HPE Apollo Systems vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Lenovo are both solutions in the Rack Servers category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.0, while Lenovo is ranked #4. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 3.9% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to Lenovo’s 12.9% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Lenovo users who would recommend it.

HPE Apollo Systems

Read 24 HPE Apollo Systems reviews

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1,707 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Ser...

Read 27 Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers reviews

5,117 Views
5,117 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

HPE Apollo Systems

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Ser...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers and HPE Apollo Systems are competing products in the server market. Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers are favored for better pricing and support, while HPE Apollo Systems is seen as superior for its robust features, justifying its higher price.

Features: Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers provide reliable performance, customizable configurations, and are well-suited for enterprises with specific needs. HPE Apollo Systems offer high-density storage, advanced analytics tools, and are designed for data-intensive applications.

Room for Improvement: Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers could enhance energy efficiency, cooling options, and update management tools. HPE Apollo Systems could improve scalability options, integration flexibility, and cost management strategies.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers are noted for straightforward deployment and responsive customer support. HPE Apollo Systems are appreciated for detailed deployment guides, though they face challenges with longer customer support response times.

Pricing and ROI: Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers stand out for cost-effective setup and quick ROI, attracting budget-conscious buyers. HPE Apollo Systems, while more costly to set up, provide significant ROI through comprehensive features and long-term value.

To learn more, read our detailed HPE Apollo Systems vs. Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HPE Apollo Systems vs. Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

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 Apollo Systems

Ranking in Rack Servers

7th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

5.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Density Optimized Servers (2nd)

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Ser...

Ranking in Rack Servers

4th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of HPE Apollo Systems is 3.9%, down from 4.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers is 12.9%, down from 16.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rack Servers Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers	12.9%
HPE Apollo Systems	3.9%
Other	83.2%

Rack Servers

Featured Reviews

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.

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Adalberto Giaretta

Technology director at Infodive Representações e Serviços ltda

Reliable with an easy setup and good support

These are rack servers. We use them for applications. It stores everything including VM servers, application servers, Windows, et cetera The reliability is great. The solution is like any other commodity like Dell or HPE. These are all very similar. Setting up the solution is easy. It is stable.…

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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

"HPE Apollo's pricing is low, and implementation is very easy compared to other products."

"It's pretty flexible. You can choose how much storage you put on the server. You can have one to three nodes, depending on whether you want more CPU or storage."

"Absolutely being able to mount into Omni-Path architecture, HFIs on those nodes, because we were the very first site in the world"

"With HPE Apollo, we can propose configurations with many hard drives, making it suitable for large storage needs."

"we can use the same platform for several use cases: Hadoop, Ceph, and we are considering the server for another use case right now. It's a single solution, we only have to integrate it once and we can use it for several technologies."

"It enables us to implement software defined solutions very easily, because Apollo servers are certified for use with Linux systems"

"The cost benefit of this solution is most valuable. It is quite effective for the work for which we are using it. We are mainly running video servers on these, and we are quite happy with the resilience, density storage, and streaming capacity of the system."

"The solution is well documented in a data sheet."

More HPE Apollo Systems pros

"The IMM tool is great because we can upgrade different views and device versions very quickly. We can upgrade everything from a single point through a single dashboard, which is great for us because we also have Lenovo storage. Lenovo ThinkSystem also has Xclarity built into the system."

"The hardware performance is very valuable."

"We appreciate the stability and easy mountings of all the machines. We have some direct connections with IBM, Lenovo, and other companies, and we get close support from them."

"The product is very user-friendly."

"It is a stable solution."

"The product scales well."

"The most valuable aspect of Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers is the brand name and the service relationship we have with Lenovo."

"I would say the stability of the system itself would be the biggest advantage."

More Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers pros

Cons

"HPE Apollo's after-sales support and technical support should be improved."

"The technical support from HPE has always been good in my experience."

"The solution's deployment, security, and scalability need improvement."

"What's coming out in Gen 10 is very strong in terms of additional security."

"We could, perhaps, use more GPUs in the future, go from eight to 16 GPUs per instance. That could run head-to-head against the DGX-1, the DGX-2 that NVIDIA has developed in their own chassis. That would be interesting to see."

"The support from HPE Apollo could be better, they are making knowledgeable."

"We have tried to used standardization using Ubuntu Linux and it's been hard. They had some difficulties getting the RAID configuration up and running because there are no drivers for it. It's not supported by HPE."

"HPE Apollo Systems is a bit expensive, and there are some issues with scalability."

More HPE Apollo Systems cons

"The performance of the solution could be better."

"It is quite an expensive product. Its price can be improved."

"It was complex to get this started because the Lenovo and VMware are not very compatible. We had to get some updates in order for it to be implemented."

"Upgrading firmware is easier in Dell than in Lenovo."

"Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers could improve the availability of their solution. The supply chain is severely broken, we've had to wait many months for component parts to a system time after time. The availability of discs and raid controllers has been difficult lately."

