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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
7.1
Number of Reviews
69
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
5.3
Number of Reviews
275
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 5.1%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows 10 is 2.9%, down from 4.4% 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

"Offers useful information and has good compatibility."
"The product is very efficient when it comes to virtualization."
"The open architecture is useful for us. That's why we're using CentOS."
"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."
"The most valuable feature of CentOS is the speed and it is very easy to use."
"Very robust and easy to work with."
"The product is free to use."
"It is a scalable and cost-effective product compared to public cloud solutions."
"The performance is decent. I don't see many incidents of it crashing."
"It's quite simple to install. I don't think that it's a problem. It takes maybe half an hour or less to install. It depends on the specs of the PC and what you need to do in advance, like backing up your drives. At most, it takes an hour."
"I like that it has many features that are easily displayed."
"Windows 10 is unique in that it comes with its own antivirus firewall, which obviates the need to purchase one separately."
"The solution has very useful features."
"What I like about Windows 10 most is its stability."
"I like the stability, the performance and the ease of use."
"I understand that Windows 11 supports quite a bit of additional features for people who are, for example, into high-end gaming and the features that support that kind of utility."
 

Cons

"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."
"If a proper GUI-based tool was connected remotely or on the machine, it could be a great addition to CentOS."
"Currently, CentOS is not providing support, so you will not get new packages that are compatible with that operating system."
"CentOS NetworkManager is an area of concern in the solution that needs improvement, and it is the same with other products from Red Hat."
"There could be more integration features included in the product."
"It could be more secure."
"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 server system is a little bit tough to manage."
"In Microsoft Windows 10, screen sharing is an area of concern where improvements are needed, as such an option is not user-friendly."
"It could benefit from more integration."
"I think there are too many unnecessary questions when installing the solution. I try to do it as quickly as possible, answering "no" or "I don't want" to most questions. I don't remember the questions because I just try to skip them all. I don't pay attention to particular questions as I don't need them. I know I'll get Windows at the end, which I need. Compared to years ago, the installation process now has many more non-technical questions about usage and family members, which I don't like."
"I would like to get less frequent updates from Windows 10."
"The tool's expensive part is an area where improvements are required."
"The solution's UI could be better."
"Sometimes, upgrades may fail, leading to system crashes or other unexpected issues."
"In general, most of the time, the updates in Windows 10 bring problems instead of solving them, making it an area requiring improvements."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This is an open source solution."
"We are using a subscription-based license option for CentOS."
"We use the free, open-source solution because we cannot afford the price for Linux."
"I use the free version."
"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 solution is open source."
"The solution is not subscription-based, unlike Red Hat."
"There are no costs for CentOS, it is open-source."
"We are classified as an enterprise and have an enterprise license."
"The product's commercial pricing is high."
"Licensing fees are paid yearly."
"I believe there is an agreement with Microsoft to pay the licensing fee yearly."
"We pay annually for the licenses of Windows 10."
"All Microsoft products are expensive."
"For Filipino standards, it's quite expensive. We pay per license. So far, there have been no hidden costs."
"The pricing could be improved."
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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%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
8%
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?
Windows 10 is quite old, and Windows 11 has newer features such as Copilot. Investment in Windows 10 may not be ideal as the world is changing with advancing technology in the AI age. It is general...
What is your primary use case for Windows 10?
I use Windows 10 as an operating system for my personal computer. Currently, I am using Windows 11.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Windows 10 and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,671 professionals have used our research since 2012.