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

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs SUSE Linux Enterprise vs Ubuntu Linux comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is 9.9%, down from 12.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SUSE Linux Enterprise is 7.2%, down from 8.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubuntu Linux is 14.0%, down from 22.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

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.
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.
Kevin Haury - PeerSpot reviewer
Linux's advanced terminal empowers versatile usage and ongoing secure development
Initially, there was nothing complicated. It's easy since I have many years of experience with it. However, if I were a beginner with Linux, it could be completely disruptive compared to Windows. So, I would have to spend some time practicing with Linux to understand how it works and how I can accomplish the same tasks compared to Windows. Maybe one month, at least.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Their security library is well-maintained."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux 's most valuable feature is its reliability. I don't have to worry about the operating system. It's one of the easiest operating systems for databases, and the integration is excellent. It gives me peace of mind because I can focus on my database work without worrying about my OS. I want to ensure I have applications that run on the OS without searching for temporary fixes or workarounds."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux's most valuable feature is that it comes with all the tools we need to set up and maintain an enterprise-grade system."
"The support for OpenShift and CoreOS is valuable, as we frequently use support services and rely heavily on Red Hat support for assistance."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux has enabled us to achieve security standards certification, which has allowed us to maintain business operations without interruption."
"The security, ongoing support, and ease of taking a system and getting authorization from a government agency have helped the way our organization functions."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides a strong foundation for compliance and offers extended support, which is particularly valuable for critical upgrades and assistance."
"It is a stable solution."
"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."
"It is very easy to maintain, migrate and upgrade."
"SUSE Linux Enterprise is stable."
"The initial setup for most modern Linux distributions is normally straightforward. Most of the common distributions use an ncurses or GUI install."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy."
"SUSE Linux's most valuable feature is the documentation - there is a lot of documentation about how to create custom servers."
"The initial setup is simple and takes five minutes for deployment and if you have automation in place, it will take four minutes."
"The operating system is efficient in terms of security."
"Ubuntu Linux is easy to start, and MicroK8s is easy to deploy. Plug into the back-end storage and networking is also easy. It is good to start with 3-4 nodes, but hard to scale. For production grades like 20 or 100 nodes, we go with the RedHat for on-premise."
"The setup cost is free."
"The main feature of the solution is it has a command-line editor."
"Ubuntu is very easy to use and you can manage it on your own."
"The auto upgrade operating system feature."
"Ubuntu Linux is flexible because it has a lot of new features, so you can use it without any problems."
"The trifecta comprising the solution's most valuable features consists of its stability, security and performance."
"The most valuable feature of Ubuntu Linux is the price because we don't need to pay as it is used for selling equipment."
 

