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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
274
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 solution is easy to troubleshoot."
"The most valuable feature is performance."
"We particularly like that we can remove the graphic user interface to minimize attack settings for the operating system."
"It's easy to install."
"The community and knowledge base are very robust."
"The latest version of this solution has everything built in, making it comprehensive and very easy to use."
"The user access level is most valuable. When you do administration with CentOS, the number of customizations that you can do for each user is higher than other solutions. It is very customizable."
"It is better than Ubuntu Linux."
"The GUI has been enhanced and it supports the 365 suite."
"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."
"It is flexible and it is easy to use."
"Even if users aren't very technical, they can use Windows."
"Stability-wise, it's fine."
"Microsoft technology is very simple and user friendly."
"It is a much faster solution if you are transitioning from a traditional Windows operating system."
"When comparing Windows 10 to Windows XP, Windows 10 is much better. The appearance is very good."
 

Cons

"It would be useful if reporting were included as part of the basic license."
"Previous versions were unstable."
"CentOS can be somewhat difficult for beginners, as it has a complex UI, especially for those not in the IT field."
"There is no notification before updates are applied to the solution, which occasionally means that new functionality isn't compatible with how the product is currently being used, and causes issues."
"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."
"Continuous deployment is the only thing that can be improved."
"The server system is a little bit tough to manage."
"I have had a tough time with the product's scalability, making it an area where improvements are required."
"We had some issues deploying Windows 10 for our clients."
"They should have something like a dashboard where users can tune the performance. After using Windows 10 for a while, the operating system starts to slow down. It does not operate like it did when you first installed it."
"If you need servers to be deployed in a production environment then you definitely want to look at a different operating system."
"I have found that Windows 10 could be more stable."
"Windows 10 isn't as stable as MacOS and requires too many patches. When the patches are installing, it slows down the PC. These changes are complex, and many processes are running simultaneously, so we experience a decrease in speed."
"If the system Windows 10 is operating on is not powerful it can become sluggish. They could improve by having two versions, a lightweight, and a higher performance version for more powerful computers."
"It would be valuable for Windows to have an MDM feature to deploy applications remotely to it natively, such as the Jamf solution for Apple."
"The only issue I have encountered is with Microsoft Teams. It is comparatively slower than other apps and does not open as quickly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is open source so is free."
"The solution is not subscription-based, unlike Red Hat."
"We use the free, open-source solution because we cannot afford the price for Linux."
"It's freeware, so we can use it without worrying about licensing."
"The solution is open source."
"I use the free version."
"The product is free."
"Once you buy the license, Linux will provide you with yearly or monthly patches, so your systems will be scalable for a long time."
"We are classified as an enterprise and have an enterprise license."
"We pay for the license, and it's fine."
"The licensing price could definitely be cheaper. I pay a yearly license for Windows 10."
"It falls within the average price range; it's not particularly cheap or expensive."
"The tool's price used to be good earlier, but now it has become expensive. The tool is worth the money, especially since Windows 10 users got auto-upgraded to Windows 11."
"I believe there is an agreement with Microsoft to pay the licensing fee yearly."
"The solution requires a license and you can purchase one for personal use that lasts for the length of time you are using the solution."
"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."
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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%
Financial Services Firm
10%
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: April 2025.
848,716 professionals have used our research since 2012.