HPE MSA vs NetApp FAS Series comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and NetApp are both solutions in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.0, while NetApp is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.2. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 10.3% mindshare in MS, compared to NetApp’s 11.0% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of NetApp users who would recommend it.

HPE MSA

Read 26 HPE MSA reviews

2,280 Views
2,234 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

NetApp FAS Series

Read 110 NetApp FAS Series reviews

9,150 Views
1,830 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

HPE MSA

NetApp FAS Series

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 1, 2026

NetApp FAS Series and HPE MSA compete in the storage solutions category. NetApp FAS Series has the upper hand due to its rich feature set and high reliability, despite higher pricing.

Features: NetApp FAS Series offers SnapMirror, FlexClone, and integrated protocol support, enhancing flexibility and data management. It excels in high availability and deduplication, providing space savings and cost efficiency. HPE MSA, meanwhile, provides dual controllers, scalability, and essential features targeting entry-level affordability.

Room for Improvement: NetApp FAS Series could improve pricing competitiveness, integration, and documentation for advanced features. HPE MSA shows potential improvements in scalability, hybrid environment integration, and cloud connectivity.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both solutions offer on-premises deployment. NetApp FAS Series includes hybrid cloud capabilities and has generally praised support, albeit variable by region. HPE MSA users report solid customer service but desire scalability enhancements and more user-friendly management.

Pricing and ROI: NetApp FAS Series is perceived as expensive but justifiable for its reliability and features, offering good ROI in suitable environments. HPE MSA is initially cost-effective but may become costly with additional features and support, which can be a barrier despite its entry-level appeal.

To learn more, read our detailed HPE MSA vs. NetApp FAS Series Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

HPE MSA vs. NetApp FAS Series

April 2026

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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:

ROI

Sentiment score

6.8

HPE MSA provides cost-effective storage solutions, optimizing business operations and delivering substantial monetary savings and better returns.

Sentiment score

5.5

NetApp FAS Series users report positive ROI, cost savings, and satisfaction, especially in VMware settings, despite disk addition expenses.

It certainly shows a return on investment with HPE MSA, but we have framework contracts with special prices for the HP hardware, so I am not sure that our return on investment calculation corresponds to what other people should have.

Jacques Petit

Administrative Assistant at EUIPO - European Union Intellectual Property Office

For more quotes and insights, download the HPE MSA report

If you have the configuration well maintained and configured, you should have good efficiency and compression for the clients and for yourself.

reviewer2689182

System Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the NetApp FAS Series report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

7.4

HPE MSA support is mostly effective and reliable, but improvements in response times and proactive measures are needed.

Sentiment score

7.3

NetApp FAS Series is praised for reliable, responsive support, though some seek faster resolutions and enhanced first-tier expertise.

I would rate technical support a three out of five due to the lack of effectiveness in preventing recurring problems.

JobyThomas

Manager, Information Technology at a construction company with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the HPE MSA report

Sometimes, the support was inadequate because the initial architecture was poorly defined.

reviewer1395864

Pre-Sales Director France, Belgium and Luxembourg at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees

We are also using it ourselves for the SAN and CIFS protocol.

reviewer2689182

System Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees

They often provide basic solutions, such as suggesting a failover or a power cycle, which are not the sophisticated solutions we expect from a vendor.

Hitesh Thappa

Senior Cloud System Engineer at Atos Poland

For more quotes and insights, download the NetApp FAS Series report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.5

HPE MSA is scalable for small to medium businesses, offering easy expansion and positive feedback on workload hosting capabilities.

Sentiment score

7.3

NetApp FAS Series offers high scalability with Clustered Data ONTAP, supporting growth despite cost and complexity challenges.

It is more profitable to use HPE MSA because if you run out of space, you can expand the capacity of the array using expansion enclosures, making it more flexible and profitable.

Kirihettige Anton Asiri Prasad

Systems Engineer at Thakral One (Pvt) Ltd

HPE MSA's scalability benefits are notable as its speed and performance are good.

JobyThomas

Manager, Information Technology at a construction company with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the HPE MSA report

We normally avoid current versions and use versions that have been running for at least two months in client usage before updating drivers.

