Oracle Linux vs Rocky Linux comparison

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Oracle Linux

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 27, 2025

Oracle Linux and Rocky Linux are both robust enterprise Linux distributions. Rocky Linux seems to have the upper hand due to its open-source, community-driven model offering greater flexibility and cost-effectiveness compared to Oracle Linux’s strong support and comprehensive tool suite.

Features: Oracle Linux provides comprehensive support for Oracle Database, Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel for optimized Oracle software performance, and zero-downtime updates with Ksplice. Rocky Linux focuses on stability with long-term support, maintains compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and enjoys community-driven enhancements and support.

Room for Improvement: Oracle Linux could expand support for non-Oracle hardware and enhance documentation for broader usability. The subscription model might be more transparent in pricing. Rocky Linux would benefit from more extensive enterprise-level third-party support, improved out-of-the-box tools, and a more robust patch management system.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Oracle Linux is favorable for Oracle-dependent environments with seamless integration and 24/7 professional support. This support structure aids in intensive deployment needs. Rocky Linux emphasizes ease of installation, with community forums and third-party vendors supporting its deployment, focusing on simplicity and adaptability over structured support services.

Pricing and ROI: Oracle Linux may involve higher costs due to licensing fees but provides significant ROI within an Oracle ecosystem, benefiting from integrated updates and support mechanisms. Rocky Linux offers a free-to-use model with lower initial costs and optional voluntary support fees, appealing to budget-conscious users seeking cost-efficiency and open-source advantages.

To learn more, read our detailed Oracle Linux vs. Rocky Linux Report (Updated: September 2025).

Oracle Linux vs. Rocky Linux

September 2025

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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

7.2

Oracle Linux offers cost-effective, stable solutions with strong ROI, reducing downtime and enhancing efficiency and user satisfaction.

Sentiment score

3.4

Switching to Rocky Linux saved costs and time, enhanced problem resolution, and supported increased employee onboarding and organizational growth.

Everything from Oracle tools to applications is well integrated within Oracle Linux.

IT Department Manager at DHA Lahore

Our team is comfortable using Oracle Linux as it integrates well with Oracle tools, making everything work seamlessly.

For more quotes and insights, download the Oracle Linux report

Director of Provisioning Services at MRP ELITE

In terms of outcomes or benefits I've seen over the last year, we have more than 30 servers, and we only need to reboot one server while all other servers continue working fine, resulting in very low downtime, which is very helpful.

Badhon Islam

System Engineer at Reve Systems

When it comes to return on investment, a lot of money is saved since we moved from a purchased license to the open source provided by Rocky Linux.

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Cloud Infrastructure Services at UST Global

ROI has been good as we have significant open source community involvement.

reviewer2758263

Technical Manager at HCLSoftware

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.3

Oracle Linux support receives mixed reviews for its knowledgeable assistance, high costs, slow response times, and inconsistent quality.

Sentiment score

4.5

Rocky Linux customer service is reliable, with quick responses, good documentation, and high user satisfaction despite limited official reliance.

Not all support engineers at Oracle are the same, so sometimes I experience good support that resolves issues quickly, while other times, it loops.

reviewer2088135

Senior Infrastructure Specialist at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees

Oracle's technical support is excellent.

IT Department Manager at DHA Lahore

It is not as helpful or friendly as their application support.

For more quotes and insights, download the Oracle Linux report

IT Admin at Rosy Blue NV

The support level is extraordinary, providing on-time assistance.

DILIP BHARADWAJ

Senior System Engineer at Al Jazeera Media Network

We have not yet needed to contact a vendor regarding Rocky Linux.

KRISTOF Laenen

Senior Network Engineer at KLC bvba

Even if we raise a support ticket, we receive a resolution or a reply from the team within two business days.

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Cloud Infrastructure Services at UST Global

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

6.9

Oracle Linux scales well for different environments, aided by clustering and cloud features, though some processor compatibility issues exist.

