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CentOS vs Ubuntu Linux vs openSUSE Leap comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 5.5%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of openSUSE Leap is 6.3%, up from 5.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubuntu Linux is 14.0%, down from 22.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Mahender Nirwan - PeerSpot reviewer
In-depth documentation available and command-line utility works well
One issue I recently faced, but I think it was due to my IT support guys, was that when the server storage gets full, the service crashes. It's very difficult to regain access and stability in that situation. That could be improved. So, the stability might be improved. But I don't think it's a CentOS-level issue. The system administrators need to come up with a solution for that, but I don't think it's CentOS's fault. I haven't done any research [R&D] on this issue. There's one thing for sure. We recently migrated from CentOS 7 to CentOS 9, and it was a bit difficult. For example, updating Windows is simple; you just download it, and it takes about 15-20 minutes. But that's not the case with migrating from CentOS 7 to 9. We had to back up the entire server, launch a new server, and then restore the backup to the new server. We couldn't directly migrate. I think that was a bit of a problem. The setup and updates are not that new in CentOS.
NK
Provides BTRFS file system, which allows you to take snapshots
I only use the tool for testing purposes on my team, but multiple people use it. We don't make a team effort to install the solution. When it comes to maintenance, we ask our company to buy SUSE Linux Enterprise. My team consists of 13 people. We are currently integrating the solution with Ansible to do some coding. Although not a full-fledged automation, we are integrating the solution with Ansible and executing a couple of playbooks connected to openSUSE Leap. I would recommend the solution to other users looking for an open-source solution. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Kevin Haury - PeerSpot reviewer
Linux's advanced terminal empowers versatile usage and ongoing secure development
Initially, there was nothing complicated. It's easy since I have many years of experience with it. However, if I were a beginner with Linux, it could be completely disruptive compared to Windows. So, I would have to spend some time practicing with Linux to understand how it works and how I can accomplish the same tasks compared to Windows. Maybe one month, at least.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's less expensive than Red Hat."
"Setup is straightforward. You can complete it in about 30 minutes."
"Very robust and easy to work with."
"CentOS is very efficient and very powerful with many capabilities."
"You can work with the UI or in command line, if you prefer."
"CentOS is very easy to use, and all the commands are user-friendly."
"The solution is easy to troubleshoot."
"It helps us install and deploy our applications."
"openSUSE Leap has helped me with using containers in Podman."
"The most valuable feature by far has been the virtualization capabilities of the operating system."
"The solution is very stable after it is configured. It is hard to have a panel slow, a problem, misconfiguration, or any kind of loss function."
"The solution's most valuable feature is the BTRFS file system, which allows you to take snapshots."
"Stable - it just runs without the necessity to reboot."
"The solution is easy for me to use because the backend is derived from FreeBSD and this is something I have been using for over 20 years."
"The main feature of the solution is it has a command-line editor."
"The most valuable features are the pseudo-terminal and it is the most open-sourced operating system that can be used."
"Linux-based operating system with good stability, good patching, and a straightforward setup."
"Ubuntu Linux is lightweight, fast, and works seamlessly with command-line terminals."
"Ubuntu Linux is more secure and has additional security features than some other operating systems."
"I like that everything is in the command line. It is really helpful."
"The product is easy to use."
"Ubuntu Linux is very easy to learn, manage, and keep updated."
 

