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Head-to-head · Software-Defined Storage Software

NetApp ONTAP Select vs VMware vSAN

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score NetApp ONTAP Select #2 in Software-Defined Storage Software 9.2/10 Pricing on request · 90-day trial Free trial✓ 3 of 4 features Contact NetApp
VMware vSAN #8 in Software-Defined Storage Software 8.3/10 Paid ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit VMware vSAN

NetApp ONTAP Select leads on 0 checks, VMware vSAN on 1, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreNetApp ONTAP Select · 9.2/10
  • Free trialonly NetApp ONTAP Select
  • Most featuresVMware vSAN · 4 of 4

NetApp ONTAP Select scores higher on our rubric for software-defined storage software: 9.2 against 8.3 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #8.

On deployment model, VMware vSAN gives you Hybrid where NetApp ONTAP Select offers On-premises. VMware vSAN leads on maximum nodes: 64 versus 12.

NetApp ONTAP Select is the better fit for mature multi-protocol SDS on commodity hardware. VMware vSAN is the better fit for VMware-centered virtual machine storage.

  • NetApp ONTAP Select fits best

    Mature multi-protocol SDS on commodity hardware

  • VMware vSAN fits best

    VMware-centered virtual machine storage

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature NetApp ONTAP Select 9.2/10 Visit ↗ VMware vSAN 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.3
Ranking #2 in Software-Defined Storage Software #8 in Software-Defined Storage Software
Best for Mature multi-protocol SDS on commodity hardware VMware-centered virtual machine storage
Pricing model Paid Paid
Starting price Pricing on request · 90-day trial Not checked yet
Free plan — Not checked yet
Free trial 90 days —
Deployment Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Support Docs Docs
Integrations 5 integrations 6 integrations
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features NetApp ONTAP Select 3/4 · VMware vSAN 4/4
Replication ✓ ✓
Erasure coding Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Kubernetes support ✓ ✓
S3-compatible access ✓ ✓
Specs
Deployment model On-premises Hybrid
Storage protocols NFS, SMB/CIFS, iSCSI, NVMe over TCP, S3 Block; NFSv3; NFSv4.1; SMB; S3-compatible object storage
Maximum nodes 12 64 (best)
Our review
Pros
  • Supports NFS, SMB/CIFS, iSCSI, NVMe/TCP, and S3
  • HA clusters provide synchronous data mirroring
  • Includes snapshots, replication, deduplication, and compression
  • Pools local storage into shared datastores for virtual machines
  • Combines block, file, replication, erasure coding, and Kubernetes CSI
  • Supports clusters of up to 64 hosts
Cons
  • Production licensing requires a Capacity Tier or Capacity Pool purchase
  • No free plan is available
  • Deployment is limited to VMware ESXi or KVM hypervisors
  • Native S3-compatible object storage is a technology preview
  • Its strongest fit is the VMware virtualization ecosystem
  • Designed primarily for mid-market and enterprise deployments
Our verdict

NetApp ONTAP Select is software-defined storage delivered as virtual machines on commodity hardware. It supports VMware ESXi and KVM, making it suitable for private-cloud, data-center, and edge environments that need storage services…

Read the review →

VMware vSAN is a software-defined storage platform integrated into VMware’s hypervisor and virtualization stack. It pools local and direct-attached storage from ESXi hosts into shared vSAN datastores for virtual-machine and container…

Read the review →
  1. NetApp ONTAP SelectSoftware-Defined Storage Software 9.2Pricing on request · 90-day trial
  2. VMware vSANSoftware-Defined Storage Software 8.3Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • NetApp ONTAP Select — where it wins

    • Supports NFS, SMB/CIFS, iSCSI, NVMe/TCP, and S3
    • HA clusters provide synchronous data mirroring
    • Includes snapshots, replication, deduplication, and compression

    Where it doesn't

    • Production licensing requires a Capacity Tier or Capacity Pool purchase
    • No free plan is available
    • Deployment is limited to VMware ESXi or KVM hypervisors

  • VMware vSAN — where it wins

    • Pools local storage into shared datastores for virtual machines
    • Combines block, file, replication, erasure coding, and Kubernetes CSI
    • Supports clusters of up to 64 hosts

    Where it doesn't

    • Native S3-compatible object storage is a technology preview
    • Its strongest fit is the VMware virtualization ecosystem
    • Designed primarily for mid-market and enterprise deployments
  • NetApp ONTAP Select9.2/10 · Pricing on request · 90-day trial

    A mature multiprotocol SDS appliance for private cloud, data center, and edge deployments.

    Contact NetAppFull verdict →
  • VMware vSAN8.3/10 · Paid

    A VMware-centered storage platform with broad protocols and strong virtualization integration.

    Visit VMware vSANFull verdict →

More comparisons

All Software-Defined storage software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update