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Oracle Solaris vs SUSE Linux Enterprise 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

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
SUSE Linux Enterprise
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
7th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
32
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 Solaris is 2.4%, down from 3.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SUSE Linux Enterprise is 7.2%, down from 8.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

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…
Dominique Locksley - PeerSpot reviewer
Has good kernel modules and upgrades
I like how the tool handles kernel modules and upgrades - we rarely have issues after upgrades, unlike with other Linux distributions like Oracle Linux or Ubuntu. The kernel module management is excellent. Changes made in one version typically work the same in other versions too, which isn't always the case with other distributions. There's also lots of information and community support available if you run into any problems, both on the official website and in forums and user groups. I know many people who use it specifically, so it's easy to get independent support if needed. I've been working with the tool for a long time, since 2003, before they became SUSE Linux Enterprise. It's always been one of the most admin-friendly Linux versions.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"One of the main features of this solution is the ease of use."
"It stands out for its exceptional stability."
"Oracle Solaris has a graphical interface that is user-friendly, especially with its use of dark colors."
"Its networking has helped me combine the power of a neural network with the benefits of virtualization to improve the AI's performance."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy."
"The most valuable feature of Oracle Solaris is the incremental backup that happens in the system."
"We like that the virtualization is built in, so you don't have to spend extra money on buying licenses for a hypervisor."
"It is a scalable solution. I recommend it for bigger companies."
"The tool’s idempotency ensures all configurations are in place at all times."
"The technical support services are good."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy."
"Out-of-the-box SLES supported all of our HBAs and hardware specific components."
"It also was very easy to setup, and offered an easy to use advanced setup option as well. This helped to create special configurations for different use cases."
"SUSE Linux Enterprise is easy to configure for those who are not hardcore command-line driven."
"The main feature is that Linux is flexible to work with for most web-based applications."
"The return on investment has been significant, especially considering its cost-effectiveness compared to other solutions."
 

Cons

"The tool is quite complex and difficult for anyone trying to use or study it."
"More monitoring tools could be included in the product."
"There is an issue where Solaris doesn't give the correct figures for memory use when checked."
"I believe before Oracle was using Oracle Linux, they were using Oracle Solaris for their customers who are using Oracle databases. This was because it was more optimized for the hardware built for it. It has good performance for the database only. However, if you take it out of the Oracle applications, it will not do well compared to other operating systems, such as Linux or even Windows can have better performance."
"The primary drawback with this product is the lack of version updates."
"Solaris is not easy to use. It needs better GUI, UI, and configuration tools."
"It would be helpful if the solution offered backend management. In the 11.4 version, Oracle added a management console. It would be great if we maybe had a user management tool to go with it."
"Oracle Solaris can improve by supporting all the recent features that are in the market from other competitors."
"I have not been overly impressed with their technical support."
"The quality of support offered by SUSE Linux Enterprise is not that great, making it an area where improvements are required."
"The solution could be more stable."
"I don't like the frequency of updates, especially if they're only from the vendor."
"The solution has to be fine-tuned with better documentation."
"In the next release it would be nice to see more integration and better automation of processses."
"Red Hat has more packages that are available than SUSE does. I'd love to see more projects based on SUSE."
"The software management side was a bit difficult, especially compared to Ubuntu."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is a very expensive product."
"Solaris is highly priced compared to other solutions, but since it's a niche product, this is to be expected."
"The solution is expensive and is based on an annual fee."
"Its licensing is on a yearly basis."
"The price is not good and needs to improve."
"There is no OS licensing cost if you use their hardware and purchase hardware maintenance."
"The current setup with hardware devices involves a higher cost, but the performance is top-notch."
"There should be an option to install the solution for free and just pay for the support. We purchased an annual license and the price could be better."
"Anyone can use Linux because it is open-source."
"The price of SUSE Linux Enterprise could be cheaper. Other solutions, such as"
"The price is reasonable."
"I rate the product price an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."
"The product is expensive. We purchase its yearly license."
"As far as licensing goes, there is nothing unusual here. The price and model have worked fine for my organization."
"I have to pay for a license in order to get support."
"Regarding pricing, everybody would want it to be cheaper."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
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 ...
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 do you like most about SUSE Linux Enterprise?
The initial setup is simple and takes five minutes for deployment and if you have automation in place, it will take four minutes.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SUSE Linux Enterprise?
I used the open-source version, so there were no setup costs.
What needs improvement with SUSE Linux Enterprise?
The software management side was a bit difficult, especially compared to Ubuntu. The software manager was different, making it challenging to install certain applications. Additionally, I encounter...
 

Also Known As

Solaris 11, Solaris
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Siemens, IVV
Air India, Akademicki Szpital Kliniczny (ASK), Allone, Altran, Apollo, ARCHIVA, Asia Innovatory Management School, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH, AutoData Norge AS, Baldor Electric, Business Connexion, CASIO, Ciclum Farma, Delta Lloyd, Edumate , HPE,  SAP SE,  Lenovo, BMW, T-Systems, UCX, Turners & Growers, Shenzhen Development Bank, Bosch Group, JK Tyres & Industries, IOCL, European Space Agency, Daimler AG, China Minsheng Banking Corp, Café Coffee Day, Unisys,  Petrochina Company Ltd, Fitch Ratings, ABeam Consulting Co Ltd, Tyro Payments, Rackspace, Pacific Textiles, ...
Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle Solaris vs. SUSE Linux Enterprise and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
847,862 professionals have used our research since 2012.