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Rocky Linux vs Windows Server 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

Rocky Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
7th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Windows Server
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
184
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 Rocky Linux is 12.1%, up from 7.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server is 9.6%, up from 8.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Dominique Locksley - PeerSpot reviewer
Very simple to work with, easy to learn, and has a competitive pricing
The UX design, the user front end, and the user GUI are very well done on the GNOME and KDE platform side. It's very simple to work with, easy to learn, and know where things are. I have worked with a lot of different solutions like Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, and CentOS. Rocky Linux is very easy, and if you switch from one to the other, you can easily detect your tools in the front end. Since it is very similar to the file system breakdown of downloads and documents, it's very easy to show users where things will be.
Sagar SampadMall - PeerSpot reviewer
User-friendly, resources available online to troubleshoot any issue
It's easy to manage core applications and deploy engineers. Windows engineers are more affordable than Linux or Unix engineers, so that's another advantage. So, the management costs are much lower for the Windows Server. Plus, troubleshooting is straightforward with readily available online resources, so we don't need to raise tickets or wait for help. We can easily search on Google and find the solution on the search engine. Windows Server is pretty mature already. They're doing a good job with it.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The custom install scripts streamline the setup process, making it straightforward."
"It helps us keep our workstations in sync and ensures consistent settings across most of our machines."
"It's very simple to work with, easy to learn, and know where things are."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is its stability."
"I haven't needed to use customer service or support, which speaks volumes about their product's reliability and ease of use."
"It is stable, scalable, flexible, and easy to use."
"The initial setup is not overly difficult."
"We use Active Directory and IIS to host different kinds of web apps. We have also used the FTP feature for our FTP server."
"What I like about Windows Server is that it is an effective and useful solution for my needs."
"Integration with other Microsoft solutions like Exchange and System Center Configuration Manager has the great ability to manage all of the different features on system support, like upgrading, securing, and troubleshooting different Windows systems for clients."
"The most valuable feature of Windows Server is its scalability and robustness."
"Windows server is easy to use."
"The most valuable features I have found to be the flexibility and wide range of support training available."
 

Cons

"One of the potential issues is that if you don't pay for support, you may need to manage certain aspects on your own and rely on the community for assistance."
"Improved integration with Windows, particularly Active Directory, would be beneficial for the product. Currently, this aspect requires additional effort."
"In terms of improvement, Rocky Linux needs to clarify its identity and target audience."
"I have certain problems with the tool's DNS part, making it an area where improvements are required."
"The solution's audio integration for virtual machines could be improved."
"Windows Server could be more user-friendly."
"The command-line interface should be improved."
"The price should be reduced."
"Perhaps the scalability could be better."
"The solution is rather expensive and could be more affordable."
"In the future, there should be better protection for this solution."
"It could be more secure. We can't compare it to other products because they have their own security and all those things. When it comes to email security, there are issues. Microsoft products used to get hacked all the time, but we're still comfortable with that."
"The only problem we have faced is when we are upgrading the solution it is complex."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Compared to the market prices of other tools, the solution has a very competitive pricing."
"The product is expensive. I rate the pricing a three."
"To use Windows Server, we pay for licensing yearly. The licensing cost should be cheaper—it is expensive and should not cost that much."
"The cost is relatively high."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"It is important to have the cheapest price for all of the material and licenses."
"It's expensive, but we have a need for it and have to purchase it."
"There are no fees involved in the solution."
"There is a license required to use Windows Server."
"I rate the product's pricing an eight out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
University
12%
Educational Organization
11%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
10%
Educational Organization
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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?
Improved integration with Windows, particularly Active Directory, would be beneficial for the product. Currently, this aspect requires additional effort.
What is your primary use case for Rocky Linux?
I use the solution in my company to do some automation stuff to run Ansible, and it has an administration server to provide all the Linux control like a client node can be connected to that master ...
What needs improvement with Windows Server?
Sometimes the performance goes down, which might be due to the stability zone or network issues. It can also depend on our network.
What is your primary use case for Windows Server?
We are using Windows Server to connect our client software. We use it to access client systems and work on SQL databases.
 

Learn More

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Rakuten, Rackspace, Tyco
Find out what your peers are saying about Rocky Linux vs. Windows Server and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.