Cons

"The solution could improve by making the management tools better for the DevOps teams. For example, WebEX and Webstacks."
"We are aware that the licensing has shifted, and it's not a change we've liked."
"It could be more secure."
"The price could be better. They could add more drivers in terms of peripherals and other things. Add more drivers for the Linux specifications in the next release. Right now, they are just pushing to have more drivers for Windows instead of Linux."
"CentOS is pretty old now, so I wouldn't recommend anyone use it."
"As an open-source solution, there isn't much technical support."
"It would be useful if reporting were included as part of the basic license."
"There is no notification before updates are applied to the solution, which occasionally means that new functionality isn't compatible with how the product is currently being used, and causes issues."
"It would be helpful if we could easily switch from openSUSE Leap for testing to SUSE Linux Enterprise for production."
"Like most Linux-based operating systems, the biggest challenge Leap faces is the GUI."
"In the future, the Active Directory could improve."
"Somehow the change from OS12.x via 13.x to Leap was a bit bumpy and some old issues seemed to reappear."
"I would like openSUSE Leap to have better link integration with Windows."
"There is room for improvement in the console."
"The repository needs to be kept up to date all of the time."
"In terms of what could be improved, I would say management and storage. Mostly, the storage mechanism."
"The product is difficult to use sometimes."
"Ubuntu could add some additional hardware support."
"Ubuntu could be improved with more container integration and orchestration of those containers. We are looking to have more cloud-based solutions, like Docker, and container-based solutions, or Kubernetes-based solutions integrated with Ubuntu. Instead of going for VMs, we would like to have more container-based solutions on top of Ubuntu."
"It could be better for working with software at a high resolution."
"The product must enable automation using AI."
"It should be easier and lighter. I am more experienced in working with CentOS, and I find CentOS much easier to use than Ubuntu. Ubuntu is more complicated than CentOS. Ubuntu is also heavier for hardware than centOS."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is open-source, which means it is a free product. It has a one-time deployment cost."
"This is an open source solution."
"We are using a subscription-based license option for CentOS."
"Once you buy the license, Linux will provide you with yearly or monthly patches, so your systems will be scalable for a long time."
"The solution is open source so is free."
"This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs involved."
"There is no license required for this solution."
"This is a free solution."
"The cost of this solution was reasonable and it was within our budget."
"The solution is open-source."
"openSUSE Leap is an open-source solution that is free of cost."
"This is an open-source operating system that can be used free of charge."
"It is open source, so it is free. There is no licensing fee."
"We don't pay any fees."
"I am using the free version of the solution."
"It comes as free software, where there is an option for you to buy support licenses."
"We don't pay a licensing fee for the solution."
"The solution is open source and we do not need to pay for a license."
"I am using the free version. There is no subscription."
"Ubuntu Linux is more affordable than its competitors."
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Comparison Review

it_user281973 - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 24, 2017
It's improved our company's system environments that run Oracle databases.
Red Hat is mission critical to our environment Red Hat has improved the mission critical environments running Oracle databases, while CentOS has improved our web environment and MySQL. Oracle and SAP Environment and all HPC environments. 10 years No issues Very stable i don´t find any problem…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
14%
Educational Organization
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
14%
University
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which would you choose - RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) or CentOS?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is fantastic. It is an inexpensive solution that has excellent security, performance, and st...
What do you like most about CentOS?
CentOS is very easy to use, and all the commands are user-friendly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CentOS?
I am not responsible for the setup cost in my company, so I am unsure about the cost of the license.
What do you like most about openSUSE Leap?
openSUSE Leap has helped me with using containers in Podman.
What needs improvement with openSUSE Leap?
Both openSUSE Leap and the SUSE Enterprise version use the same kernel. Suppose I have a lower environment where I ca...
What is your primary use case for openSUSE Leap?
I use openSUSE Leap for testing purposes. Before officially using any server in our office, we test it using the solu...
Which would you choose - Ubuntu Linux or Oracle Linux?
Ubunto Linux is a complete Linux operating system that is freely available with both community and professional suppo...
What do you like most about Ubuntu Linux?
It has a good support system for loading databases.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

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Ubuntu
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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Samsung, eBay, AT&T, Walmart, Cisco, Time Warner Cable, Bloomberg, Best Buy, Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Ericsson, Orange, Wells Fargo
Find out what your peers are saying about Red Hat, Canonical, Oracle and others in Operating Systems (OS) for Business. Updated: April 2025.
849,600 professionals have used our research since 2012.