure category, the mindshare of FlexPod XCS is 12.3%, up from 8.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM VersaStack is 4.8%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Converged Infrastructure Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
FlexPod XCS	12.3%
IBM VersaStack	4.8%
Other	82.9%

Converged Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

John Kevin

Deputy IT Manager at MBBank

Enforces standardized setup procedures following Certified Validated Design (CVD) guidelines and offers greater flexibility and control over the system compared to traditional systems

The GUI setup follows the right setup, meaning we have to follow the CVDi.e. Certified Validated Design. Everything is clear, because you can build CI yourself, but without rules, it can be messy. With FlexPod, there are rules to follow, making it more standardized. This helps with troubleshooting and compatibility assessments, simplifying troubleshooting significantly. We also use FlexPod pre-validated architectures to validate the design. It is very, very important to us because we had a bad case in 2015 where separate items integrated poorly due to no version or firmware compatibility certification. Troubleshooting became a nightmare. So, standards are crucial for us, and everything entering production should be verified or at least documented for certification.

Read full review

reviewer2058714

Infrastructure Head at a program development consultancy with 11-50 employees

A very high IOPS that gives more I/O transactions per second

Scalability used to be an issue so at that time it was rated an eight out of ten. We have become OPEX-based and rent storage from them. Physical storage is about 200% of our requirements but we only pay for what we use. This resolved all of our scalability issues. When we reach a certain threshold like 100%, OPEX calls us and asks if we want to add more storage. Our total capacity right now is 300 terabytes but we are only using around 200 terabytes. We bought the storage two years ago and our projections are on par. We don't need more capacity now but have plans to increase in another two years. With our OPEX storage, scalability is rated a nine out of ten.

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

"All-flash storage and low latency I/O enhance performance."

"The tool provides a single point for storing applications and it increases the availability of them. It also has improved the way we handle applications within VMware."

"The most valuable feature of FlexPod is that it allows you to get the old compute storage and the network switch or the fabric of the network in one box. You can use pods to have a tiny cloud in the box, which is one of its best features."

"I am happy with the stability. I haven't had any major issues with it in four years. This includes upgrades."

"The nice thing about NetApp is the ease of administration. We have a new storage admin who did not do storage at all, and he has fallen right in with it. There are no real issues."

"The solution is innovative when it comes to compute storage and networking. Each environment has knowledge of another in a FlexPod environment. This would be difficult to operate separately."

"The most valuable features are that the solution is vetted and validated and it's supported end-to-end."

"The initial setup is not complex. It is user-friendly since it is a single solution with all the components delivered in one package."

More FlexPod XCS pros

"Replication and DR implementation became faster."

"The solution has high IOPS and the I/O is important because it gives us more transactions per second."

"The combination of Cisco's architecture and IBM's flash technology. Cisco provides FI technology which provides one simple architecture. IBM's flash technology is fast."

Cons

"Possibly the UCS could get a bit better. Other than that, overall I don't necessarily have any sorts of constraints or issues with it. It's done the job that it's been bought to do."

"This is an expensive solution."

"I had one problem at the site where I had an aggregate that would not shrink after I had deleted some stuff. It took a few tries to get the right guy on the call. We do have a NetApp SAM with our company, and it really took getting to him to get the solution fixed."

"You must build each block separately, that's a disadvantage sometimes."

"I would like them to integrate the NVIDIA GRID into the system, so we could easily deploy certain solutions with the FlexPod."

"I would like more support for different platforms, possibly different database platforms. I don't know if it supports Oracle today, but that would be a big improvement."

"It would be great to see some form of interoperability between the FAS units and the E-Series, specifically for replication, even if it is just one more replication from a FAS to an E-Series. That would be amazing."

"I would like to see them reduce the complexity, that would be my number one request because. Right now, doing simple things is pretty complex. You have so many options. It might be better if it were more wizard-driven, as opposed to going through five hundred dials. It's not very easy or intuitive."

More FlexPod XCS cons

"The solution should improve deduplication to get a lot of savings."

"Raw data mapping for storage should be a given option."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing is always tough. We need to get to a point where the customer's happy. Then, as partners, we are also happy."

"We have seen a five to ten percent savings on new service deployments."

