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Apache Kafka on Confluent Cloud vs SUSE Linux Enterprise 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Apache Kafka on Confluent C...
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
AWS Marketplace (2nd)
SUSE Linux Enterprise
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
Operating Systems (OS) for Business (7th)
 

Featured Reviews

Ritik Varshney - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced data streaming with reliable features and good analytics
Apache Kafka on Confluent Cloud provides an enhanced level of reliability and resources compared to Apache Kafka alone. It offers more features which are beneficial for our clients, including cluster linking, schema registry, error handling, and dead-letter queues. It significantly improves customer and publisher satisfaction, especially with topic integration and data streaming.
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Overall, I think it's a good experience. Apache Kafka can be quite complex and difficult to maintain on your own, so using Apache Kafka on Confluent Cloud makes it much easier to use it without worrying about setup and maintenance."
"In case of huge transactions on the web or mobile apps, it helps you capture real-time data and analyze it."
"Confluent Cloud handles data volume pretty well."
"Kafka provides handy properties that allow us to directly configure the data, whether to keep it or discard it after use."
"The state-saving feature is very much appreciated. It allows me to rewind a certain process if I see an error and then reprocess it."
"Kafka and Confluent Cloud have proven to be cost-effective, especially when compared to other tools. In a recent BI integration program over the past year, we assessed multiple use cases spanning ship-to-shore and various Azure integrations. Our findings revealed that Confluent Kafka performed exceptionally well, standing out alongside Genesys and Azure Event Hubs. While these three are top contenders, the choice among other tools depends on the specific use case and project requirements. The customer initially used tools like SMQs, FITRA, and Stream for real-time data processing. However, after our recommendation, Confluent Cloud proved to be a superior choice, capable of replacing these three tools and simplifying their data infrastructure. This shift to a single tool, Confluent Cloud, streamlined their operations, making maintenance and management more efficient for their internal projects."
"The product's installation phase is pretty straightforward for us since we know how to use it."
"Apache Kafka on Confluent Cloud is more reliable and frequent to use compared to Apache Kafka."
"The return on investment has been significant, especially considering its cost-effectiveness compared to other solutions."
"SUSE Linux's most valuable feature is the documentation - there is a lot of documentation about how to create custom servers."
"The technical support services are good."
"YaST simplifies the server management of SUSE allowing for a centralized utility to control most of the server functions."
"It's a flexible solution."
"SUSE Linux Enterprise is stable."
"The most important feature is the automatic kernel lifecycle subscription, which is critical for us because the server cannot go down once we start offering any services on the cluster."
"Out-of-the-box SLES supported all of our HBAs and hardware specific components."
 

Cons

"There are some premium connectors, for example, available in Confluent, which you cannot access in the marketplace, so there are some limitations."
"There's one thing that's a common use case, but I don't know why it's not covered in Kafka. When a message comes in, and another message with the same key arrives, the first version should be deleted automatically."
"There could be an in-built feature for data analysis."
"Regarding real-time data usage, there were challenges with CDC (Change Data Capture) integrations. Specifically, with PyTRAN, we encountered difficulties. We recommended using our on-premises Kaspersky as an alternative to PyTRAN for that specific use case due to issues with CDC store configuration and log reading challenges with the iton components."
"The solution is expensive."
"Some areas for improvement in Apache Kafka on Confluent Cloud include issues faced during migration with Kubernetes pods."
"Maybe in terms of Apache Kafka's integration with other Microsoft tools, our company faced some challenges."
"The administration port could be more extensive."
"The free version sometimes has security holes."
"I have not seen an ROI with this solution."
"If you want to do something simple like changing an IP number, you have to be quite aware of all the configuration files where you will change that."
"I would appreciate the product's future releases being lighter and operating more efficiently on smaller systems."
"I don't like the frequency of updates, especially if they're only from the vendor."
"All distributions of Linux could use some improvement."
"The software management side was a bit difficult, especially compared to Ubuntu."
"The quality of support offered by SUSE Linux Enterprise is not that great, making it an area where improvements are required."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Regarding pricing, Apache Kafka on Confluent Cloud is not a cheap tool. The right use case would justify the cost. It might make sense if you have a high volume of data that you can leverage to generate value for the business. But if you don't have those requirements, there are likely cheaper solutions you could use instead."
"I consider that the product's price falls under the middle range category."
"I think the pricing is fair, but Confluent requires a little bit more thinking because the price can go up really quickly when it comes to premium connectors."
"When we first implemented this product, we had licenses for support."
"There is no license for this solution, there is only a subscription of support available."
"The license we pay is for Oracle. We make use of the community edition."
"The platform is affordable."
"I rate the product price an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."
"Anyone can use Linux because it is open-source."
"The price of SUSE Linux Enterprise could be cheaper. Other solutions, such as"
"I have to pay for a license in order to get support."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
8%
Transportation Company
7%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Apache Kafka on Confluent Cloud?
Kafka and Confluent Cloud have proven to be cost-effective, especially when compared to other tools. In a recent BI integration program over the past year, we assessed multiple use cases spanning s...
What needs improvement with Apache Kafka on Confluent Cloud?
I think what I would improve about the solution is the cost, mostly. From my standpoint, it's the cost. From an engineering perspective, it works really well. There's always room for improvement. O...
What is your primary use case for Apache Kafka on Confluent Cloud?
We find that the best features include using the CDC functionality with the connector to take the data from our SQL database and publish it to many consumers. Any changes enable us to easily publis...
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...
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
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, ...
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