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CentOS vs Ubuntu Linux 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
Ubuntu Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
138
Ranking in other categories
OpenStack (1st)
 

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 Ubuntu Linux is 17.2%, 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.
Bahattin Yetismis - PeerSpot reviewer
The product is easy to use and has excellent performance and availability
The setup is really straightforward. It is not complex. We develop DevOps scripts to deploy it. It takes only one or two hours. If the hardware is available, then it will take only one hour. We prepare the hardware environment and deploy the solution. After that, we deploy the Docker container environment. Then, we run the whole software. The product is deployed on-premises because we are still in the testing phase. We have a small number of customers. In the future, we will try to migrate to the cloud.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is the limited resources the solution uses in operation."
"The pricing is good. We pay a minimal fee."
"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 most valuable feature is that it is compatible with RedHat."
"The user interface of CentOS is intuitive, we can also use the command prompt."
"It is a scalable and cost-effective product compared to public cloud solutions."
"CentOS' best feature is that it's the standard product for Linux, so it's well-supported."
"A valuable features of CentOS is that it's quite stable and doesn't crash often. It's also quite intuitive."
"I use Ubuntu Linux to update some drivers related to some of my work."
"The integration with other applications, like Chrome or Firefox, works excellent for users navigating and test browsing."
"It is more powerful because you have more control over it."
"I like that everything is in the command line. It is really helpful."
"The most valuable features are that it's free and that it is simple to use."
"Ubuntu Linux is easy to start, and MicroK8s is easy to deploy. Plug into the back-end storage and networking is also easy. It is good to start with 3-4 nodes, but hard to scale. For production grades like 20 or 100 nodes, we go with the RedHat for on-premise."
"The solution provides good security."
"Ubuntu is free and stable."
 

Cons

"I would like to see more frequent updates."
"I was using CentOS because it was very stable, and now it's not."
"CentOS should extend the support of the solution. The solution is set to have no update support in 2023."
"Lacks sufficient security and some coding tools."
"We would like Red Hat to keep supporting the solution but they have decided to get rid of it and there isn't much we can do about it."
"The YUM install manager can be improved. It is below average as compared to the other install managers. This is the only major problem that I see with CentOS. They should reduce dependency on the YUM manager."
"CentOS could improve by having troubleshooting logs."
"GUI could be merged and expansion simplified."
"In terms of what could be improved, I would say management and storage. Mostly, the storage mechanism."
"Stability could be improved."
"A problem we have encountered when installing the package is that certain packages are not available, which requires downloading of them on our part."
"The stability definitely can be improved. When we are implementing patches and new releases, it tends to fail."
"Ubuntu Linux does not easily detect the drivers of new devices, and you need to do some trial and error for some of the third parties porting into it."
"Similar to Windows 10, I would like the ability to manage it on Azure or integrate it with Azure."
"We'd like to have a bit more of a friendly user interface."
"Could be even more light weight than it currently is."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"CentOS is an open-source tool."
"We have a CentOS license that we pay for on a yearly basis."
"The price could be better. The cost depends on how the organization or a specific person licenses it. If you want the free version, there's Ubuntu which is supported by forums. You can pay for the license yearly or pay for a specific version."
"CentOS is an expensive solution. There are other solutions that are rated at the top that are not expensive, such as Red Hat."
"We are using a subscription-based license option for CentOS."
"The solution is open source so is free."
"It's freeware, so we can use it without worrying about licensing."
"CentOS is free."
"Ubuntu is a free product."
"I use the free version, so I don't have any license fees."
"I don't need to pay for the license."
"The solution does not come with a licensing fee."
"The solution is free."
"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."
"It's an open source solution, but you can make donations if you'd like to."
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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%
Computer Software Company
14%
University
10%
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 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.
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 support. This solution is suitable for both desktop and server use. It has a very app...
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.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
Ubuntu
 

Learn More

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
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 CentOS vs. Ubuntu Linux and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.