Sentiment score

5.1

Rocky Linux is scalable and user-friendly, with organizations recommending automation tools for efficient setup and expansion.

It handles device performance well, automatically managing any issues that arise.

CHANTI BANOTH

Software Engineer at Trianz

Oracle should make the process faster, as we sometimes have to use a previous processor model to ensure compatibility.

Director of Provisioning Services at MRP ELITE

New processor models sometimes lack immediate compatibility with Oracle Linux, requiring the use of previous models until support is available.

For more quotes and insights, download the Oracle Linux report

IT Department Manager at DHA Lahore

Even if the server is not responding and we want to attach the volume on another instance or a temporary instance, it is very easy and straightforward with no hiccups.

reviewer2758479

CloudOps Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees

The scalability is quite good, though there are some issues with Rocky Linux.

Jetsada Malaisirirat

System Engineer at clusterkit

In terms of scalability, you need to have automation tools.

Bakang Khunou

Server & Cloud Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.7

Oracle Linux is stable and reliable, performing well across hardware, integrating seamlessly with Oracle products, and maintaining high performance.

Sentiment score

7.0

Rocky Linux is praised for its stability, ease of use, scalability, and reliable performance on low-resource systems and hardware.

Testing determines stability, as continuous Linux use and installations reveal more bugs.

reviewer2088135

Senior Infrastructure Specialist at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees

Oracle Linux is very stable.

IT Department Manager at DHA Lahore

Our environment is locally deployed, and there are no performance issues or latency problems.

For more quotes and insights, download the Oracle Linux report

Director of Provisioning Services at MRP ELITE

Rocky Linux is stable, scalable, and it is very much easier to use.

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Cloud Infrastructure Services at UST Global

Rocky Linux is stable.

reviewer2764758

Software Engineer at CommScope

Room For Improvement

Oracle Linux needs better compatibility, integration, security, and support, with faster bug fixes, improved UI, and seamless updates.

Rocky Linux needs identity clarity, better integrations, faster updates, improved security, API tools, documentation, and enhanced community support.

Having a user interface would make tasks easier, saving time by avoiding the need to remember command-line instructions.

For more quotes and insights, download the Oracle Linux report

IT Admin at Rosy Blue NV

There are significant limitations as we are not able to customize the system, and we are forced to use standard features which are not suitable for our business.

Dnyaneshwar Rajput

Manager, Information Technology at Gemini Equipment

Oracle Linux's outage management can be improved to better handle outages.

CHANTI BANOTH

Software Engineer at Trianz

It is based on customer requirements, as they might want to use Rocky Linux or Ubuntu, depending on their needs.

Jetsada Malaisirirat

System Engineer at clusterkit

Rocky Linux could be improved by having more integration with Kubernetes.

Massimiliano Adamo

Linux architect at European Commission

Currently, it takes more than one month to release a new package or kernel, so speeding that up would help reduce reported vulnerability remediations.

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Cloud Infrastructure Services at UST Global

Setup Cost

Oracle Linux is cost-effective, with no initial fees and optional support, offering more affordability than other distributions.

Rocky Linux is praised for its affordability and streamlined licensing, appealing to cost-conscious enterprises and AWS users.

While ERP might be expensive, Oracle Linux and KVMs are not on the higher side.

Director of Provisioning Services at MRP ELITE

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 Admin at Rosy Blue NV

Oracle Linux is affordable.

For more quotes and insights, download the Oracle Linux report

IT Department Manager at DHA Lahore

We switched to Rocky Linux because of the license price, and in our business, we don't need to have a higher cost as that is not a good idea.

Walid Alioua

Network Infrastructure Manager at SAGEMCOM

There is no extra cost for a license if we are purchasing Rocky Linux from the AWS Marketplace.

reviewer2758479

CloudOps Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees

Rocky Linux is free, and I can download it and deploy it in whatever environment I have, whether it be H3C, VMware, or Hyper-V.

