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CentOS vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs Ubuntu Linux 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:
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
CentOS users depend on community and online resources for support, while Red Hat offers formal support options for a fee.
Sentiment score
8.2
Red Hat Enterprise Linux support is highly-rated for expertise and effectiveness, despite occasional response delays and escalation issues.
No sentiment score available
Red Hat's support is generally good, but their response time and overall competence could be improved.
I found more detailed knowledge through community interactions on platforms like Stack Overflow.
They promptly addressed my concerns regarding permission issues when I contacted them.
 

Room For Improvement

Sentiment score
4.8
CentOS users seek improved stability, user-friendliness, better integration, enhanced security, frequent updates, and efficient management for modern needs.
Sentiment score
5.2
Red Hat Enterprise Linux needs improvements in documentation, support, interface, automation, updates, pricing, and cloud integrations for better usability.
No sentiment score available
Addressing these limitations would significantly enhance the operating system's flexibility and efficiency.
It also has a steep learning curve for employees unfamiliar with Linux, and it demands a skilled team or a dedicated service center to operate effectively.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux's support could be improved by offering human support in addition to their documentation.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
CentOS offers robust scalability for varied deployments, efficiently supporting small to large environments with flexible performance and seamless expansion.
Sentiment score
7.8
Red Hat Enterprise Linux excels in scalability, efficiently handling diverse workloads and integrations across multiple environments with automation support.
No sentiment score available
There are no issues with scalability when it comes to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
I would rate the scalability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux as nine out of ten, indicating it scales well with our needs.
 

Setup Cost

Sentiment score
7.3
CentOS is a cost-effective, open-source solution with minimal expenses, ideal for enterprises, especially those with small budgets.
Sentiment score
6.3
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is valued for stability and support but seen as costly with complex licensing for smaller businesses.
No sentiment score available
Windows Servers base their cost on the number of users and have high licensing fees, while Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers free versions alongside its paid, supported versions.
It may be considered expensive compared to other solutions like CentOS or Ubuntu, which offer some of the same features without additional costs.
Its pricing has room for improvement because it's more expensive in the local market due to purchasing power parity in India.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
CentOS is praised for stability and reliability, despite minor issues in newer versions, and remains a trusted choice.
Sentiment score
8.2
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is praised for its stability, consistent uptime, and reliable support, making it ideal for businesses.
No sentiment score available
It works consistently with minimal downtime and very few bugs or glitches.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers great stability and performance compared to other operating systems.
 

Valuable Features

Sentiment score
8.1
CentOS offers stability, security, and efficiency with Red Hat compatibility, valued for performance, scalability, and open-source flexibility.
Sentiment score
8.3
Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers stability, security, and versatility with robust support, automation tools, and seamless multi-cloud integration.
No sentiment score available
It also has strong security features, is OIS and FIPS certified, and has built-in Linux security configurations.
Red Hat makes it easier to perform tasks like reviewing logs, checking network connectivity, checking DNS, and setting up a proxy.
The most valuable feature of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is its comprehensive ecosystem.
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 7.5%, down from 9.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is 11.9%, down from 12.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubuntu Linux is 18.3%, down from 23.6% 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.
Saravvana Kumar. - PeerSpot reviewer
Highly stable, good knowledge base, and reasonable price
Its installation on a RAID or cluster system is something difficult. There are specific teams working on that. The GRUB configuration is also a little different from the other Linux distributions. In terms of additional features, as technology keeps evolving, the product will also have to evolve. For example, Microsoft Windows has come a long way. In Windows 11, there are so many features that are fundamentally the same as the oldest version, but there are other aspects or processes that have improved. macOS has also evolved over time. Similarly, in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux that I used in 2003 and the one that I am using now, some things are the same and some things have changed. Red Hat can continue to engage clients, understand the use cases, and update them.
AtulChaurasia - PeerSpot reviewer
A stable and free solution that is easy to deploy and has a user-friendly GUI
Ubuntu improves its products every year. Earlier, the GUI was not good, so Ubuntu improved it. They have removed the complexity of the software. My recommendation depends on people’s use cases. If someone wants to test something that is more stable on Ubuntu, they can use the solution. They can use other Linux flavors like Red Hat, too. Overall, I rate the solution an eight or nine out of ten.
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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%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
14%
University
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
9%
 

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 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
It is open source. We can customize it as per our requirements.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is expensive, but I'm not paying anything because it's the company's money. However, it's pr...
What needs improvement with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
I'm seeking a streamlined method for migrating from an OpenShift environment to a VMware virtualization platform util...
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.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ubuntu Linux?
Ubuntu Linux is open-source and free to use, which makes it cost-effective.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, RHEL
Ubuntu
 

Learn More

Video not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Travel Channel, Mohawk Industries, Hilti, Molecular Health, Exolgan, Hotelplan Group, Emory University, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, HCA Healthcare, Paychex, UPS, Intermountain Healthcare, Brinker International, TransUnion, Union Bank, CA Technologies
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: November 2024.
816,816 professionals have used our research since 2012.