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AlmaLinux vs Ubuntu Linux comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 4, 2026

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

AlmaLinux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
17th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.5
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ubuntu Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
150
Ranking in other categories
OpenStack (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of AlmaLinux is 2.9%. The mindshare of Ubuntu Linux is 8.8%, down from 14.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Ubuntu Linux8.8%
AlmaLinux2.9%
Other88.3%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Reliable long-term hosting has reduced server migrations and lets me focus on projects
One area for improvement with AlmaLinux is the use of SELinux to secure and harden my server, which I find to be a complicated beast. Better documentation on that part could be useful, although there is a lot of material out there. I choose a nine because nothing is ever perfect. For example, coming from Ubuntu, I found their firewall software easy to use, while with AlmaLinux's entire ecosystem, I always have to look up how to use firewall-cmd. These are just little preferences. I cannot think of anything else AlmaLinux could improve; it serves me well, and I have not been missing anything.
Salim Ahmed - PeerSpot reviewer
System Administrator at mmcytech
Has supported secure application hosting and reliable server management
I find the GUI to be good in Ubuntu Linux, and I appreciate the open SSH. The fact that it is free since it is open and open-source is why I appreciate it and feel it is secured. We have multiple different kinds of support related to Ubuntu Linux, including official support and other options. I am currently using laptops, desktops, and servers, and Ubuntu Linux supports all these devices. If I need it for Raspberry Pi or something similar, I can download another Linux distribution. Ubuntu Linux is scalable, especially for servers. We prefer using Ubuntu Linux Servers rather than Windows. The biggest advantage of Ubuntu Linux for me is that it is open-source, secured, and scalable.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"AlmaLinux has impacted our organization positively by providing a stable and reliable enterprise Linux platform without licensing cost."
"The most valuable feature I find in AlmaLinux is the binary compatibility with RHEL and the long-term stability, which makes it a predictable, rock-solid system behavior, while also having small and safe packaging for subsystems or systems that run twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week."
"AlmaLinux provides free updates and security, unlike Red Hat, where support must be purchased separately."
"Positively, I can say that AlmaLinux has brought a sense of stability, and besides the security patches, we also noticed better virtualization for our use cases."
"The long-term support provided by AlmaLinux helps my business by ensuring that we do not have to renew our servers every four to five years."
"The solution is stable."
"It is fast and easy to install. It also supports containers and all kinds of libraries. I can do almost everything with it."
"I rate Ubuntu Linux ten all the way."
"Compatibility with hardware is very good with Ubuntu Linux; I have seen very few issues regarding compatibility."
"The setup is fairly easy."
"The solution is user-friendly."
"Use of the tools for systems and software to test functionalities."
"The initial setup is simple."
 

Cons

"After six months of migration, we ended up using more resources for the same websites, and that's not acceptable."
"If AlmaLinux could provide ten to twenty years of fixes, that would be an improvement because I do not want to update the system all the time, as it becomes more challenging for me as a system administrator to track all the patches and everything I should patch on the system."
"One area for improvement with AlmaLinux is the use of SELinux to secure and harden my server, which I find to be a complicated beast."
"Ubuntu Linux could improve by having more out-of-the-box functionality for common plug-and-play devices, such as printers. It's sometimes more difficult to plug-and-play printers with Ubuntu Linux. You need to work a bit and make some drivers work. They need to work a bit on plug-and-play devices."
"Ubuntu Linux does not easily detect the drivers of new devices, and you need to do some trial and error for some of the third parties porting into it."
"Sometimes certain tasks are challenging due to issues with the command-line interface. Users who prefer Windows may find it difficult to transition to Linux."
"The user interface must be more user-friendly for non-technicians."
"There is room for improvement, particularly in the GUI aspect of the product."
"Could be even more light weight than it currently is."
"They aren't as user-friendly as Microsoft. The solution can use a better UI."
"There aren't enough experts in my country to be able to help troubleshoot or to post answers to problems."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"Ubuntu Linux is free, but you can pay for a supported version that is better."
"Ubuntu Linux is free to use."
"I am using the free version. There is no subscription."
"It's an open-source solution that can be used free of charge."
"It is also manageable and financially affordable."
"We do not incur a licensing fee for the solution, as we make use of the free version."
"I am using the free version of the solution."
"We don't pay a licensing fee for the solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
University
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
11%
University
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business85
Midsize Enterprise22
Large Enterprise52
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AlmaLinux?
AlmaLinux is free, so there are no costs there. The open source licensing helps a lot, and the setup cost is just my own time invested in learning the platform.
What needs improvement with AlmaLinux?
I would like to see better tools in terms of memory consumption with AlmaLinux. I would like to know what processes exactly are consuming how much memory and have better core dumps or system core d...
What is your primary use case for AlmaLinux?
I provide hosting and email services for customers using AlmaLinux. Most of our customers are using Plesk for managing their domains, and some servers end up having 300 or 400 domains, while others...
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 support. This solution is suitable for both desktop and server use. It has a very app...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ubuntu Linux?
My experience with the pricing for Ubuntu Linux is that I always use the free version, so I never paid for any installations or support.
What needs improvement with Ubuntu Linux?
I was thinking that Ubuntu Linux and Windows would work on the same machine. With Windows 11, they came together, so it is a good thing. On the GUI, when I use SSH or PuTTY or what is called a cons...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

AlmaLinux OS 8 (x86_64), AlmaLinux OS 10 (x86_64)
Ubuntu
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
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 AlmaLinux vs. Ubuntu Linux and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.