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IBM Power Systems vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

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

IBM Power Systems
Ranking in Rack Servers
4th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
73
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Ser...
Ranking in Rack Servers
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of IBM Power Systems is 6.5%, down from 9.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers is 8.9%, down from 15.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rack Servers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Power Systems6.5%
Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers8.9%
Other84.6%
Rack Servers
 

Featured Reviews

Foluso  Jibowo - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Manager at Hiperdist Ltd
Has empowered enterprises with secure and cost-effective solutions
When discussing disadvantages, I do not see many areas for improvement because we have received good testimonies from every client. IBM gives customers peace of mind. One challenge, which I would not really call a challenge, is that initially people have the notion that IBM Power Systems is quite expensive. However, IBM does not lose deals based on price. This is a message we need to keep communicating to people who feel that IBM is on the high side in terms of cost. We encourage them to have a discussion with us about their total cost of ownership over three or five years. There is a notion in the market that IBM is expensive, which is false. However, once we engage and show them their return on investments and their total cost of ownership savings, they tend to embrace IBM.
Mike Bellemans - PeerSpot reviewer
Project manager at Sopraco NV
One of the products in the market that is the easiest to set up and maintain
Performance and scalability-wise, there are certain areas where the product lacks and needs improvement as it does not provide a lot of fancy features presently. In general, it is a normal product that is good enough for our company. For the time being, my company does not need any extra features.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The stability and scalability is why you invest in IBM i."
"We value the stability and technology capability of this solution the most; it is very stable, and the processor technology of IBM is very good, so when you have a CIO and you are dealing with C-level every day, you can, without any doubt, support the core banking or critical applications with this solution."
"We generally find the compute and the processing power, and the ability to handle the load, is far better on the POWER systems."
"I assess the role of IBM Power Systems in managing my complex data analytics as excellent; it's an excellent platform, very robust and very reliable."
"It is a very scalable solution."
"We have been seeing a return on investment in the moves from version to version due to better performance and they cut the licensing costs down."
"The pricing of the solution is very good because we can beat any other competitor with the pricing."
"Reliability, availability, and serviceability of the IBM Power Systems are unmatched, and 99% of the maintenance activities can be performed online without having any outage for customers."
"It's very easy to set up and energy-efficient; it's very compact and has enough connections on the front and back of the rack."
"We have not experienced any issues with the Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers' performance, as it is stable."
"It has good integration. You have VMware for connecting many machines, and you can support microservices. You can also easily connect the networks. It is also very easy to use and implement, and it comes with good support."
"It is a scalable product."
"Its performance and the local support of Lenovo in my city are the most valuable features. Its performance is the best, and its user interface is also very easy."
"It's very power-efficient and allows you to access the rack server directly without accessing the operating system on that server."
"Easy integration with UPS systems provides added convenience and efficiency for our operations."
"Technical support was very good. IBM support is very helpful."
 

Cons

"The licensing could be simplified."
"I would rather have gum surgery than get on the phone and talk to somebody to try to put me with a technical consultant."
"Upgrading the hardware from one version to another was pretty simple but the software, not so much."
"They can make it easier to do the patching and iFixes, which is especially important now, with all of the security issues."
"The number of times IBM refreshes its operating system appears to be very slow."
"They are very knowledgeable but there's some bureaucracy as far as the time to respond goes, as far as getting back to us with what we need."
"We experience issues every once in a while. I think it's more due to our applications and how we're licensed that sometimes we have to get a little crafty there."
"IBM should provide a platform where users can learn about the storage and security of IBM Power Systems."
"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."
"The RAID Management and the RAID Configuration tools need to be improved."
"There are other solutions that are less expensive."
"Its price could be better. Its price is sometimes an issue for our clients."
"The cost is a bit pricey."
"I would like to see an automatic call home feature for IMM2."
"Performance and scalability-wise, there are certain areas where the product lacks and needs improvement as it does not provide a lot of fancy features presently."
"The solution can be a bit expensive in that there are other cheaper options. While I do not know the exact pricing, I can say that the functionality is expensive."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The additional software costs are high."
"Price-wise, I rate the solution a five out of ten."
"The price of IBM Power Systems is expensive and could improve."
"Power Systems is very cheap and provides good value for money."
"There is a yearly licensing cost, and it's an expensive solution."
"I give the cost a one out of ten."
"The solution's pricing is very, very high compared to other platforms."
"IBM Power Systems is a really expensive product."
"The price of Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers is competitive."
"As the costs got high, we had to use the virtualization feature to consolidate the server farm.​"
"Your budget determines the scalability."
"It costs around $8,000. There is an additional cost for the support for a year."
"It is the cheapest solution we have seen on the market."
"I don't know the exact amount of money, but when I compared it to Dell or HPE, Lenovo was the best when it comes to price and equipment."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
Manufacturing Company
8%
University
7%
Computer Software Company
7%
University
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise42
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise9
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with IBM Power Systems?
In my opinion, the product can be improved by maintaining it and not sunsetting it; that would be my recommendation for IBM. I used to work for IBM for nineteen years, and I know, unfortunately, I ...
What is your primary use case for IBM Power Systems?
I am an architect and system administrator, and I'm responsible for anything related to IBM Power Systems. In IBM Power Systems, I have found a lot of valuable features such as LVM, TCP, ODM, RSCT,...
What advice do you have for others considering IBM Power Systems?
I would recommend IBM Power Systems to others. I have given this review a rating of ten out of ten.
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...
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....
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Cipher
immixGroup, Komsomolskaya Pravda, SRG Global, Seekr, Infiniti Red Bull Racing, jKool, Tennis Australia, VEKA, Netpoints, Gamma Powersports
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Power Systems vs. Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.