Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Oracle Linux vs Oracle Solaris 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
9.3
Oracle Linux offers free, stable performance, financial benefits, and robust tools, saving costs compared to Microsoft, despite currency challenges.
Sentiment score
8.5
Oracle Solaris offers strong integration and troubleshooting ease, but cost-effectiveness and complexity vary, impacting adoption and ROI.
Oracle Linux contributed to reducing our operational costs by about ten percent by saving us from the operating system and license costs we would have had to pay Microsoft.
In terms of ROI, there have been performance improvements because Oracle Solaris is lighter.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
Oracle Linux support is appreciated for expertise and integration but criticized for delays, high costs, and complex issue handling.
Sentiment score
7.3
Oracle Solaris offers global 24/7 support with knowledgeable staff but faces regional quality variance and sometimes scripted interactions.
Not all support engineers at Oracle are the same, so sometimes I experience good support that resolves issues quickly, while other times, it loops.
It is not as helpful or friendly as their application support.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.4
Oracle Linux efficiently scales diverse applications, handling various deployments with minimal configuration, supporting high-performance clustering and cloud environments.
Sentiment score
8.1
Oracle Solaris excels in scalability and adaptability, efficiently handling workloads across diverse IT environments and supporting extensive storage.
It handles device performance well, automatically managing any issues that arise.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Oracle Linux is highly stable and reliable, outperforming competitors in enterprise environments, especially with Oracle database optimizations.
Sentiment score
8.2
Oracle Solaris is praised for its stability, with minimal issues, high reliability, and strong support enhancing user satisfaction.
Testing determines stability, as continuous Linux use and installations reveal more bugs.
 

Room For Improvement

Oracle Linux needs faster security updates, better documentation, improved usability, third-party compatibility, and more affordable licensing and support.
Oracle Solaris needs better hardware certification, easier configuration, enhanced GUI, and broader software support for improved adoption.
Having a user interface would make tasks easier, saving time by avoiding the need to remember command-line instructions.
Oracle Linux's outage management can be improved to better handle outages.
Some applications supported by other operating systems are not supported, which is a pain.
Oracle Solaris needs to improve its compatibility with office tools like Excel.
 

Setup Cost

Oracle Linux is cost-effective, integrating with Oracle products, competitive in pricing and often cheaper than Red Hat.
Oracle Solaris offers significant savings and robust integration, despite complex licensing and higher costs versus alternatives like Linux.
The cost of Microsoft OS is pretty high, and switching to Oracle Linux, which is free, reduced our costs by about 20% to 25%.
I find the pricing of Oracle Solaris to be affordable compared to competitors like Windows.
 

Valuable Features

Oracle Linux delivers high performance, robust security, and cost-effectiveness with seamless upgrades and strong support for enterprises.
Oracle Solaris offers virtualization, data management, stability, and integration features, ensuring high availability and performance for enterprises.
Since it's from the same vendor as Oracle applications, it's easier to manage issues, making not just the solution cost-effective but also streamlined in management.
Oracle Linux has American Standard levels of security, which I consider to be quite good.
Oracle Linux offers an unbreakable system.
The operating system is lightweight, which makes it easier to use on an average computer compared to systems like Windows.
 

Categories and Ranking

Oracle Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
113
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Oracle Solaris
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
9th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
50
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 Oracle Linux is 11.1%, down from 14.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Solaris is 2.4%, down from 3.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Marcelo Muniz - PeerSpot reviewer
The operational system is the best and is packed with free features like CapsLive
It is important to work with a vendor who will sell you the correct product for your environment rather than just try to make the most money off of you. Study the solution and learn how to install it correctly and use it in the best ways. Follow best practices from Oracle and get some training in the operational system. The solution comes with a lot of features and options that you can use for free. It is reliable and you can even use an old version with no issues. It is not the most user friendly, but you can learn it with a bit of study. Overall, the solution beats other operational systems by a large margin. The solution is rated a nine out of ten.
Erick Kathurima - PeerSpot reviewer
Has enabled a user-friendly and lightweight installation with improved performance
I installed Oracle Solaris on a normal PC to test its functionality. It is comfortable to use and provides a good test environment, especially because it is not commonly known or recognized in the market Oracle Solaris has a graphical interface that is user-friendly, especially with its use of…
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Operating Systems (OS) for Business solutions are best for your needs.
849,190 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

How does Oracle Linux compare with Solaris?
When comparing Oracle Linux and Solaris, I believe that Linux is more secure and more flexible. It is also very suitable for enterprises that are already Oracle solution users. I found Linux to be ...
Which would you choose - Ubuntu Linux or Oracle Linux?
Ubunto Linux is a complete Linux operating system that is freely available with both community and professional support. This solution is suitable for both desktop and server use. It has a very app...
What do you like most about Oracle Solaris?
We use the solution as an internal operating system.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Solaris?
I find the pricing of Oracle Solaris to be affordable compared to competitors like Windows.
What needs improvement with Oracle Solaris?
Oracle Solaris needs to improve its compatibility with office tools like Excel.
 

Also Known As

Oracle Enterprise Linux
Solaris 11, Solaris
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

See here
Siemens, IVV
Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle Linux vs. Oracle Solaris and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
849,190 professionals have used our research since 2012.