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Oracle Linux vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 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 high ROI with cost savings, reliable performance, strong security, and enhanced productivity through open-source and redundancy features.
Sentiment score
8.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers high ROI with cost savings, improved efficiency, strong support, and enhanced stability for enterprises.
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.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux has saved us time and increased productivity.
Using Red Hat Enterprise Linux can yield resource savings of 200 percent to 300 percent compared to Windows Server instances.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.1
Oracle Linux customer service is praised for responsiveness, with mixed technical support reviews and appreciated community resources for complex issues.
Sentiment score
8.0
RHEL support is highly rated for its knowledgeable team, timely responses, and robust problem-solving, despite occasional delays.
It is not as helpful or friendly as their application support.
They respond immediately based on the SLA level.
The technical support is excellent.
They promptly addressed my concerns regarding permission issues when I contacted them.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.4
Oracle Linux is scalable for enterprises, performing well with diverse workloads, supporting large infrastructures, and requires proper planning.
Sentiment score
7.8
Red Hat Enterprise Linux excels in scalability, managing diverse environments and workloads efficiently with seamless integration and reliable performance.
There are no issues with scalability when it comes to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Each computer has at least 24 to 72 CPUs in it, and everything runs on Red Hat Enterprise Linux or Rocky.
I would rate the scalability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux as nine out of ten, indicating it scales well with our needs.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Oracle Linux is praised for reliability, performance, and security, making it ideal for enterprise and smaller environments alike.
Sentiment score
8.3
RHEL is highly stable and reliable, favored for business-critical applications due to long uptimes and minimal issues.
It works consistently with minimal downtime and very few bugs or glitches.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers great stability and performance compared to other operating systems.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is very stable.
 

Room For Improvement

Oracle Linux users report slow patches, limited security, incomplete documentation, compatibility issues, and desire improved performance and interfaces.
RHEL users desire improvements in documentation, usability, security, automation, compatibility, and support to enhance overall user experience.
Having a user interface would make tasks easier, saving time by avoiding the need to remember command-line instructions.
Addressing these limitations would significantly enhance the operating system's flexibility and efficiency.
The built-in security features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux were insufficient for our needs, necessitating the implementation of supplementary security measures.
By providing pre-installed, native automation tools within the operating system, Red Hat would streamline processes and improve user efficiency.
 

Setup Cost

Oracle Linux is cost-effective with no licensing fees, but support costs can be high compared to other platforms.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux's pricing is justified by its support and features, yet smaller companies consider alternatives for cost savings.
The cost of Microsoft OS is pretty high, and switching to Oracle Linux, which is free, reduced our costs by about 20% to 25%.
It may be considered expensive compared to other solutions like CentOS or Ubuntu, which offer some of the same features without additional costs.
Its pricing has room for improvement because it's more expensive in the local market due to purchasing power parity in India.
Windows Servers base their cost on the number of users and have high licensing fees, while Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers free versions alongside its paid, supported versions.
 

Valuable Features

Oracle Linux excels with stability, RHEL compatibility, and features like Ksplice, offering cost-effective, optimized enterprise solutions and Oracle integration.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux excels in stability, security, and usability with strong automation tools and support, ideal for diverse infrastructures.
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.
It also has strong security features, is OIS and FIPS certified, and has built-in Linux security configurations.
The security features are the most valuable.
The most valuable feature of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is its command-line capabilities, which allow you to execute large operations quickly.
 

Categories and Ranking

Oracle Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
111
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (R...
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
1st
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
263
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Oracle Linux is 14.5%, down from 14.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is 11.8%, down from 12.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Q&A Highlights

NA
Feb 03, 2020
 

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.
Bruce Lundberg - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable patch management, high uptime, and incredible knowledge base
In terms of security, it does a lot of things that most people still turn off. SELinux is turned on by default. They have pretty good firewall rules in their defaults. The audit rules always take tweaking, but, overall, it comes out of the box not too bad. I used to write scripts to harden them from there. There are multiple ways to provision and patch. You have everything from local repositories to doing it by hand. Their knowledge base is incredible. There is so much information out there. It has never taken me longer than 30 minutes to find an answer to anything, even very tough ones. One company I worked for was a security company, and we did a lot of patching on everything. It was designed around security and email hosting, and uptime was pretty much whatever we wanted it to be. I have had a couple of times when the uptime was bad, but it was caused by a third-party solution. In fact, the Norton antivirus was definitely the worst. Red Hat had nothing to do with it.
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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…
 

Answers from the Community

NA
Feb 3, 2020
Feb 3, 2020
I have been working on both Linux (RHEL from RedHat and OLE from Oracle) in many projects for more than 10 years now. firstly, RHEL is the main Linux Distribution whereas OLE is just a clone version of RHEL with some enhancements in Kernel to makes it more compatible with Oracle hardware and software. secondly, there is no point to use OLE in heterogeneous Data Centers which they are equipped w...
2 out of 13 answers
GW
Oct 3, 2019
There is no real difference between RHEL and OL (Oracle Linux). You can even run OL (with a Red Hat kernel) so it’s the same. OL is free, so you could run all Dev/Test systems without the support and only pay for support for production systems. You can download updates for free, you don’t need a subscription. Support costs are cheaper on OL and OL performs better with its optimized kernel (especially when running Oracle databases) Personally, I can’t see a reason to run Red Hat (as opposed to OL).
Shrikant Navelkar - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 3, 2019
Hi Nawazish, I have worked with both products. I strongly recommend Oracle Enterprise Linux. The reasons are as follows : 1. Oracle Enterprise Linux has some key features which are suitable for running enterprise class workloads. KSplice is one of such key feature. 2. If you are planning to run Oracle database / MiddleWare / E-Business on Intel/ Linux then select Oracle Linux. Because you get one support portal "Metalink" to manage your support issues for all the software components. In case you run RHEL, you will end up in managing Oracle and RHEL support separately. 3. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) runs on Oracle Linux, and Oracle Exadata runs on Oracle Linux. In case you plan to migrate your Oracle workload to Oracle Cloud (OCI) or Exadata in future, the migration will be seamless. 4. Oracle has announced Autonomous Linux during Oracle Open World few weeks back. I am sure they will get all Autonomous features in Oracle Linux in future versions. 5. Commercially Oracle Linux gives you better price as compared to RHEL. Simply compare Oracle Linux Standard Edition with Ref Hat Linux with 24x7 support and you will understand the difference. This is because Oracle Linux support comes from Oracle Metalink 24x7 by default. Thats not the case with Red Hat Let me know in case you need additional help. Thanks Shrikant
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Educational Organization
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
9%
 

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...
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 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
It is open source. We can customize it as per our requirements.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
I do not have any insights, but I know why the prices went up. At the time, it made sense. I do not know what the pricing is like now. Previously, the pricing model was advantageous as it allowed u...
 

Also Known As

Oracle Enterprise Linux
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, RHEL
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

See here
Travel Channel, Mohawk Industries, Hilti, Molecular Health, Exolgan, Hotelplan Group, Emory University, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, HCA Healthcare, Paychex, UPS, Intermountain Healthcare, Brinker International, TransUnion, Union Bank, CA Technologies
Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle Linux vs. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.