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CentOS vs Oracle Solaris comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 7, 2024

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

CentOS
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
6th
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
50
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

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 Oracle Solaris is 2.4%, down from 3.6% 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

"The product is based on Red Hat and very stable."
"It has minimal updates compared to other distributions."
"CentOS's most valuable features are that it's cost-saving and helps to scale down your usage."
"The stability of this solution is its most useful feature. It is a high quality product and you know what you're getting. You also receive wide support from the community."
"The scalability of CentOS is good. We can deploy the operating system in many hardware, laptops, and servers."
"It’s scalable."
"A valuable features of CentOS is that it's quite stable and doesn't crash often. It's also quite intuitive."
"It’s a simple, straightforward implementation."
"Oracle Solaris is pre-installed in our environment. Thus, it is simple to customize."
"The stability of the solution is good."
"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."
"Oracle Solaris has a graphical interface that is user-friendly, especially with its use of dark colors."
"Its networking has helped me combine the power of a neural network with the benefits of virtualization to improve the AI's performance."
"Oracle Solaris provides an ease of use."
"It works well. It is very stable and very good. It is also very safe. It cannot be easily infected by viruses or attacks."
"The product's most valuable feature is partitioning resources and optimizing hardware utilization effectively."
 

Cons

"The interface could be improved."
"It would be useful if reporting were included as part of the basic license."
"I would like to see more frequent updates."
"It could be more secure."
"The main issue is the End of Support. For that reason, we will switch to another operating system."
"The tool has no official support."
"The price of CentOS could improve."
"The solution could be more scalable."
"The scalability of the solution can be improved."
"Solaris' package management could be improved, especially in comparison to Linux."
"It would be helpful if the solution offered backend management. In the 11.4 version, Oracle added a management console. It would be great if we maybe had a user management tool to go with it."
"Solaris is not easy to use. It needs better GUI, UI, and configuration tools."
"It is not easy to use. It doesn't have a user-friendly interface. It should be easy to use. We are planning to move from Solaris to Linux because Linux is more flexible and user-friendly. Its installation should also be easier. Solaris also needs specific hardware to work well, which is another reason why we are moving to Linux. It should be more flexible in terms of hardware. It should have better integration with other hardware platforms."
"This product is not as flexible as other similar solutions on the market today."
"Oracle customer service is slow at times."
"More monitoring tools could be included in the product."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have a CentOS license that we pay for on a yearly basis."
"We don’t have to pay for the system’s licenses."
"There are no licensing costs for CentOS."
"The solution is free of cost to use."
"The solution is open source so is free."
"It's free."
"The solution is open source."
"I'm not required to pay a licensing fee."
"The annual license cost is fair and reasonable."
"Its licensing is on a yearly basis."
"The product is inexpensive."
"There is no OS licensing cost if you use their hardware and purchase hardware maintenance."
"We don't use an authorized license."
"The solution is free to use."
"The current setup with hardware devices involves a higher cost, but the performance is top-notch."
"The solution is expensive and is based on an annual fee."
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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
7%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
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
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Siemens, IVV
Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Oracle Solaris and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,564 professionals have used our research since 2012.