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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
7.0
Number of Reviews
188
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 Server is 9.0%, up from 8.6% 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.
NirajSingh - PeerSpot reviewer
User-friendly platform streamlining client connectivity
We are using Windows Server to connect our client software. We use it to access client systems and work on SQL databases Rather than purchasing and setting up infrastructure, we are using Windows Server, which obviously saves some costs. Windows Server is fulfilling our daily work-life purposes.…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product is very efficient when it comes to virtualization."
"Offers useful information and has good compatibility."
"It has minimal updates compared to other distributions."
"The product is free to use."
"The solution is easy to use but not as easy as Windows."
"The most valuable feature is the limited resources the solution uses in operation."
"I like its stability, performance, and usability."
"The user interface of CentOS is intuitive, we can also use the command prompt."
"This product works well for the applications that we have hosted on it."
"Network configuration and management in Windows Server is very easy, providing fast deployment, plug and play capability, and simplified partition creation."
"I would say Microsoft operating systems are more stable correctly than they were before, they have made some improvements over the years."
"The solution is easy to use. We are satisfied with its performance."
"As I said, it was the the simplicity of the solution. It's easy to use or easy to identify what company's been what beneficial for the company, would be I guess it was easy to distinguish what we needed or what Perfect."
"We have had no problems with Windows Server and we plan to continue using it in the future."
"We use it to connect to client systems and are happy with the performance and its features."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is Hyper-V Live Migration for Critical applications."
 

Cons

"I have had a tough time with the product's scalability, making it an area where improvements are required."
"I would like the integration to be more secure."
"The solution could improve by being more user-friendly."
"CentOS is pretty old now, so I wouldn't recommend anyone use it."
"The solution could be more scalable."
"In the future, CentOS will no longer be compatible with Red Hat."
"More security features could be included in the next release."
"The price could be better. They could add more drivers in terms of peripherals and other things. Add more drivers for the Linux specifications in the next release. Right now, they are just pushing to have more drivers for Windows instead of Linux."
"Windows Server could be more secure."
"An improvement would be to have more dashboards."
"The administration interface should be more user-friendly."
"Rebooting is sometimes required to resolve issues, although we don't know the root cause."
"I believe the solution needs to be more secure in the future."
"When it comes to the performance of this solution others are slightly better such as Linux."
"If it had more integration capabilities, that would be ideal."
"The on premises to cloud migration should be easier."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I'm not required to pay a licensing fee."
"This is an open source solution."
"We use the free, open-source solution because we cannot afford the price for Linux."
"We don’t have to pay for the system’s licenses."
"The solution is open source so is free."
"This is a free solution."
"The solution is open source."
"There is no price or licensing required — it's open-source."
"The cost is relatively high."
"The Windows Server standard edition is affordable."
"Our licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"We pay these on an annual basis."
"There is a license required for this solution."
"The price of the solution could be reduced and there is a license required."
"Microsoft is relatively inexpensive compared to other database platforms."
"We have multiple types of licenses. Some of them are on a yearly basis, and some of them are prepaid."
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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
13%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Educational Organization
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 Server?
I think there is room for improvement in the stability of older versions. Additionally, Windows Server could be more power-efficient, especially for individuals doing labs or studies on personal co...
What is your primary use case for Windows Server?
Windows Server ( /products/windows-server-reviews ) is the operating system we run on our servers. We use it in the IT department, primarily as the OS for our servers.
 

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: April 2025.
849,190 professionals have used our research since 2012.