We use this solution for web applications. We are customers of CentOS and I'm head of the operations and compliance department.
Head of Department of operational and compliance at a consultancy with self employed
Provides efficient virtualization and good security
Pros and Cons
- "The product is very efficient when it comes to virtualization."
- "Integration with Open Stack could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The product is very efficient when it comes to virtualization and good from a security perspective.
What needs improvement?
I'd like to see better integration with Open Stack, because it can be a bit of a struggle. The solution requires a lot of experience on Linux. I'd like to see the GUI become more user-friendly so that someone who doesn't have much experience can use it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for 20 years.
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CentOS
January 2026
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy given my level of experience with Linux. Installation takes about 20 minutes, and then extra time for deploying some tools. I generally carry out the maintenance for our company.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We're using the open-source version of CentOS.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I sometimes use Ubuntu for network service. The main difference is that if you don't upgrade with Ubuntu, you have to change the source and that can create problems that we don't experience with CentOS.
What other advice do I have?
If you have experience with this solution, it's a good product. Without sufficient knowledge of Linux it's important to purchase support with the product.
I rate this product 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior manager
Simple to set up and widely supported
Pros and Cons
- "CentOS' best feature is that it's the standard product for Linux, so it's well-supported."
- "It would be useful if reporting were included as part of the basic license."
What is our primary use case?
I mainly use CentOS to host training-related applications.
What is most valuable?
CentOS' best feature is that it's the standard product for Linux, so it's well-supported.
What needs improvement?
It would be useful if reporting were included as part of the basic license.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using CentOS for fifteen to sixteen years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
CentOS is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
CentOS is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward and took between fifteen and thirty minutes.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
CentOS is cheaper compared to Windows.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend CentOS to other users and rate it eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
CentOS
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about CentOS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
879,853 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Delivery head at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
high performance, simple to use, and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of CentOS is the speed and it is very easy to use."
- "CentOS could improve by having troubleshooting logs."
What is our primary use case?
We use CentOS an operating system if we want to install or do some processing.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of CentOS is the speed and it is very easy to use.
What needs improvement?
CentOS could improve by having troubleshooting logs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using CentOS for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
CentOS is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of CentOS is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of CentOS is easy. You can do it with basic knowledge. The full deployment took approximately three hours.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation of CentOS in-house. We have approximately two people for the implementation and maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
I rate CentOS an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Teaching and research assistant at a university with 201-500 employees
Simple to install, quick to deploy, and adaptable
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of this solution is that it is free."
- "Continuous deployment is the only thing that can be improved."
What is our primary use case?
CentOS is a platform that is specifically used for tools that are required in our organization.
We found a way to adapt it to our own needs.
How has it helped my organization?
It's one of two platforms that can work with the tools we use; without it, we couldn't do anything.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of this solution is that it is free.
What needs improvement?
Continuous deployment is the only thing that can be improved.
I would like to see support in the next 10 years. They will discontinue support for some CentOS versions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with CentOS for four years.
We're not working with the most recent version, but rather the one before it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Only the most recent version is unstable. The versions previous and the most recent are usually stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a PC-only solution with CentOS installed on each PC, making it scalable.
We have 10 users in our organization.
We have no plans to increase our usage.
How are customer service and support?
We have not contacted technical support. We haven't needed to.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I am also familiar with Xilin.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. I would rate the initial setup a two out of five.
It took approximately an hour to install CentOS on a PC.
What about the implementation team?
We did not use a third party such as an integrator, reseller, or consultant. We completed the deployment ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
CentOS is free.
There are no additional costs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Red Hat Fuse, which is a CentOS variant. We used CentOS as it's free.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend that you determine which CentOS version was used because some versions will no longer be supported in the coming years.
I would rate CentOS an eight out of ten. If they would continue to support the previous version, I would rate this solution a 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Technical Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Cost-saving solution that helps to scale down usage
Pros and Cons
- "CentOS's most valuable features are that it's cost-saving and helps to scale down your usage."
- "CentOS could be improved with more user-friendly monitoring."
What is our primary use case?
CentOS is mainly used for server installations and VMs.
What is most valuable?
CentOS's most valuable features are that it's cost-saving and helps to scale down your usage.
What needs improvement?
CentOS could be improved with more user-friendly monitoring.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
CentOS is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We use CentOS on a VM, so it's fixed usage.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've also used Debian and Ubuntu.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward as it's a managed service, so we just needed to spin up the VM. Deployment took around four to five months.
