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CentOS vs Ubuntu Linux vs openSUSE Leap comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 5.1%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of openSUSE Leap is 6.3%, up from 5.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubuntu Linux is 13.4%, down from 22.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Mahender Nirwan - PeerSpot reviewer
In-depth documentation available and command-line utility works well
One issue I recently faced, but I think it was due to my IT support guys, was that when the server storage gets full, the service crashes. It's very difficult to regain access and stability in that situation. That could be improved. So, the stability might be improved. But I don't think it's a CentOS-level issue. The system administrators need to come up with a solution for that, but I don't think it's CentOS's fault. I haven't done any research [R&D] on this issue. There's one thing for sure. We recently migrated from CentOS 7 to CentOS 9, and it was a bit difficult. For example, updating Windows is simple; you just download it, and it takes about 15-20 minutes. But that's not the case with migrating from CentOS 7 to 9. We had to back up the entire server, launch a new server, and then restore the backup to the new server. We couldn't directly migrate. I think that was a bit of a problem. The setup and updates are not that new in CentOS.
NK
Provides BTRFS file system, which allows you to take snapshots
I only use the tool for testing purposes on my team, but multiple people use it. We don't make a team effort to install the solution. When it comes to maintenance, we ask our company to buy SUSE Linux Enterprise. My team consists of 13 people. We are currently integrating the solution with Ansible to do some coding. Although not a full-fledged automation, we are integrating the solution with Ansible and executing a couple of playbooks connected to openSUSE Leap. I would recommend the solution to other users looking for an open-source solution. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Kevin Haury - PeerSpot reviewer
Linux's advanced terminal empowers versatile usage and ongoing secure development
Initially, there was nothing complicated. It's easy since I have many years of experience with it. However, if I were a beginner with Linux, it could be completely disruptive compared to Windows. So, I would have to spend some time practicing with Linux to understand how it works and how I can accomplish the same tasks compared to Windows. Maybe one month, at least.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"If I need to install a feature or fix a server issue, I can easily find answers online. The CentOS community is also vast and helpful."
"The solution is easy to use but not as easy as Windows."
"It's easy to install."
"There are a lot of sources on the internet that you can use to solve any issues, and people share their experiences. It's not a closed system"
"The solution is productive."
"The technical support is good."
"I find the solution's stability to be the most valuable feature of it since I have been using a virtual machine with the help of the solution since 2015, and it still works on all the laptops in my organization."
"The most valuable feature of CentOS is that it is easy to use."
"The solution is very stable after it is configured. It is hard to have a panel slow, a problem, misconfiguration, or any kind of loss function."
"The solution is easy for me to use because the backend is derived from FreeBSD and this is something I have been using for over 20 years."
"The most valuable feature by far has been the virtualization capabilities of the operating system."
"openSUSE Leap has helped me with using containers in Podman."
"Stable - it just runs without the necessity to reboot."
"The solution's most valuable feature is the BTRFS file system, which allows you to take snapshots."
"The product is easy to use."
"The solution is user-friendly."
"The initial setup is simple."
"The solution is free to use."
"Ubuntu is very easy to use and you can manage it on your own."
"The most valuable features are that it's free and that it is simple to use."
"There is a lot of freedom and flexibility to install it really quickly. It is just very powerful in the sense that it doesn't take up as many resources to run as some of the other operating systems. It is open source, so it is free. There is no licensing fee. There is flexibility and freedom to do whatever you need to do. If you are familiar with the command line, you can jump on the command line and configure almost any part of the operating system that you want. If you are not comfortable with the command line, the graphical user interface has really improved ever since I started using Linux back in high school. It is really very simple to manage your settings and other things. You can also try out multiple desktop environments. As a matter of fact, on one of my laptops, I have installed five different desktop environments, and I can switch between them. If you don't like one, you can easily just install another one with a few commands, and you have got a whole new desktop right there, whereas, in Microsoft Windows or a Mac, you are just stuck with whatever they give you, and you have to wait until they sell you something else."
"The solution has a very good graphical user interface."
 

