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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:
 

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 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is 9.9%, down from 12.4% 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.
Bruce Lundberg - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable patch management, high uptime, and incredible knowledge base
In terms of security, it does a lot of things that most people still turn off. SELinux is turned on by default. They have pretty good firewall rules in their defaults. The audit rules always take tweaking, but, overall, it comes out of the box not too bad. I used to write scripts to harden them from there. There are multiple ways to provision and patch. You have everything from local repositories to doing it by hand. Their knowledge base is incredible. There is so much information out there. It has never taken me longer than 30 minutes to find an answer to anything, even very tough ones. One company I worked for was a security company, and we did a lot of patching on everything. It was designed around security and email hosting, and uptime was pretty much whatever we wanted it to be. I have had a couple of times when the uptime was bad, but it was caused by a third-party solution. In fact, the Norton antivirus was definitely the worst. Red Hat had nothing to do with it.
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."
"The most valuable feature of CentOS is that it is easy to use."
"CentOS's most valuable features are that it's cost-saving and helps to scale down your usage."
"The most valuable feature is that it is compatible with RedHat."
"It has all the features of Red Hat, but you don't have to pay for the subscription."
"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward and not complex, especially if you are familiar with CLI."
"The solution is easy to troubleshoot."
"The solution is easy to use but not as easy as Windows."
"Customer support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is rated as a ten out of ten."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux's most valuable attribute is its stability."
"The most valuable feature is the OpenShift platform."
"The solution's stability is great, and patching it with Ansible is very easy."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux's most valuable feature is its seamless integration with Kubernetes, a powerful platform for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications."
"There are some nice integrations with scanning for vulnerabilities. That is the feature I have enjoyed the most because I am a security person, and that is my bread and butter."
"I find the most valuable aspect of Red Hat Enterprise Linux to be its comprehensive support, encompassing both technical and security issues."
"RHEL been stable, and we could do anything we wanted with it. OpenShift is a concise environment, and RHEL is one of the most stable Linux distros on the market."
"Ubuntu is free and stable."
"Since Ubuntu is freely available for download and use, there is virtually no investment required, resulting in a high ROI."
"It is easy to use, performs great, and is stable and scalable."
"I like that everything is in the command line. It is really helpful."
"The initial setup is very easy."
"Ubuntu Linux has good security features and a lot of software compatibility."
"The most valuable features are that it's free and that it is simple to use."
"Of value is that the solution is stable, easy to use, has features that are easy to connect to other Linux systems and can be managed and administered."
 

Cons

"CentOS removed long-term support, and version releases every two to three years are not ideal for production environments because they necessitate frequent updates."
"The performance could stand improvement."
"Lacks sufficient security and some coding tools."
"The GUI interface could always be better."
"CentOS should extend the support of the solution. The solution is set to have no update support in 2023."
"Like every operating system, it could be more secure."
"This solution is no longer suited to our business following the change they have made to the release process. It is no longer an enterprise solution."
"Currently, CentOS is not providing support, so you will not get new packages that are compatible with that operating system."
"If we can update certain parts internally without having to remove them from the entire server, that would be fantastic since, else, there will be downtime, and we will need to reboot."
"Red Hat should improve its support services, specifically the responsiveness and expertise of its India-based team."
"I know for our purpose and what we have been using it for, it has been working well. Their support, however, can be better."
"I would like to see improvements made to the subscriptions and management of them."
"They can allow more access to their training and their products' testing. There are ways to do it now. You might have to get a certain type of account to test their products. It might be easier if you can just download the product and test it out."
"The cost of this solution could be improved."
"It would be great to have an overview of how various Red Hat products work together. They can show how to tie all those pieces together and how to have the products that we work together for our day-to-day processes."
"I feel like it is going all over the place now. Sometimes it is hard to figure out what is going on. I would like more guidance."
"Ubuntu might work for a bigger company, but I don't think so. Again, you would have to get the right people to do it. You need somebody technical. If you have a bunch of people who aren't technical, then it is just going to be a headache trying to get a feel for it or teach them."
"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."
"We use and have previously used Windows 10 which is a lot better."
"The solution must provide more integrations."
"The solution's initial setup is complex, and its technical support is not very good."
"The Linux operating system is very traditional, and you need to use specific commands. I think that it can be improved to be more handy."
"If the user interface were further improved then it would be better because more people would be able to use it."
"The user interface could be improved, as it looks a little bit older."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We don’t have to pay for the system’s licenses."
"We have a CentOS license that we pay for on a yearly basis."
"I'm not required to pay a licensing fee."
"CentOS is an open-source tool."
"I use the free version."
"There is no license required for this solution."
"The solution is open-source and does not have any costs or licensing fees."
"The solution is free of cost to use."
"In terms of pricing, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) has been quite okay in general."
"The price point for that is phenomenal because you are paying for support. From a pricing perspective, it is on point. It is definitely a value-add, and it is extremely transparent from a customer standpoint."
"We get our licenses directly through Red Hat."
"We are good as of now. We do not have any concerns about licensing. Its price is still good for us."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux is expensive, particularly for governments operating with limited budgets."
"The licensing is a bit odd because we need to procure the licenses from a third party."
"The solution's pricing is reasonable and less expensive than other products such as Windows or Oracle."
"The pricing is a bit on the expensive side, mainly because of the support they provide. However, it is quite affordable if you are an organization. If, as a small company or individual, this is an expensive option, I would recommend CentOS, which is an exact replica of RHEL, minus the customer support."
"There are no payments to be made towards any licensing costs attached to the solution."
"The solution is open source and we do not need to pay for a license."
"I am not in a position to comment on the licensing, as we mostly make use of the free version."
"The solution is open source, so there is no licensing fee."
"I use Ubuntu Linux free of cost."
"We do not incur a licensing fee for the solution, as we make use of the free version."
"Ubuntu Linux has a free version, especially if you don't require support."
"There is no licensing cost for the product."
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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
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
14%
University
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
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 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)?
Though a bit expensive compared to competitors, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is still recommended because it works...
What needs improvement with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
The performance of Red Hat Enterprise Linux ( /categories/operating-systems-os-for-business ) (RHEL) could be improve...
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.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, RHEL
Ubuntu
 

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: April 2025.
849,210 professionals have used our research since 2012.