Cons

"The bootup time for Red Hat Enterprise Linux running on physical hardware in the data center can be improved. We have seen cloud-based Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and it is instantaneous. You wait for a few seconds, and the operating system is up and running. It is a lot faster, whereas it takes a very long time when running Red Hat Enterprise Linux on physical hardware."
"The performance component is available on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, but we need to maintain the dashboard on-premises, which requires us to switch between systems instead of performing all tasks from a single location."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux should modernize its UI to make navigating the screens easier."
"The solution should provide demos so that users can learn to use it and improve their environments."
"Some of the solution's features need to be automated. We encounter the hassle of registering the system and attaching a subscription."
"The implementation and limitations of SELinux should be re-evaluated."
"Sometimes we just don't have a web interface available for repetitive tasks. It would be nice to have a web-based tool for Red Hat Enterprise Linux since we don't always have access to a web browser."
"When there is downtime from a system admin perspective, this solution could improve how they communicate why this down time is happening."
"The solution could be more stable."
"The interface could improve."
"SUSE Linux could provide more information about cost and the details of how clustering works."
"They should improve their educational portal."
"Red Hat has more packages that are available than SUSE does. I'd love to see more projects based on SUSE."
"Compared with the competition, of late actually, the solution has increased its pricing tremendously."
"The software management side was a bit difficult, especially compared to Ubuntu."
"When working in a Department of Defense environment, Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) have to be followed. SLES is not really addressed directly here. It did make following security policy difficult."
"I want more insights and security features in the pro version, specifically activities and vulnerabilities. When releasing a new version, it's crucial to ensure no vulnerabilities. Sometimes, a new version may have minor vulnerabilities, like one medium and one low. These typically take about two weeks to resolve. More regular patching, especially addressing security vulnerabilities, is essential to improve."
"It should be easier and lighter. I am more experienced in working with CentOS, and I find CentOS much easier to use than Ubuntu. Ubuntu is more complicated than CentOS. Ubuntu is also heavier for hardware than centOS."
"The config file can be changed in many ways, but with other solutions, there is only one way to configure the system."
"They can improve the interface and give it an appearance similar to the Windows 11 operating system."
"The product is difficult to use sometimes."
"It can be improved in terms of user-friendliness for inexperienced users. It also has a lot of scope for improvement in terms of deployment. It is kind of hard for inexperienced users, and the learning curve is very steep. There is not really good documentation for new professionals. Even we are using network servers to install it."
"The support can be improved."
"Linux does not provide a user-friendly interface."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"RHEL's price seems to be consistently changing, depending on what you're after. We might need a more extended license to lock in a price if it keeps changing. It would be nicer if it stayed steady within a specific range, but it's negotiable. We try to negotiate, and maybe a more extended contract would be better."
"We still have a few with one-to-one standard server licensing, but we are utilizing the virtualization host licensing. We license it based on the host, not based on VMs, which is cool. I was very happy that there was certain licensing with SAP to have access to SAP repos. Its cost was the same as the regular one, so I was happy about that."
"The cost is based on each organization's budget and infrastructure."
"If you don't buy the Red Hat subscription, you don't get technical support, and you don't have all the updates. To have everything working like a charm, the cost that you pay for it is worth it. In Bolivia, we don't have the best internet connection. Therefore, we have a local service with all the packages, repositories, etc. We manage them locally, and because we have a subscription, we can update them. So, we have local repositories with all the packages and other things to make it easy for us to update all the servers. Without the Red Hat subscription, we cannot update anything."
"Its licensing is pretty confusing. There are a lot of subscriptions, and it isn't always clear which subscription is the best, but with their support, it's easy to find the right one."
"I don't have any issues with the licensing or pricing. In general, OpenShift is a little more expensive."
"The combined cost of implementing in hybrid and cloud environments to fulfill all our client's needs can be considerable."
"Its pricing and licensing are reasonable."
"The price is reasonable."
"I would advise others to download the free or strictly open source versions, then test them in their environment before committing to a purchase. This will allow for testing suitability for applications that they want to run."
"The platform is affordable."
"When we first implemented this product, we had licenses for support."
"The product is expensive. We purchase its yearly license."
"I have to pay for a license in order to get support."
"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."
"SUSE Linux Enterprise is reasonably priced compared to other operating systems. I find it's a much better option for us than Oracle, for example, because of the pricing structure. The pricing is easier to explain to clients and makes it easier to get clients' commitment. The licensing is also simpler to manage and keep track of. Their responsiveness is great - they give feedback very quickly when we ask questions about licensing or other aspects. This helps ensure we're always at the gold standard regarding licensing and everything related to SUSE Linux Enterprise."
"The solution is open-sourced."
"There is not a license needed for the solution. You only have to pay for technical support."
"Ubuntu is essentially free to download and use, making it accessible to anyone without the need for licensing costs."
"It is free."
"It's an open source solution, but you can make donations if you'd like to."
"Ubuntu is a free product."
"The solution is open source, so there is no licensing fee."
"On a personal level, I'm using the free version."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Operating Systems (OS) for Business solutions are best for your needs.
849,210 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

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…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
14%
University
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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 st...
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)?
Though a bit expensive compared to competitors, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is still recommended because it works...
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 f...
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, ...
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 suppo...
What do you like most about Ubuntu Linux?
It has a good support system for loading databases.
 

Also Known As

Red Hat Enterprise Linux, RHEL
No data available
Ubuntu
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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
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, ...
Samsung, eBay, AT&T, Walmart, Cisco, Time Warner Cable, Bloomberg, Best Buy, Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Ericsson, Orange, Wells Fargo
Find out what your peers are saying about Red Hat, Canonical, Oracle and others in Operating Systems (OS) for Business. Updated: April 2025.
849,210 professionals have used our research since 2012.