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CentOS vs Windows 10 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
Windows 10
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.2
Number of Reviews
271
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 Windows 10 is 3.0%, down from 4.5% 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.
Akos Szirmai - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy installation and the initial setup time is reasonable
Stability can be an issue. I have to restart it every two days. And the boot time is quite long. My laptop's old, has no SSD, and is just a traditional Winchester. Had desktops with Windows 11 and SSDs, much better performance. But hardware limitations on my current laptop lead to stability and response issues. It's more like the whole reinstall every two years thing. It makes cleaning a pain. Performance improves significantly after a fresh install, then slowly deteriorates as I add more programs. But my biggest concern with Windows 10 is actually bigger than my situation. I'm replacing my laptop anyway, but I read that Windows 10 support ends in a year or so. And with hardware limitations, many other computers won't run Windows 11. So it's not just me. A lot of people with decent, still-working Windows 10 machines will lose support and be unable to switch to 11. This will be a significant problem for individuals and institutions. Large companies with thousands of computers don't replace them every three years, and they might face issues with many computers unable to run Windows 11 and lacking support for 10.

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."
"CentOS's most valuable features are that it's cost-saving and helps to scale down your usage."
"The community and knowledge base are very robust."
"Very robust and easy to work with."
"You can work with the UI or in command line, if you prefer."
"The most valuable feature is that it is compatible with RedHat."
"The pricing is good. We pay a minimal fee."
"It's easy to install."
"People who have been using Windows tend to keep using it because they are familiar with it, they do not start using Apple or something else. There has been a lot of improvement from previous versions and can be used on many systems."
"Windows 10 is definitely stable."
"The product is easy to use."
"It's stable for the most part. It's working fine."
"Technical support is very good."
"My impression is that the security via windows defender is good enough that I no longer feel a need for another third-party security solution."
"I like that it has many features that are easily displayed."
"I think the settings are better. It has a better user experience."
 

Cons

"CentOS NetworkManager is an area of concern in the solution that needs improvement, and it is the same with other products from Red Hat."
"The main issue is the End of Support. For that reason, we will switch to another operating system."
"If CentOS could add Office features then that would be beneficial. Additionally, the UI could improve."
"The product lacks a graphical user interface that can help users automate certain systems using the native features offered by CentOS."
"There could be more integration features included in the product."
"The solution is stable, however, it could always be even more stable if possible."
"If a proper GUI-based tool was connected remotely or on the machine, it could be a great addition to CentOS."
"Lacks sufficient security and some coding tools."
"If they could avoid the constant bombarding of the updates, which happens, that would be appreciated."
"In general, most of the time, the updates in Windows 10 bring problems instead of solving them, making it an area requiring improvements."
"The time it takes to initially install the solution could be a bit less. Right now, it takes a few hours. We'd like it to be faster."
"The product must reduce the number of updates."
"The interface could be more user-friendly."
"They should change their policy to include some basic support for more than just updates."
"Compared to Linux, Windows 10 is not that stable."
"The solution could be faster and demonstrate better performance. I"
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are no costs for CentOS, it is open-source."
"There are no licensing costs for CentOS."
"It's free."
"There are no licensing fees. CentOS is a free solution."
"Once you buy the license, Linux will provide you with yearly or monthly patches, so your systems will be scalable for a long time."
"For the enterprise version of CentOS, there is a license required. However, for personal use, I do not need a license."
"The solution is not subscription-based, unlike Red Hat."
"This is an open source solution."
"There is a license for this solution and it normally comes free with any system."
"There is a one-time license purchase for Windows 10."
"The tool's pricing is reasonable and I would rate it a four out of ten."
"There is a licensing for the solution and they could improve on it."
"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."
"We already have a license for Windows 10 in our role as Microsoft partners."
"Windows 10 could be less expensive. We have a perpetual license for this solution."
"The price goes down by the number of licenses."
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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%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
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.
What needs improvement with Windows 10?
I do not have notes for improvement.
What is your primary use case for Windows 10?
In my case, I would mostly say it's because of security reasons. At least for the typical use cases that I generally rely on Windows for, there didn't seem to be a noticeable performance difference...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Windows 10 and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
842,767 professionals have used our research since 2012.