Bakang Khunou

Server & Cloud Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Valuable Features

Oracle Linux provides easy installation, zero-downtime updates, and strong support, offering performance, compatibility, and cost-effectiveness for demanding workloads.

Rocky Linux offers stability, cost savings, easy integration, and strong community support, making it ideal for critical systems management.

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.

For more quotes and insights, download the Oracle Linux report

IT Admin at Rosy Blue NV

The updates are applied instantly once a CVE is identified, which makes it highly beneficial.

Alexsandro Rollim

Consultant at a outsourcing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Oracle Linux provides fast updates, and the best aspect is that we can update our server without interrupting our service, which is very important for business continuity.

Charles Chinionga

Superbly mistaken at Banco Nacional de Investimento S.A.

Rocky Linux has positively impacted my organization, specifically through cost savings, because we did not have to buy any licenses or extra licenses of other distros, such as Oracle or Red Hat.

Rafael Dina

IT / IAM Senior Specialist at SAP

For production deployment, Rocky Linux is a great choice because it offers full RHEL compatibility without licensing costs, along with strong community support.

reviewer2758479

CloudOps Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees

Since migrating to Rocky Linux, I've seen specific outcomes such as improved security because CentOS stopped the project, and security patches aren't being released.

Massimiliano Adamo

Linux architect at European Commission

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Categories and Ranking

Oracle Linux

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

123

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Rocky Linux

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

4th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Oracle Linux is 7.4%, down from 15.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rocky Linux is 14.3%, up from 12.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Operating Systems (OS) for Business Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Oracle Linux	7.4%
Rocky Linux	14.3%
Other	78.3%

Operating Systems (OS) for Business

Featured Reviews

Badhon Islam

System Engineer at Reve Systems

Has improved security and reduced downtime through built-in tools and a reliable kernel

In my experience, the best features Oracle Linux offers include its unbreakable kernel system and security, along with reliability and stability. The unbreakable kernel and the security features stand out for me because, in big data, anyone from outside cannot break my kernel, and we have a lot of inbuilt security, which has helped me with different things. Oracle Linux provides many more features that I need to consider further. Oracle Linux has positively impacted my organization because of its numerous features. It's a stable version that I use in an inter-cloud network, so I don't need to regularly update anything, and I don't need to expose my OS to the outside world, making this very positive.

Read full review

Massimiliano Adamo

Linux architect at European Commission

Has supported seamless migrations and enabled running complex data workloads securely

The best features Rocky Linux offers include clustering and all the packages from Red Hat.Rocky Linux has impacted my organization very positively because we migrated everything from CentOS and Windows servers to Rocky Linux. Everything is clear, with good packaging, and now it's version 9.6, which is very important for us due to security problems since we are in Europe. Rocky Linux is very good for security and other aspects. Since migrating to Rocky Linux, I've seen specific outcomes such as improved security because CentOS stopped the project, and security patches aren't being released. We need to maintain a system similar to Red Hat, which is very stable and has many features such as file system, topology, and containers.

Read full review

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Government

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

12%

University

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	40
Midsize Enterprise	17
Large Enterprise	71

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Large Enterprise	12

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 Linux?

The product is 99.99% stable.

What do you like most about Rocky Linux?

It's very simple to work with, easy to learn, and know where things are.

What needs improvement with Rocky Linux?

I have no suggestions regarding how Rocky Linux can be improved. I haven't identified any areas that need improvement yet.

What is your primary use case for Rocky Linux?

As a Cloud Ops Engineer, we are setting up the server on the EC2 machine with Rocky Linux, while also doing some setup related to the frameworks for Ruby. We are installing their dependencies relat...

