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CentOS vs Oracle Solaris comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 7, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

CentOS
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
68
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Oracle Solaris
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
9th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 7.2%, down from 9.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Solaris is 3.4%, down from 3.7% 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.
Zandile Mushi - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers good security features and reliability
The tool is quite complex and difficult for anyone trying to use or study it. The complexity of learning the tool is an area of concern where improvements are required. Oracle Solaris' lighter and simpler version can be introduced. I feel that Oracle Solaris is a user-friendly tool because I am exposed to it.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"A valuable features of CentOS is that it's quite stable and doesn't crash often. It's also quite intuitive."
"CentOS's most valuable features are that it's cost-saving and helps to scale down your usage."
"There's lots of great documentation available."
"If I need to install a feature or fix a server issue, I can easily find answers online. The CentOS community is also vast and helpful."
"The solution is productive."
"It’s scalable."
"The vendor updates the tool regularly to solve vulnerabilities."
"Very robust and easy to work with."
"It works well. It is very stable and very good. It is also very safe. It cannot be easily infected by viruses or attacks."
"We are able to deploy new environments very quickly and securely. Using the virtualization features, we can migrate the environments very flexibly between our servers."
"We like that the virtualization is built in, so you don't have to spend extra money on buying licenses for a hypervisor."
"We use the solution as an internal operating system."
"One of the main advantages is the rock-solid reliability. It works. The stability is very good. It has a very good track record in the data security database."
"Solaris's best features are high availability, robustness, and database hosting."
"Oracle Solaris provides an ease of use."
"This product is stable, has good documentation, lots of solutions, a big community, and good support."
 

Cons

"The solution might be discontinued but I hope that IBM will continue to develop it and improve on the functionally and features."
"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."
"The product lacks a graphical user interface that can help users automate certain systems using the native features offered by CentOS."
"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."
"We are aware that the licensing has shifted, and it's not a change we've liked."
"The stability could always be improved."
"CentOS NetworkManager is an area of concern in the solution that needs improvement, and it is the same with other products from Red Hat."
"Updates are going to a streaming version."
"More monitoring tools could be included in the product."
"One of the drawbacks is Oracle itself. Oracle has its good and bad they are not putting resources into the development."
"The solution is pricey and can be improved by lowering the cost."
"Solaris' package management could be improved, especially in comparison to Linux."
"Patching without downtime would be nice."
"The scalability of the solution can be improved."
"If it could support other file systems, it would be better."
"Oracle Solaris can improve by supporting all the recent features that are in the market from other competitors."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's free."
"There is no price or licensing required — it's open-source."
"The product is free."
"It's freeware, so we can use it without worrying about licensing."
"CentOS is an open source that is free of cost."
"CentOS is an expensive solution. There are other solutions that are rated at the top that are not expensive, such as Red Hat."
"CentOS is a free solution."
"The solution is free of cost to use."
"It is more expensive, but very complete and worth enacting."
"We don't use an authorized license."
"The product is inexpensive."
"The solution is expensive and is based on an annual fee."
"There are no licensing fees but you can opt to pay for support."
"Its licensing is on a yearly basis."
"It is an expensive product. I rate the pricing a ten out of ten."
"There should be an option to install the solution for free and just pay for the support. We purchased an annual license and the price could be better."
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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
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
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 stability, and also lots of features. I specifically like that the solution has fe...
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.
How does Oracle Linux compare with Solaris?
When comparing Oracle Linux and Solaris, I believe that Linux is more secure and more flexible. It is also very suitable for enterprises that are already Oracle solution users. I found Linux to be ...
What do you like most about Oracle Solaris?
We use the solution as an internal operating system.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
Solaris 11, Solaris
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Siemens, IVV
Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Oracle Solaris and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.