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CentOS vs Windows Server 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 Server
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
193
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 4.6%, down from 8.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server is 9.3%, up from 8.5% 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.
Jai Prakash Sharma - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient Management Achieved with Internal Resources and Reliable Technical Support
Maintenance of Windows Server varies by organization, but for us, it's not very difficult as we have in-house resources managing these tasks. However, it can become a bit tricky when we want to see a collated view of our security posture. Regarding AI integrations with Windows Server, Copilot adoption is progressing, though I have only experienced it on endpoints and not on the server side. We operate significant workloads on AI, but we consume those primarily on Linux rather than Windows Server. I don't have much experience regarding integration capabilities in Windows Server for AI workloads, so I may not be the right person to provide insights on that. Overall, I am quite happy with my experience using Windows Server. I don't have many constraints or concerns, so I would rate it eight out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We particularly like that we can remove the graphic user interface to minimize attack settings for the operating system."
"The product is based on Red Hat and very stable."
"The pricing is good. We pay a minimal fee."
"Very robust and easy to work with."
"The technical support is good."
"The product is free to use."
"There are a lot of sources on the internet that you can use to solve any issues, and people share their experiences. It's not a closed system"
"The latest version of this solution has everything built in, making it comprehensive and very easy to use."
"I'm using all the features within it and find them all quite helpful."
"Windows server is stable, having improved on previous versions."
"The most valuable features are the ease of access and maintaining the solution."
"The product's initial setup phase is pretty straightforward and simple without any challenges."
"The solution is easy to learn. It doesn't take much training."
"It is very easy to use for the end-user."
"The performance of Windows Server is good."
"I like the views in the user interface."
 

Cons

"I have had a tough time with the product's scalability, making it an area where improvements are required."
"The solution’s stability could be improved."
"The solution could be more scalable."
"I was using CentOS because it was very stable, and now it's not."
"CentOS could be improved with more user-friendly monitoring."
"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 be improved by being more secure. Of course, we use a firewall, but security is always a concern."
"It is challenging to scale the solution when we have to increase the storage capacity from one end."
"It would be better if they had more security features and fewer bugs. They can also improve their technical support."
"The security could improve. If you are comparing the Linux operating systems and Windows Server, Windows Server is still way behind in terms of security. Microsoft can enhance security instead of having customers rely on third-party security tools."
"There are lots of improvements that can be brought by Microsoft, although for us Windows Server works mostly as expected. For how we're using Windows Server, security is a top priority, so when talking security, it can always be improved upon, no matter what."
"Windows Server can improve in patch management and security."
"It could be more secure. We don't like it because if you compare it to Linux, Linux is better."
"The cost to use the solution is quite high."
"The only thing that could be improved is the price."
"The Active Directory synchronization on Azure. This is something which was not easy to do. Using Azure Active Directory, I was trying to sync and this was not straightforward. This process could be more simplified."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Once you buy the license, Linux will provide you with yearly or monthly patches, so your systems will be scalable for a long time."
"It's free."
"There are no costs for CentOS, it is open-source."
"We don’t have to pay for the system’s licenses."
"There are no licensing fees for CentOS."
"The solution is open-source and does not have any costs or licensing fees."
"This is an open source solution."
"We are using a subscription-based license option for CentOS."
"We pay these on an annual basis."
"There is not a license required for this solution."
"The solution requires licencing."
"The price of the solution could improve."
"There is a license for this solution and the price could be cheaper."
"Licensing fees are paid on an annual basis, and the price could be improved."
"It's expensive, but we have a need for it and have to purchase it."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
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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
16%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
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?
CentOS is a free product with free updates. There are third-party companies available for support, but they charge varying amounts for their services.
What needs improvement with Windows Server?
We haven't utilized Windows containers and Kubernetes for deploying any applications. I'm trying to learn it and have started to watch YouTube content for my understanding. I cannot tell if the sec...
What is your primary use case for Windows Server?
The main use cases for Windows Server involve file sharing, such as file server and network shares. We are not a big organization using Windows Server. We are in the transportation industry, and we...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Rakuten, Rackspace, Tyco
Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Windows Server and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.