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Rocky Linux vs Windows 11 comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 13, 2025

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
4.3
Transitioning to Rocky Linux yields cost savings and efficient support, though ROI remains partially evaluated due to retained resources.
Sentiment score
5.7
Users found Windows 11 cost-effective, especially with free upgrades, though some questioned the ROI without noticeable enhancements.
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.
System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
ROI has been good as we have significant open source community involvement.
Technical Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
I have seen a return on investment since there was definitely money saved at the time due to the lack of need for licensing since Rocky is available openly.
System Administrator at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Windows 11 is more stable compared to its earlier versions.
IT Manager
It has definitely saved time and generated a return on investment as well.
Presales Engineer at Crayon
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.5
Rocky Linux is reliable with minimal customer support needed; community resources are effective, and official support responds promptly.
Sentiment score
6.0
Windows 11 support is generally quick and knowledgeable, though accessibility varies, especially between newer and older hardware.
The support level is extraordinary, providing on-time assistance.
Senior System Engineer at Al Jazeera Media Network
We have not yet needed to contact a vendor regarding Rocky Linux.
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.
System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Everything should work perfectly if you have new hardware that matches the Windows 11 requirements.
Head of IT department at Monetars
For issues that require level three or level four support, they initiate a process with Microsoft to address the problem.
Telecom Project Consultant at Nexa Resources
The technical support team’s response time is very slow.
Senior Technical Manager at Peristent Systems
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
5.6
Rocky Linux is praised for scalability, ease of integration, and effective performance in scalable and high availability environments.
Sentiment score
5.6
Windows 11 is praised for scalability, offering smooth installation, quick deployment, and adaptability despite some hardware challenges.
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.
CloudOps Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
It has handled growth or changing needs well.
System Administrator at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
The scalability is quite good, though there are some issues with Rocky Linux.
System Engineer at clusterkit
The system is used to control the whole site and the air traffic in every city.
Software Integration Engineer at Thales
We faced challenges integrating it in multi-app environments, requiring complex API setups.
Associate Vice President at Rishabh Software
The solution's scalability is good because it allows you to run a large number of virtual machines.
Senior Technical Manager at Peristent Systems
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Rocky Linux is praised for stability, reliability, and ease of use on low-resource systems, receiving high user satisfaction ratings.
Sentiment score
6.0
Windows 11 is praised for performance but criticized for stability issues and frequent update disruptions, with mixed user feedback.
Rocky Linux is stable, scalable, and it is very much easier to use.
System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Rocky Linux is stable.
Software Engineer at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
With the tool, we are able to control airplane traffic.
Software Integration Engineer at Thales
The solution's high level of stability ensures that the machine doesn't go down multiple times.
Senior Technical Manager at Peristent Systems
The stability can be influenced by the status and specifications of our company PCs.
IT Specialist at EMA
 

Room For Improvement

Rocky Linux needs improvements in software availability, documentation, integration issues, updates, Kubernetes support, and security solutions to satisfy user needs.
Windows 11 needs stability, security, and interface improvements as users face compatibility issues, complex installations, and high pricing.
It is based on customer requirements, as they might want to use Rocky Linux or Ubuntu, depending on their needs.
System Engineer at clusterkit
Rocky Linux could be improved by having more integration with Kubernetes.
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.
System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
For a better experience, Windows 11 should be improved to take fewer resources.
Delivery Manager at Ford Motor Company
The needed improvements in Windows 11 include that the Copilot integration needs a better user interface experience with rich features, alongside making a very simple UI experience as well.
Presales Engineer at Crayon
The product should focus more on security, particularly Outlook.
Manager IT at Diamond Fabrics, Sapphire
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise clients find Rocky Linux economical, with options as low as $10 yearly, enhancing affordability compared to VMware.
Enterprise users see Windows 11 pricing as high yet fair, benefiting from integrated licensing, bulk deals, and deployment advantages.
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.
Network Infrastructure Manager at SAGEMCOM
There is no extra cost for a license if we are purchasing Rocky Linux from the AWS Marketplace.
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.
Server & Cloud Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a nine out of ten.
IT Manager
The tool is expensive.
Cyber security manager at Apparel
I have a university license, so I do not pay anything for Windows 11.
Associate Professor at a educational organization with 501-1,000 employees
 

Valuable Features

Rocky Linux enhances reliability and efficiency with strong community support, stability, easy migration, scalability, and cost savings.
Windows 11 offers a user-friendly interface, enhanced security, productivity features, and seamless integration with Microsoft tools, boosting its appeal.
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.
IT / IAM Senior Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
For production deployment, Rocky Linux is a great choice because it offers full RHEL compatibility without licensing costs, along with strong community support.
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.
Linux architect at European Commission
The tool's most valuable feature is its stability.
Telecom Project Consultant at Nexa Resources
Windows is one of the best operating systems an enterprise or user can use.
Cyber security manager at Apparel
The tool is user-friendly.
Manager IT at Diamond Fabrics, Sapphire
 

Categories and Ranking

Rocky Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.6
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Windows 11
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Rocky Linux is 12.2%, down from 13.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows 11 is 8.3%, up from 4.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Rocky Linux12.2%
Windows 118.3%
Other79.5%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Massimiliano Adamo - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Naveenkumar Lakshman - PeerSpot reviewer
Presales Engineer at Crayon
Daily work has become smoother and organized as I manage calls, notes, and files efficiently
The best features that Windows 11 offers in my opinion are Notepad++ and the integration, as I could use Microsoft 365 on it and I could also run many applications. If I want to use Linux, then I could use Windows Subsystem for Linux as well. Most of the industry-wide applications are easily installable on Windows 11 and user-friendly as well. Windows 11 has definitely impacted my organization positively because you could see that all the day-to-day activities, most of our professionals would use a Windows system itself. In terms of productivity, Windows 11 has made a positive difference as we use a mail inbox with its links and Microsoft Teams, which is available. Windows 11 is natively installable and very friendly with the compatible operating system, and alongside, we have other applications that are available. Edge browser, which is the default browser for Windows 11, is also a good browser and a very decent option. Additionally, we have other features available for the day-to-day activities. You can see it gives you a basic calendar, calculator, and camera options, and you have the File Explorer. You get a pretty decent operating system for a layman to work on a day-to-day basis. While there are certain tasks that consume a certain amount of time, Windows 11 reduces the time. The usability and architecture, how it is built, makes a user get into a state where they don't need to spend excessive effort on the task to be done. You can get everything through a UI-based interface, and everything is sorted and very simple. Over the period of time, the operating system evolution by Microsoft is good for the individual workspace.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
13%
Computer Software Company
13%
University
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Computer Software Company
10%
University
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Large Enterprise14
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

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 am not an expert on Rocky Linux, but I do not have anything to say regarding improvements; I think it is doing better. I chose a rating of eight out of ten because Rocky Linux must grow more; it ...
What is your primary use case for Rocky Linux?
My main use case for Rocky Linux is for the Nutanix environment, where we have a data center and everything is hosted there, including all the services and systems. Rocky Linux is the main OS of th...
What do you like most about Windows 11?
We use Windows 11 for our workstation’s daily operations.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Windows 11?
It is very difficult to say the price for Windows 11. I mean, what do you say about the Windows price? Everybody wants it cheaper, and if you get it cheap, then you still want it cheaper.
What needs improvement with Windows 11?
I wouldn't say I particularly enjoy Windows 11 because I've been so used to using it, I'm fine with using Windows 11. Comparing Windows 11 with a Mac, it's smoother to operate on the Mac OS. The Ma...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Rocky Linux vs. Windows 11 and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,768 professionals have used our research since 2012.