Ubuntu Linux vs Oracle Linux

Comparisons

Compared 21% of the time

CentOS vs Oracle Linux

Compared 18% of the time

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs Oracle Linux

Compared 11% of the time

Oracle Solaris vs Oracle Linux

Compared 9% of the time

SUSE Linux Enterprise vs Oracle Linux

Compared 6% of the time

More Oracle Linux Competitors

Fedora Linux vs Rocky Linux

Compared 26% of the time

Debian vs Rocky Linux

Compared 18% of the time

Ubuntu Linux vs Rocky Linux

Compared 17% of the time

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs Rocky Linux

Compared 7% of the time

openSUSE Leap vs Rocky Linux

Compared 7% of the time

More Rocky Linux Competitors

Product Reports

Download Oracle Linux product report

Oracle Linux

October 2025

Download Rocky Linux product report

October 2025

Also Known As

Oracle Enterprise Linux

No data available

Overview

Oracle Linux is a stable, reliable, and scalable operating system primarily used for deploying and running Oracle databases. It is also suitable for various other functions, including managing operating systems and web servers, supporting traffic surveillance, and identity management.

Oracle Linux is highly valued for its stability, reliability, scalability, good technical support, and ease of use. It has helped organizations to achieve faster DNS queries, stable development environments, reduced vulnerability issues, good performance for Oracle applications, and improved ability to run test scenarios and parallel queries across massive databases.

Oracle Linux Features

Oracle Linux has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

The software is 100% free (no cost) to use, distribute, and update

Ksplice allows for zero-downtime kernel and user-space upgrades

DTrace provides comprehensive kernel and application tracing

For Oracle Linux Support clients, Linux management and high availability are available at no additional cost

It's Oracle-optimized and works well with Oracle Database and Oracle Applications
New workload optimizations:
- Enhanced memory performance by attempting to better locate a process near its memory and better placement of tasks that do not fit on a single NUMA node
- SPECjbb's performance has been improved by up to 3.6 times thanks to optimizations that help reduce lock contention.
- With bcache, it's simple to employ SSDs as a block cache for slower block devices. A new, scaled block layer subsystem supports many millions of IOps on NVM-Express and high-end PCI-E devices.
Oracle Linux has three deployment options:

Linux in the cloud: Oracle Linux Premier Support is included in all Oracle Cloud Infrastructure subscriptions at no additional cost.
Linux on premises: This is the industry's most comprehensive and open Linux distribution.
Embedded Linux design: Embedding a feature-rich Linux distribution is an optimized, cost-effective solution for your business.

Oracle Linux Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing Oracle Linux. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

Save money by only paying for support for the systems you need
Improve security by applying patches faster and spending less time troubleshooting and updating
Improve Oracle software and hardware performance

Reviews from Real Users

Oracle Linux stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its stability and scalability. PeerSpot users take note of the advantages of these features in their reviews:

One PeerSpot reviewer, an IT Manager, reports, “I find the virtualization the most valuable.” He adds, “Oracle Linux is the best Linux operating system that I have ever known. It is very stable and strong.”

An Enterprise Architect at a financial services firm writes of the solution, “You also don't have memory issues, especially when it is engineered with platforms like Exadata and Oracle Cluster. These give you the most throughput and performance.” He adds, “It is very scalable, especially on platforms like Oracle Cluster and Exadata.”

Oracle

Rocky Linux is a robust and secure enterprise-grade operating system designed as a drop-in replacement for CentOS. Its primary use case is to provide a stable and reliable platform for organizations to run their critical workloads and applications.

The most valuable functionality of Rocky Linux lies in its compatibility with CentOS, ensuring a seamless transition for organizations already using CentOS. It offers long-term support, regular security updates, and a predictable release cycle, providing stability and reliability for mission-critical systems.

Rocky Linux helps organizations by offering a free and open-source alternative to CentOS, which was discontinued by Red Hat. It allows businesses to continue using their existing CentOS-based infrastructure without the need for costly migrations or vendor lock-in. With its strong community support and active development, Rocky Linux ensures a sustainable and community-driven future for CentOS users.

Moreover, Rocky Linux is built with security in mind, providing robust features like SELinux and secure defaults. This helps organizations protect their data and systems from potential threats and vulnerabilities.

Sample Customers

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Information Not Available