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SUSE Linux Enterprise vs Windows Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 3, 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
1.0
SUSE Linux Enterprise provides higher returns for SAP deployments than Red Hat, offering cost-effective subscription pricing and support savings.
Sentiment score
6.2
Windows Server enhances efficiency and cost-effectiveness with stability, reducing dependency, operating expenses, and time/resource usage by 10-20%.
I have seen a return on investment by switching our clusters from on-prem to Azure public cloud, using our same Bring Your Own Licenses, which saved costs on licensing.
We're very competitive commercially and technically because of it.
We've seen value in Windows Server because the systems work smoothly without any problems.
Windows Server offers excellent value for money, particularly when compared to alternatives.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
1.0
SUSE Linux Enterprise offers reliable paid support with variable costs, often supplemented by community resources and user forums.
Sentiment score
6.4
Customers appreciate easy setup and positive support but note issues with response times and expertise for complex problems.
The customer support is good; whenever we have opened a case, they have provided detailed explanations of the issues and resolutions.
Our in-house team can also solve most issues.
If you go through a partner who sells or supports Windows, the support could be around seven out of ten, because Windows relies on these partners for assistance.
Microsoft's technical support for Windows Server has been lacking, with rare responses even with premium support.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.8
SUSE Linux Enterprise is scalable, easy to maintain, cloud-compatible, and reliable, although some package compatibility issues exist.
Sentiment score
7.9
Windows Server offers scalable expansion, supporting diverse user bases and enterprises, with integration capability for effective business adaptability.
Its scalability is quite good since we are using Azure, which allows us to easily scale up or down our resources as needed.
I've worked in companies with 20,000 to 100,000 users, and it scales beautifully without issues.
I rate its scalability a ten out of ten.
It's definitely scalable.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
SUSE Linux Enterprise is stable and reliable, with occasional glitches, especially in newer versions or specific configurations.
Sentiment score
7.6
Windows Server is praised for stability and reliability, though some users report security concerns and occasional compatibility issues from updates.
When HANA is utilized by many applications, I notice that while utilization does increase, we have never faced lagging or server unresponsiveness.
We have experienced no blue screens or crashes and often achieved an uptime of 2,000 to 3,000 days without any issues whatsoever.
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
The tool is stable.
 

Room For Improvement

Users of SUSE Linux Enterprise face challenges with updates, integration, costs, support, and seek improved documentation and features.
Windows Server needs better performance alignment, security enhancements, clearer documentation, integration, UI simplification, and improved technical support.
The software manager was different, making it challenging to install certain applications.
The license we subscribed to should carry over within the same instance family.
We face difficulties troubleshooting issues without sufficient resources.
From a security perspective, sometimes, malware attacks and hackers take advantage of the tool's vulnerabilities.
Deploying antivirus and firewall software on the server is advisable, but having an external firewall adds an extra layer of security.
Windows Server needs to improve its speed and stability.
 

Setup Cost

SUSE Linux pricing is mixed, affordable compared to Red Hat, but costs increase with support and add-ons.
Windows Server pricing is seen as complex and expensive, but offers flexible licensing options based on business needs.
Upgrading an instance results in overlapping or double subscription fees.
The licensing cost is a bit high.
It is quite expensive.
Previously, a Windows Server with two processors cost around two 154 euros annually, but now it is estimated to be around 3,000 to 4,000 euros for the same configuration.
On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the most expensive, I rate it ten out of ten.
 

Valuable Features

SUSE Linux Enterprise is praised for seamless upgrades, YaST management, Oracle/SAP support, security, performance, and BTRFS flexibility.
Windows Server excels in feature integration, performance, and ease of use, enhancing enterprise application management and interoperability.
SUSE Linux had a clean user interface, which was a valuable feature for me.
It has a stable and reliable OS.
The LVM is very easy to configure, along with simple disk scanning compared to other systems.
Windows Server is a stable and scalable solution.
The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that every Microsoft product is scalable, flexible, secure, and available on a certain budget.
The IP directory is the most valuable feature.
 

Categories and Ranking

SUSE Linux Enterprise
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
6th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.5
Number of Reviews
34
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Windows Server
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
194
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of SUSE Linux Enterprise is 6.6%, down from 8.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server is 9.8%, up from 8.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Windows Server9.8%
SUSE Linux Enterprise6.6%
Other83.6%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Naveen Venugopal - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient IT management with crucial automatic updates but needs developer-friendly configuration
Sometimes it is a bit of work for developers to change the configurations. Some kernels will not fit with some packages, and this aspect could be improved. Furthermore, the system's rigidity when updating packages and services needs improvement. Additionally, there should be more loosely bound functionalities to improve developer experience.
Jai Prakash Sharma - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient Management Achieved with Internal Resources and Reliable Technical Support
Maintenance of Windows Server varies by organization, but for us, it's not very difficult as we have in-house resources managing these tasks. However, it can become a bit tricky when we want to see a collated view of our security posture. Regarding AI integrations with Windows Server, Copilot adoption is progressing, though I have only experienced it on endpoints and not on the server side. We operate significant workloads on AI, but we consume those primarily on Linux rather than Windows Server. I don't have much experience regarding integration capabilities in Windows Server for AI workloads, so I may not be the right person to provide insights on that. Overall, I am quite happy with my experience using Windows Server. I don't have many constraints or concerns, so I would rate it eight out of ten.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Government
8%
University
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise11
Large Enterprise18
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business77
Midsize Enterprise41
Large Enterprise88
 

Questions from the Community

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...
What needs improvement with Windows Server?
I don't have experience with Windows Server containers and Kubernetes for deploying cloud-native applications. I cannot provide specific improvements for Windows Server because I don't have extensi...
What is your primary use case for Windows Server?
At the office, the main use case for Windows Server involves different functions, for example, file server or firewall and the IIS server, Microsoft Internet Server, Internet Information Services. ...
 

Also Known As

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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, ...
Rakuten, Rackspace, Tyco
Find out what your peers are saying about SUSE Linux Enterprise vs. Windows Server and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
867,497 professionals have used our research since 2012.