Srikanth Purushothaman

DIRECTOR at Vellore Online Systems

NetApp FAS Series is scalable, and it is possible, but you need to pay.

reviewer2689182

System Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees

The NetApp FAS Series is scalable and offers numerous solutions, but only if customers are willing to invest in the shelves.

Hitesh Thappa

Senior Cloud System Engineer at Atos Poland

For more quotes and insights, download the NetApp FAS Series report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.4

HPE MSA is highly reliable and stable, excelling in performance and compatibility, despite occasional hard disk concerns.

Sentiment score

7.9

NetApp FAS Series is reliable and stable, with minor issues swiftly resolved, earning high stability ratings despite occasional challenges.

I faced issues with hard disk reliability, as they frequently fail and risk losing redundancy.

JobyThomas

Manager, Information Technology at a construction company with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the HPE MSA report

When panic occurs on the node, it reboots itself, and we have experienced numerous hardware-related issues.

Hitesh Thappa

Senior Cloud System Engineer at Atos Poland

Most things are tailor-made, and we avoid downtimes even with primitive CLI commands.

Srikanth Purushothaman

DIRECTOR at Vellore Online Systems

For more quotes and insights, download the NetApp FAS Series report

Room For Improvement

HPE MSA requires better scalability, GUI, replication, cloud integration, security, performance, and affordable support, addressing user concerns.

NetApp FAS users desire better performance, documentation, UI, cost efficiency, cloud integration, automation, support, and competitive pricing.

Data security features are more important to me than anything else, and I think HPE MSA lacks in this area.

JobyThomas

Manager, Information Technology at a construction company with 201-500 employees

If it could be a hybrid with SSDs and hard disks, then it would be more economical and efficient.

Kirihettige Anton Asiri Prasad

Systems Engineer at Thakral One (Pvt) Ltd

For more quotes and insights, download the HPE MSA report

Storage companies should create encrypted storage solutions between the OS and storage to protect against ransomware attacks.

Srikanth Purushothaman

DIRECTOR at Vellore Online Systems

Nutanix leads the business in this approach, and I feel that NetApp is missing some aspects, such as CPU, GPU, and RAM, in its AI portfolio.

reviewer1395864

Pre-Sales Director France, Belgium and Luxembourg at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees

There is an opportunity there for NetApp with Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

Sergio Cardone

Technological Consultant at a computer software company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the NetApp FAS Series report

Setup Cost

HPE MSA's pricing is high with costly support and licensing, but users value responsive support; better pricing could aid businesses.

NetApp FAS Series is costly but offers value with features like deduplication; planning and negotiation optimize ROI and pricing.

The pricing of HPE MSA is not deemed reasonable.

JobyThomas

Manager, Information Technology at a construction company with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the HPE MSA report

The pricing of NetApp FAS Series is not cheap, but in comparison to other vendors, NetApp FAS Series is affordable.

reviewer2689182

System Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the NetApp FAS Series report

Valuable Features

HPE MSA is praised for its ease of management, scalability, robust features, and suitability for SMBs due to reliable performance.

NetApp FAS Series offers performance, flexibility, and reliability with robust deduplication, seamless integration, and efficient data management for diverse environments.

I found that its scalability benefited my organization, especially in larger settings.

JobyThomas

Manager, Information Technology at a construction company with 201-500 employees

In terms of disaster recovery, we can define global spares in HPE MSA. When one disk fails, a global spare is automatically allocated to that particular disk, which saves the data.

Kirihettige Anton Asiri Prasad

Systems Engineer at Thakral One (Pvt) Ltd

The most useful feature of HPE MSA is VAAI, which are the functions embedded in the system, allowing operations on the server or storage without using server CPU, making it easier.

Jacques Petit

Administrative Assistant at EUIPO - European Union Intellectual Property Office

For more quotes and insights, download the HPE MSA report

While NVMe disks are expensive and require three disks for parity calculations, hard drives in NetApp FAS Series are inexpensive, making it more cost-efficient per GB, even with RAID tech implementation.