"Coming from a rack and stack server model to FlexPod, it has saved us a lot of time (approximately hundreds to thousands of hours)."

"Sometimes you may end up spending a little more to get it in the first place, but you gain it back in terms of infrastructure upgrade costs and troubleshooting costs. The solution also lasts a surprisingly long time."

"It is cheaper than other products. For example, Dell EMC VxBlock is more expensive."

"We purchased the solution through CDW. They are a partner and knowledgeable."

"The footprint in the data center is quite large, especially when you scale out. Maybe find some hardware in the future, where if a new blade comes out, then Cisco can say, "Look, we'll buy those blades back off you, and we'll give you this blade for X amount of money." A buyback scheme would be good for hardware, and even NetApp as well. Something like a buyback scheme for blades and stuff moving forward would be good, because I know that they're going to put more power into them. E.g., replacing four blades might equal one blade, which would be awesome, but we are still going to have those four blades around. Maybe having something where it will give you this much money for these blades so we can upgrade. That would be perfect."

"The pricing is not cheaper, but stability is more important for us now. We focus on business gains, not static numbers."

More FlexPod XCS pricing and cost advice

"The solution is enterprise level so it is expensive."

See which vendors are best for you

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

See recommendations

881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Comparison Review

it_user244362

Managing Consultant with 51-200 employees

Aug 30, 2015

Nutanix vs. VMware EVO:RAIL vs. FlexPod

Originally posted at www.storagegaga.com/dont-get-too-drunk-on-hyper-converged/ I hate the fact that I am bursting the big bubble brewing about Hyper Convergence (HC). I urge all to look past the hot air and hype frenzy that are going on, because in the end, the HC platforms have to be aligned…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Marketing Services Firm

31%

Manufacturing Company

14%

Performing Arts

Educational Organization

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	34
Midsize Enterprise	66
Large Enterprise	182

No data available

Comparisons

Dell PowerFlex vs FlexPod XCS

Compared 15% of the time

HPE ConvergedSystem vs FlexPod XCS

Compared 10% of the time

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs FlexPod XCS

Compared 8% of the time

Dell VxBlock System vs FlexPod XCS

Compared 8% of the time

VxRail vs FlexPod XCS

Compared 7% of the time

More FlexPod XCS Competitors

Dell VxBlock System vs IBM VersaStack

Compared 31% of the time

Oracle SuperCluster vs IBM VersaStack

Compared 29% of the time

More IBM VersaStack Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

FlexPod XCS

February 2026

Download FlexPod XCS product report

Buyer's Guide

Converged Infrastructure

January 2026

Download IBM VersaStack product report

Overview

FlexPod XCS is the secure platform your applications need from edge to cloud. Easily manage your suite of cloud-native, edge, and enterprise apps. Integrate advanced cloud services without compromising performance, security, reliability, or scale.

NetApp

VersaStack is a converged infrastructure solution of network, compute and storage designed for quick deployment and rapid time to value. The solution includes Cisco UCS integrated infrastructure together with IBM software- defined storage solutions to deliver extraordinary levels of agility and efficiency. VersaStack is backed by Cisco Validated Designs and IBM Redbooks application guides for faster infrastructure delivery as well as workload/ application deployment.

Designed for dynamic organizations that want to accelerate business growth while reducing costs, VersaStack incorporates IBM all-flash as well as hybrid storage technologies into the “single pane of glass” management environment provided by Cisco UCS Director. The solution offers quick deployment and execution of business applications—with the versatility to adapt as business priorities change. Providing an IT infrastructure that is easy, efficient and versatile, VersaStack helps accelerate data center infrastructure deployment and helps efficiently manage information and resources amid business change.

IBM

Sample Customers

University of Sao Paulo, WD-40, The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group

Newhall Hospital, Medicat, JJ Haines, Sigmax

Buyer's Guide

FlexPod XCS vs. IBM VersaStack

February 2026

Free Report: FlexPod XCS vs. IBM VersaStack

Find out what your peers are saying about FlexPod XCS vs. IBM VersaStack and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our FlexPod XCS vs. IBM VersaStack report.

See our list of best Converged Infrastructure vendors.

We monitor all Converged Infrastructure 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.