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Kali Linux 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

Kali Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
11th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
14
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
4.5
Number of Reviews
280
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Kali Linux is 2.7%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows 10 is 2.8%, down from 4.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Windows 102.8%
Kali Linux2.7%
Other94.5%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

NilutpalDutta - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides valuable real-time data scanning for vulnerability assessment
We don't know if Kali Linux has the port scanning capability yet, but that is an area of improvement because we are working with DMZ zones and customized ports. If we can add featured customized port scanning and DMZ zone capability, then it will be a very great tool. It might be there, but we are not exploring it yet. We are not exploring 100% of Kali Linux capabilities. If real-time customized port scanning can be added, for example, instead of a default port such as 8080 or 443, if we can use a customized port such as 9876, that capability would be great. The only point that I didn't find on Kali Linux for now is the ability to customize port scanning.
Deboprio Dutta - PeerSpot reviewer
Improved security features with gaming enhancements while supporting various features
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. It's not personally much of a thing for me, however, I've heard about differences between the two operating system versions. To the best of my knowledge, I think Windows 11 brings some AI features for Microsoft Copilot, which probably weren't as integrated into the previous version. There are the occasional bugs and issues that pop up, yet none are significant enough for me to consider a major update. Overall, it's a smooth experience.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The interface is good and straightforward to use."
"Additionally, it now includes comprehensive migration analytics and reporting capabilities."
"The most valuable feature of Kali Linux is the attack it performs using a CVE script that's already on the internet."
"The solution's most valuable feature is that it is very easy to use."
"We use the product for open-source intelligence and identifying vulnerabilities."
"I'm mostly using for the web security web application, so end map and the troubleshoot will it's my price, and it's available in ColliNX."
"The tools available in Kali Linux are incredibly effective for conducting security assessments."
"In general, Kali Linux is used for hosting applications, developing new applications, and operating systems. It's also used in containers and nodes. The tool offers a smaller footprint than Windows because it lacks the functionality of graphical user interfaces. One advantage of Kali Linux is its lower maintenance requirements than Windows, with slower update cycles and easier maintenance procedures."
"I like that Windows 10 is very stable. I think Windows 10 is more smooth and performs better than the previous Windows system."
"Windows 10 has significantly improved; it processes information more quickly, and when using mapping software such as QGIS or ArcGIS, the system remains stable, especially when handling heavy files."
"Windows 10 is more user-friendly and has most of the things I want."
"The solution is easy to use."
"The solution is easy to use and secure."
"The performance is good."
"The product is easy to use."
"Compared to previous Microsoft services and Windows versions, Windows 10 is a lot more stable."
 

Cons

"Any new user or someone without deep expertise won't be able to understand how to scale or manage it"
"I would like for them to offer more features for the free version in order for users to test them in their internal environment before purchasing."
"The tool is slightly difficult to learn."
"The installation process of Kali Linux can be slow, particularly when installing and upgrading packages within virtualized environments."
"From an improvement perspective, Kali Linux could include more ML to help with academic literature, as it is one of the areas where there are shortcomings in the solution."
"I would like to have automation in Kali Linux instead of manually configuring or setting up something in case of an upgrade."
"Unfortunately, my current tool runs on Windows 10, and its use is restricted to enterprise versions. Integrating this tool or similar functionalities into Kali Linux for non-enterprise users would be incredibly valuable."
"The product should integrate AI and GPT capabilities."
"Could be improved technically."
"The installation consumes a lot of space and the response time is not as fast as it should be."
"The product must reduce the number of updates."
"I would just recommend that they focus more on security."
"If Microsoft could find a way to better manage updates and patches, that could be more useful for end users, which would be good."
"The licensing could always be less expensive."
"Stability-wise, it's okay. Sometimes my laptop slows down when I have a lot of applications open, but this could be a laptop issue rather than a Windows 10 issue."
"The user interface could improve for the Portuguese language and more features should be added."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Kali Linux is open source."
"Kali Linux offers a perpetual license, meaning you pay for it once and can use it. While free versions of Linux are available, Kali Linux, being an enterprise edition, usually comes with a perpetual license. I rate its pricing a five out of ten."
"I have used the free version."
"There is no need to make any payments towards the licensing costs since it is a solution that is available for free."
"The licensing fee is expensive compared to other products."
"The price is good because Kali Linux already provides a good bundle of tools."
"I use it free of charge."
"It is an open-source tool."
"I'm not sure about how much it's priced in the consumer world, but within enterprise it comes in a Microsoft 365 license, which is very easy. It has become an easier commercial model."
"The licensing is yearly. It would be nice if they offered some one-time license options where you could procure it for a lifetime."
"Windows 10 came with the computer when I bought it, so it was already licensed."
"It is not expensive."
"Windows 10 has multiple versions—Home, Home Premium, and Enterprise—so the pricing will be different for each version. The pricing is okay and if they're getting sold out, that means people are buying it. I must say, it's a monopoly, but I really like the way Microsoft fits into the monopoly."
"It is only a one-time purchase."
"The price could be improved."
"I do not have to pay for the license, it was included in the initial cost."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
13%
Computer Software Company
12%
University
12%
Educational Organization
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business125
Midsize Enterprise63
Large Enterprise119
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Kali Linux?
I use the tool with Nmap to perform network audits. We use it to find vulnerabilities in our network through attacks. It's for those who want to launch or create viruses or perform attacks on syste...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kali Linux?
Kali Linux offers a perpetual license, meaning you pay for it once and can use it. While free versions of Linux are available, Kali Linux, being an enterprise edition, usually comes with a perpetua...
What needs improvement with Kali Linux?
We don't know if Kali Linux has the port scanning capability yet, but that is an area of improvement because we are working with DMZ zones and customized ports. If we can add featured customized po...
What needs improvement with Windows 10?
Performance and slowness are areas that could be improved in Windows 10. Sometimes the system experiences slowdowns. The only issue I face and can remember is related to performance.
What is your primary use case for Windows 10?
I use Windows 10 for regular office activities.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Kali Linux vs. Windows 10 and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
867,676 professionals have used our research since 2012.