Hitesh Thappa

Senior Cloud System Engineer at Atos Poland

Our IOPS are very high, reaching somewhere about 50k to 150k or 1.150k.

Srikanth Purushothaman

DIRECTOR at Vellore Online Systems

One important feature for customers is its ease of use and continuity, enabling seamless usage across on-premise and cloud environments.

reviewer1395864

Pre-Sales Director France, Belgium and Luxembourg at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the NetApp FAS Series report

Categories and Ranking

HPE MSA

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NetApp FAS Series

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

1st

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

110

Ranking in other categories

Deduplication Software (4th), NAS (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category, the mindshare of HPE MSA is 10.3%, down from 19.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetApp FAS Series is 11.0%, down from 18.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
NetApp FAS Series	11.0%
HPE MSA	10.3%
Other	78.7%

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

Featured Reviews

Jacques Petit

Administrative Assistant at EUIPO - European Union Intellectual Property Office

Ease of management and seamless storage optimization empower effective data handling

The user web interface is a bit slow, but it is really easy to use, although you still have to wait a bit when you send an operation. We have had some drive failures, but with the redundancy, we had no data loss. We just had to replace the disk, and it goes automatically well. The main difficulty is the firmware upgrade of disks, as it means stopping all the servers to make the upgrade. It would be beneficial to have it done in the background, stopping a disk and upgrading it while keeping the system running. Regarding responsiveness of the web interface, the same issue exists with iLO on the servers, where the interface is also a bit slow. However, with the new servers, it is always faster. The small CPU dedicated to that task does not have a lot of power since it is not the main task of the machine, making it less of a real problem and just a question of responsiveness.

Read full review

Srikanth Purushothaman

DIRECTOR at Vellore Online Systems

Has supported long-term data protection and backup while requiring better part availability and pricing options

For monitoring purposes, we normally use flash access storage exclusively. We utilize a hybrid system because we need performance, combining NL-SAS for the volume and SAS flash to use as a fast cache system that provides more IOPS. We normally implement RAID 10, which we prefer over RAID 6's n plus 2 combinations. We utilize it for data redundancy, even with write intensity on. Regarding the unified storage architecture for NetApp FAS Series, we normally opt for exclusivity unless budget constraints exist. Our IOPS are very high, reaching somewhere about 50k to 150k or 1.150k. The high performance ensures minimal latency. An advantage we've seen with NetApp FAS Series is that snapshots provide very rapid backup and fast recovery. We basically use snapshots for data protection as first-level protection, with deduplication between the two storages serving as second-level protection.

Read full review

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

13%

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

10%

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	31
Midsize Enterprise	38
Large Enterprise	58

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE StorageWorks MSA?

I did not compare the cost of HPE MSA with others because we buy with a framework contract, and HP is the only brand available on that contract, so we have no comparison.

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What needs improvement with HPE StorageWorks MSA?

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What is your primary use case for HPE StorageWorks MSA?

We use HPE MSA as storage for the VMware servers, and we will try to use Proxmox server later on, but currently, we use VMware.

See all answers

Which SAN product would you choose: IBM FlashSystem (FS9500) vs PureFlash Array/X NVMe vs PureFlash Array/XL NVMe?

Have you considered a NetApp FAS Storage for your NAS needs? I am sure it fits very well.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetApp FAS Series?

I do not handle the pricing part of NetApp FAS Series since it is managed by the sales team.

See all answers

What needs improvement with NetApp FAS Series?

There is room for improvement when it comes to response time and first-level support quality. If a new feature needs to be added, it takes some time because it is altogether a new development; othe...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 22% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform vs HPE MSA

Compared 11% of the time

Infortrend ESVA Storage Array vs HPE MSA

Compared 8% of the time

Dell EqualLogic PS series vs HPE MSA

Compared 6% of the time

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Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs NetApp FAS Series

Compared 26% of the time

Qumulo vs NetApp FAS Series

Compared 5% of the time

HPE StoreOnce vs NetApp FAS Series

Compared 4% of the time

Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series vs NetApp FAS Series

Compared 3% of the time

HPE Alletra Storage vs NetApp FAS Series

Compared 3% of the time

More NetApp FAS Series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HPE MSA

May 2026

Download HPE MSA product report

Buyer's Guide

NetApp FAS Series

April 2026

Download NetApp FAS Series product report

Also Known As

HP StorageWorks MSA

No data available

Overview

HPE MSA is a reliable storage solution offering dual controllers and easy management, ideal for SMBs. Known for stability, scalability, and affordability, it is user-friendly with features like autonomic tiering and robust disaster recovery, serving virtualization environments and data centers.