What about the implementation team?
We used an in-house team.
What other advice do I have?
I would give CentOS a rating of eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Open-source with good performance and is the equivalent to Red Hat
Pros and Cons
- "It's less expensive than Red Hat."
- "As an open-source solution, there isn't much technical support."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is the equivalent to Red Hat, so everything is good and very equivalent. If you can't afford to have Red Hat, you can use CentOS. I primarily use the solution for testing purposes.
What is most valuable?
The product is stable.
The scalability is good.
It's less expensive than Red Hat. The product is open-source.
What needs improvement?
As an open-source solution, there isn't much technical support.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for a few years now. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. Its performance is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I've never scaled it or tried to. That said, it must be. It is just a replica of Red Hat, and therefore it must be.
I use the solution myself, for personal use. My business unit is using this product and we may expand it to one or two more people. We wouldn't scale up to more than that.
How are customer service and support?
I've never directly dealt with technical support. I cannot speak to how helpful or responsive they would be.
The product is kind of open-source. I am not sure of the support model for this one.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use Red Hat.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is not complicated. It is straightforward in terms of the setup process.
What about the implementation team?
I'm able to handle the installation process myself. I do not need the help of any integrators or consultants.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If a company cannot afford Red Hat, they should use this product.
It's an open-source solution.
What other advice do I have?
I'm dealing with version seven or eight at this time. I can't remember which one.
I'd recommend the solution to others.
I'd rate the solution a seven out of ten. If there was more support available to users, it would get a higher rating.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior data engineer at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
High performance, good interface, and simple implementation
Pros and Cons
- "The user interface of CentOS is intuitive, we can also use the command prompt."
- "When comparing the GUI of CentOS to Microsoft Windows or Mac, it could improve."
What is our primary use case?
We use CentOS for our transactions and our data warehouse server. We established a replication between those servers.
What is most valuable?
The user interface of CentOS is intuitive, we can also use the command prompt.
What needs improvement?
When comparing the GUI of CentOS to Microsoft Windows or Mac, it could improve.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using CentOS for approximately eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
CentOS is open-source has good performance and is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
CentOS is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
I have not needed to contact technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The installation of CentOS is simple, The solution can be used on servers and on personal computers. You are always able to pick what packages you would like to use with the installation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are no costs for CentOS, it is open-source.
What other advice do I have?
We successfully installed MicroStrategy 10, Composer for PSP, Laravel, and many PSP libraries on CentOS.
I would recommend CentOS to others if the users want to have an open-source solution.
I rate CentOS an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Unix System Administrator at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Easy to install and manage
Pros and Cons
- "It's easy to install."
- "Updates are going to a streaming version."
What is our primary use case?
We have very varied, different uses. Mostly it's an appliance for applications.
How has it helped my organization?
It's required for some of the applications we have. In order to run those applications, we have to have CentOS.
What is most valuable?
It's easy to install.
What needs improvement?
They're changing how they're working, and I really enjoy the easy updates. Now they're going to a streaming version, which I don't like. We want to control the updates manually. We have an application that we don't want to be updated without our knowledge.
If you want to do something special on install, you can. But when they have 68 questions about how you want to install, you answer each one of them. A very simple, default install would be nice.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using CentOS for more than 12 months.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is extremely scalable. We have about 200 people using it at this point, mostly engineers or database guys.
We'll probably have a minor increase in usage, but not a huge increase in how many nodes we'll have.
How are customer service and support?
CentOS has no technical support. You just look it up if you have a problem.
Red Hat is the paid version of Linux. They take out all the Red Hat stuff and make CentOS Linux with no support. But a lot of people use it, and a lot of people post. So if you have a problem, you just look online and it's fine.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I did use Red Hat a long time ago, and I switched because they couldn't seem to decide how they wanted to charge for their service. I was perfectly happy to just pay them, but it would range by huge amounts. I couldn't maintain that.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is in between straightforward and complex. It could be easier. There are too many options, and I'd like a lot less.
What about the implementation team?
Deployment takes a half-hour, and we did it in-house. One person, myself, takes care of deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are zero licensing costs for the solution.
There are admin costs. We run it on VMware, so there has to be VMware cost.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
There were a few other options, but CentOS is heavily used and that helps.
What other advice do I have?
Just be aware of the changes they're about to make, which is from the regular updates to streaming. That's major.
I would rate the solution nine out of ten. It's easy to install, it's easy to manage, it's free.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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