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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
5.5
Number of Reviews
270
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 6.9%, down from 9.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows 10 is 3.7%, down from 4.8% 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

"CentOS is very easy to use, and all the commands are user-friendly."
"It is a stable soultion."
"The most valuable features of CentOS are it is built from Linux, has good performance, and can we can create scripts. The scripts are you to do minor work automatically."
"You can work with the UI or in command line, if you prefer."
"It's less expensive than Red Hat."
"It has all the features of Red Hat, but you don't have to pay for the subscription."
"The user interface of CentOS is intuitive, we can also use the command prompt."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is that it is free."
"I think the settings are better. It has a better user experience."
"One of the most valuable features is that there is one processor. Some other valuable features are the firewall, antivirus protection, Microsoft Defender, and Outlook."
"Windows setup isn't very complicated. Mostly, we have someone proficient in Windows to do our installations."
"The solution is stable."
"I like that Windows 10 is very stable. I think Windows 10 is more smooth and performs better than the previous Windows system."
"The product's configuration and deployment phases are easy."
"Technical support is very good."
"The solution is stable."
 

Cons

"They could build more options into the wizard."
"CentOS is very close to the end of life."
"CentOS could improve by having troubleshooting logs."
"In the future, CentOS will no longer be compatible with Red Hat."
"It is challenging to scale the solution when we have to increase the storage capacity from one end."
"CentOS should extend the support of the solution. The solution is set to have no update support in 2023."
"The solution must improve its security."
"The solution is stable, however, it could always be even more stable if possible."
"It could be more secure. I would like to see more security in the next release."
"Windows 10 could be improved by implementing synchronization between Teams and Skype for Business. If you're in a conference call in one tool, the other tool shows that you're available. This means that you get calls from other people in your organization while you are unavailable. So synchronization is missing, that's all."
"After some time it becomes slower. The performance seems to be affected after a while."
"The enterprise version I have contains many things that are not intended to be enterprise; they are intended for home customers. This includes things like some games and some stuff like that."
"Major update, that poses an issue should be able to be rolled back."
"I have found that Windows 10 could be more stable."
"I would like to see the licensing fees reduced."
"It would be ideal if the solution itself was less technical so a person like myself could more easily access it and understand it."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I use the free version."
"This is a free solution."
"This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs involved."
"The solution is open source."
"Once you buy the license, Linux will provide you with yearly or monthly patches, so your systems will be scalable for a long time."
"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."
"There are no licensing fees for CentOS."
"The solution is not subscription-based, unlike Red Hat."
"The initial version came with the PCs and the upgrade we were able to get cost approximately $12 per computer. It was really cheap."
"We need to pay for licensing to use Windows 10. Any time we change the computers, we have to pay, and it's a bit expensive."
"Every time I've bought Windows, it came bundled with the laptop, so we are talking about a perpetual license."
"We pay a licensing fee."
"It is not expensive."
"There is a licensing for the solution and they could improve on it."
"I believe there is an agreement with Microsoft to pay the licensing fee yearly."
"The price is fine."
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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
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
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.
What needs improvement with Windows 10?
Windows versions before 2016 had a lot of stability problems. When cybersecurity teams tested these devices or operating systems, we found many vulnerabilities to exploit. That's why if I could mak...
What is your primary use case for Windows 10?
We use the solution as an operating system.
 

Comparisons

 

Learn More

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Windows 10 and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,020 professionals have used our research since 2012.