With dual controllers and simplified setup, HPE MSA is tailored for ease of management and high reliability. Its design supports scalability and cost-effective operation, catering well to SMBs. Autonomic tiering, snapshots, and data deduplication enhance its performance, while strong integration and flexibility solidify its role in robust operations. Despite benefits, users note expensive support contracts and desires for improved features like synchronized replication and cloud connectivity. Improvements in data security and integration, along with better firmware updates and monitoring tools, are suggested. Its functionality spans NAS, SAN storage, managing VMware clusters, and hosting varied workloads, fitting well into infrastructures like hotels and hospitals.

What are the key features of HPE MSA?

Dual Controllers: Facilitates high availability by allowing seamless failover.
Simple Management: User-friendly interface for easy configuration and monitoring.
Autonomic Tiering: Automatically optimizes data placement for performance.
Snapshots and Data Deduplication: Enhance data protection and storage efficiency.
Transparent Operations: Ensures minimal disruption during operations.
Flexible Integration: Offers adaptability with power and network options.
Disaster Recovery: Reliable with global spare support.

What should users expect in terms of benefits and ROI?

Cost-Effectiveness: Affordable for SMBs, providing excellent ROI.
Scalability: Flexibility to grow with organizational needs.
Performance Stability: Consistent performance, even during power outages.
Easy Configuration: Simplifies setup and management to save time and resources.

HPE MSA finds applications in virtualization, data centers, and CCTV systems. Organizations leverage it for NAS and SAN storage, making it suitable for VMware clusters and workloads like file servers and databases. Its scalability makes it adaptable for hotels, hospitals, and government projects, integrating with server services for centralized management.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

NetApp FAS Series offers high availability and seamless protocol integration. Known for its robust features such as data replication and efficient storage architecture, it finds use in challenging enterprise environments and virtualization.

NetApp FAS Series delivers valuable enterprise storage capabilities with an emphasis on unified storage architectures supporting SAN and NAS functionalities. Features like high availability, robust snapshot technology, and seamless protocol integration cater to diverse workloads. Data replication through SnapMirror and reliable performance under heavy loads are appreciated. Deduplication and compression enhance storage efficiency while scalability, resilience, and strong customer support further its appeal. Improvements are desired in flexibility, documentation, speed, and affordability. Additionally, its monitoring capabilities and cloud integration need attention. Organizations employ FAS Series for enterprise storage, SQL Server LUNs, Exchange LUNs, VMware, and corporate file sharing.

What are the most notable features of NetApp FAS Series?

High Availability: Ensures continuous access and reduces downtime.
Snapshot Technology: Offers point-in-time copies for data recovery.
SnapMirror: Provides efficient data replication for disaster recovery.
Storage Efficiency: Deduplication and compression optimize storage use.
Cloud Integration: Enhances flexibility with cloud environments.

What benefits should be examined in reviews?

Scalability: Supports expanding storage needs without performance loss.
Reliability: Maintains robust performance under heavy workloads.
Strong Support: Access to helpful customer service resources.
Cost Efficiency: Consider value in context of feature set and performance.

In industries such as finance and healthcare, NetApp FAS Series is implemented for centralized data management, supporting complex protocols like NFS, CIFS, and iSCSI. This enables efficient handling of virtualization, databases, unified storage tasks, and backup solutions crucial for maintaining unstructured data and redundancy.

NetApp

Sample Customers

Femsa CSC, TTX, Rabobank

Children's Hospital Central California, Plex Systems, PDF PNI Digital Media, Denver Broncos, PDF KSM Legal, Clayton Companies, Virginia Community College

Buyer's Guide

HPE MSA vs. NetApp FAS Series

April 2026

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