Cons

"The security could be improved because the server system isn't very secure."
"It would be ideal if Red Hat would continue the CentOS versions in an open-source format. They seem to be moving away from that. Now only paid versions are available."
"In terms of commands, it's all CLI and there isn't any GUI which can make it challenging to use for some people."
"CentOS NetworkManager is an area of concern in the solution that needs improvement, and it is the same with other products from Red Hat."
"Lacks sufficient security and some coding tools."
"The GUI interface could always be better."
"The performance could stand improvement."
"Integration with other platforms could be improved."
"In the future, the Active Directory could improve."
"I would like openSUSE Leap to have better link integration with Windows."
"Somehow the change from OS12.x via 13.x to Leap was a bit bumpy and some old issues seemed to reappear."
"Like most Linux-based operating systems, the biggest challenge Leap faces is the GUI."
"There is room for improvement in the console."
"It would be helpful if we could easily switch from openSUSE Leap for testing to SUSE Linux Enterprise for production."
"The solution is not user-friendly in comparison with Windows."
"Ease of use and ease of deployment could still be improved in this system."
"The solution has a bit of a learning curve. It's not too high, however, you do need to understand the solution to deploy it and work with it effectively."
"There is a large open-sourced community that is helpful. I had a lot of problems when starting out and there was plenty of assistance throughout the community. Since everyone is helping for free the support could be better."
"In general, Windows is easier to use and friendlier to deal with than Ubuntu."
"I would recommend they improve the network security, because it can be very difficult. I mentioned that when you upgrade Ubuntu, the network cut is always deactivated, so you have to restart the service to reactivate the network. It is important to improve this ability."
"You have to do a lot of configurations yourself. It is not very user friendly."
"I find the solution could be easier to use, more flexible, user-friendly, and have a better UI."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's freeware, so we can use it without worrying about licensing."
"This is a free solution."
"The solution is free of cost to use."
"We use the free, open-source solution because we cannot afford the price for Linux."
"I'm not required to pay a licensing fee."
"CentOS is cheaper compared to Windows."
"There are no licensing fees for CentOS."
"The solution is not subscription-based, unlike Red Hat."
"openSUSE Leap is an open-source solution that is free of cost."
"The cost of this solution was reasonable and it was within our budget."
"The solution is open-source."
"This is an open-source operating system that can be used free of charge."
"I use the free version, so I don't have any license fees."
"This is a free solution."
"The solution is free."
"Ubuntu Linux is free."
"I don't need to pay for the license."
"We don't pay a licensing fee for the solution."
"Ubuntu Linux is free for personal use, including business use."
"​Old equipment works for at least two or three years more, which means a significant savings.​"
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Comparison Review

it_user281973 - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 24, 2017
It's improved our company's system environments that run Oracle databases.
Red Hat is mission critical to our environment Red Hat has improved the mission critical environments running Oracle databases, while CentOS has improved our web environment and MySQL. Oracle and SAP Environment and all HPC environments. 10 years No issues Very stable i don´t find any problem…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Comms Service Provider
15%
Educational Organization
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
14%
University
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which would you choose - RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) or CentOS?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is fantastic. It is an inexpensive solution that has excellent security, performance, and st...
What do you like most about CentOS?
CentOS is very easy to use, and all the commands are user-friendly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CentOS?
CentOS is a free product with free updates. There are third-party companies available for support, but they charge va...
What do you like most about openSUSE Leap?
openSUSE Leap has helped me with using containers in Podman.
What needs improvement with openSUSE Leap?
Both openSUSE Leap and the SUSE Enterprise version use the same kernel. Suppose I have a lower environment where I ca...
What is your primary use case for openSUSE Leap?
I use openSUSE Leap for testing purposes. Before officially using any server in our office, we test it using the solu...
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 suppo...
What do you like most about Ubuntu Linux?
It has a good support system for loading databases.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ubuntu Linux?
The cost is not much, and I am not sure about the licensing cost because a separate team handles it.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

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Ubuntu
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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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 Red Hat, Canonical, Oracle and others in Operating Systems (OS) for Business. Updated: May 2025.
851,491 professionals have used our research since 2012.