"HP has a riser inside, but Lenovo does not have a riser. It would be good to have a riser with Lenovo. The GUI of the system is really bad. HP has a very good UI for smart memories and everything inside, but in Lenovo, we have a black-and-white UI. HP right now manufactures a server with scalable SP1 and SP2 on a single machine, which is not the case with Lenovo. They are changing the machine. For SP 1, there is one server, and for SP2, there is another server, which is really bad. In HP, we can use two models of processors in a single case. Lenovo should also be improved to have SP1 and SP2 scalable processors simultaneously on a single machine. They should not release another machine. This issue is also there in H3650 severs. They are all inside, but only V3 CPU or only v4 CPU can work, whereas, in HBG9, we can deploy V3 and V4 simultaneously. Lenovo also needs to advertise more because I can't see advertisements anywhere."

"The solution's initial setup was complicated."

"Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers does a very good job. However, what could be improved can be their Configurator because it's very bulky and it sometimes gives logical errors."

More Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"Obviously I would like to see the cost go down. That speaks for itself."

"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."

"It costs around $8,000. There is an additional cost for the support for a year."

"Other than the standard licensing fees there are no other additional costs. The price of Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers could be better, and the availability of the solution could improve. We have been waiting two months for one server."

"Your budget determines the scalability."

"It is too expensive. Because we are a university and we have to look for our money, many times we buy some refurbished machines or equipment at reasonable prices from IBM or Lenovo. We are a little bit limited in terms of money, and we buy as much as we can. If they were cheaper, we would buy more."

"The licensing cost is the same as HP. It doesn't have any additional cost. However, the price, for example, for the memory option, does not match other vendors such as HP or Dell. They should work on the pricing of Lenovo. It is a great competitor, and it should compete with the price."

"In India, the solution is cheap compared to its competitors."

"The price of Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers is highly competitive. Many customers prefer this solution because of the price. However, the price could be reduced."

"The price of Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers is competitive."

More Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

15%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

University

Computer Software Company

University

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	13

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	18
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	9

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with HPE Apollo?

Some features could be added to HPE Apollo Systems in the future, and I feel that some capability is needed. HPE Apollo Systems is a bit expensive, and there are some issues with scalability. Two f...

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What is your primary use case for HPE Apollo?

I have been distributing this product for three years. I don't have specific use cases, and everything about the major use case for HPE Apollo Systems is good. I don't know the purpose clients are ...

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What advice do you have for others considering HPE Apollo?

I am not using these products today, and I do not work with some specific firewalls. My company is TD Synnex, a distributor company, and I work for this company. My email is , and my first name is ...

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How do Lenovo ThinkSystem rack servers compare with HPE ProLiant DL servers?

Lenovo ThinkSystem rack servers offer flexibility and efficiency in order to meet mission-critical demands. I like that Lenovo blends outstanding performance, reliability, and manageability. The bi...

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When shopping for a rack server, would you go with Dell EMC Poweredge or Lenovo Thinksystem?

Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether the Dell EMC Poweredge or Lenovo Thinksystem rack servers were the better fit for us. We ultimately decided to go with Dell EMC Poweredge....

See all answers

Comparisons

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 22% of the time

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 14% of the time

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 8% of the time

HPE Synergy vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 3% of the time

More HPE Apollo Systems Competitors

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

Compared 50% of the time

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

Compared 33% of the time

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

Compared 4% of the time

IBM Power Systems vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

Compared 4% of the time

Lenovo Edge Servers vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

Compared 1% of the time

More Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HPE Apollo Systems

January 2026

Download HPE Apollo Systems product report

Buyer's Guide

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

January 2026

Download Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers product report

Also Known As

HP Apollo Systems, HP ProLiant SL, HP Apollo

SR Series, Lenovo SR Series, ThinkSystem Rack Servers, IBM Rack Servers, ThinkSystem SR Series, Lenovo Rack Servers,

Overview

The HPE Apollo high-density server family is built for the highest levels of performance and efficiency. They are rack-scale compute, storage, networking, power and cooling – massively scale-up and scale-out – solutions for your big data analytics, object storage and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads. From water-cooling that’s 1,000X more efficient than air, to “right-sized scaling” with 2X the compute density for workgroup and private cloud workloads, the HPE Apollo line is a dense, high-performance, tiered approach for organisations of all sizes.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

From growing small businesses to enterprise workloads, Lenovo rack servers offer the unmatched value, flexibility and industry-leading efficiency to meet mission-critical demands with legendary quality and reliability.

Lenovo

Sample Customers

Weta Digital

immixGroup, Komsomolskaya Pravda, SRG Global, Seekr, Infiniti Red Bull Racing, jKool, Tennis Australia, VEKA, Netpoints, Gamma Powersports

Buyer's Guide

HPE Apollo Systems vs. Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

December 2025

Free Report: HPE Apollo Systems vs. Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

Find out what your peers are saying about HPE Apollo Systems vs. Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

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