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CentOS vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs Ubuntu Linux 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 August 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 4.7%, down from 8.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is 9.2%, down from 12.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubuntu Linux is 12.2%, down from 20.1% 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.
Bruce Lundberg - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable patch management, high uptime, and incredible knowledge base
In terms of security, it does a lot of things that most people still turn off. SELinux is turned on by default. They have pretty good firewall rules in their defaults. The audit rules always take tweaking, but, overall, it comes out of the box not too bad. I used to write scripts to harden them from there. There are multiple ways to provision and patch. You have everything from local repositories to doing it by hand. Their knowledge base is incredible. There is so much information out there. It has never taken me longer than 30 minutes to find an answer to anything, even very tough ones. One company I worked for was a security company, and we did a lot of patching on everything. It was designed around security and email hosting, and uptime was pretty much whatever we wanted it to be. I have had a couple of times when the uptime was bad, but it was caused by a third-party solution. In fact, the Norton antivirus was definitely the worst. Red Hat had nothing to do with it.
PrashantSharma - PeerSpot reviewer
Performs efficiently but requires overcoming a learning curve
There are many differences between Ubuntu Linux and Windows as they are totally different systems. You need to have more knowledge about Linux before using Ubuntu Linux. Although it is designed as a desktop system, basic knowledge is still required. Windows can be used by any layman, which is the main difference. I do not know much about security breaches or potential issues. The Wi-Fi and wireless capabilities work perfectly fine. Excluding the learning curve, I would rate it a 10. However, considering the learning curve, I would give it a six or seven. My advice would be to have patience. Overall rating: 10 out of 10.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It helps us install and deploy our applications."
"The product is very efficient when it comes to virtualization."
"The solution is open source."
"Its performance is most valuable. There is a performance boost as compared to when the applications are run on Windows OS."
"It is better than Ubuntu Linux."
"We particularly like that we can remove the graphic user interface to minimize attack settings for the operating system."
"The most valuable feature of CentOS is that it is easy to use."
"It’s scalable."
"The most valuable feature of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is its security, which is more secure than Windows."
"The solution is stable and reliable."
"Until now, RHEL has been the most stable OS I have ever seen. Nothing seems to break, with frequent updates. I have been running it 24/7 for the past 18 months and it runs flawlessly."
"It has improved our organization's management and efficiency."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux is almost perfect in terms of stability."
"One pro is that at the operating system layer, like, RHEL has better support from Red Hat, and if something goes down, I found many resources for troubleshooting and stuff online."
"Red Hat is open source, so what we get with Red Hat Enterprise Linux is valuable support that is not included in the free version."
"The most valuable feature is the OpenShift platform."
"The security is very good."
"My total rating for Ubuntu Linux is ten out of ten."
"The solution is user-friendly."
"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."
"Ubuntu is very easy to use and you can manage it on your own."
"What makes Ubuntu easy to use is the large set of applications and the interface. The graphical interface is user friendly."
"There is substantial documentation and community support available."
"It has a nice user interface and provides frequent updates."
 

Cons

"The stability could always be improved."
"Lacks sufficient security and some coding tools."
"The solution’s stability could be improved."
"They could build more options into the wizard."
"If a proper GUI-based tool was connected remotely or on the machine, it could be a great addition to CentOS."
"If CentOS could add Office features then that would be beneficial. Additionally, the UI could improve."
"The price of CentOS could improve."
"Integration with other platforms could be improved."
"The licensing cost of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is high and could be improved."
"A completely new setup should not be required when upgrading to a new version."
"Improvement is needed for supporting Kubernetes clusters because it is less supported by Red Hat according to my experience."
"To enhance Red Hat Enterprise Linux, I would like to see more focus on improving performance and tools such as compilers."
"I'm happy with the value RHEL delivers, but there's always room to improve."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) can be improved by making it lighter. By making it lighter, there should be versions for specific cases, for customers or images."
"I have seen that the upgrade from RHEL 7 to RHEL 8 can be a bit problematic since I have seen some issues during the upgrade of libraries, along with some conflicts with the other libraries in the tool."
"There can be a faster resolution. When we have production issues, they take around 30 to 60 minutes to come up with a solution. It would be quite helpful if their response is faster. They are also not reachable over the phone, so we need to wait for their callback for the ticket."
"The solution could improve by being more secure."
"Could be even more light weight than it currently is."
"The problem with the license costs for Ubuntu Linux right now is due to currency exchange, as everything is based on US dollars."
"Ease of use and ease of deployment could still be improved in this system."
"The support can be improved."
"The repository needs to be kept up to date all of the time."
"I think Ubuntu is not that secure."
"At times, it can be complex when we are trying to integrate or when we are trying to set up some features."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have a CentOS license that we pay for on a yearly basis."
"The solution is open-source and does not have any costs or licensing fees."
"It is open-source, which means it is a free product. It has a one-time deployment cost."
"There are no licensing fees for CentOS."
"I'm not required to pay a licensing fee."
"CentOS is an expensive solution. There are other solutions that are rated at the top that are not expensive, such as Red Hat."
"Once you buy the license, Linux will provide you with yearly or monthly patches, so your systems will be scalable for a long time."
"The solution is free of cost to use."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux is suitably priced with various support tiers to match organizational needs and environments."
"We are an educational institution and as such, what we pay is less than the average company."
"It is cost-efficient for the tasks it does and the improvements that it brings. For a professional environment, it is very cost-efficient. It was easy to purchase the subscription."
"The product is on the expensive side."
"Our client has a direct subscription to Red Hat."
"That has been mostly handled by Red Hat. As we are a Red Hat shop, we have a lot of people around that already."
"I find the cost of this solution expensive."
"Operating in the cloud space, we typically point our customers to pay-as-you-go licensing, which comes through the various cloud providers repository services."
"Ubuntu Linux is an open-source operating system."
"It is open source, so it is free. There is no licensing fee."
"Ubuntu Linux is more affordable than its competitors."
"I don't need to pay for the license."
"The solution is open-sourced."
"​Old equipment works for at least two or three years more, which means a significant savings.​"
"The solution is free."
"The solution is open source and its use is included in the monthly fees we pay."
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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
16%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
13%
University
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
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 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
It is open source. We can customize it as per our requirements.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
The licensing cost for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is comparable to SUSE for premium support. For approximately $...
What needs improvement with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
All major Linux distributions should have common commands, which would make it easier for users to understand and rem...
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?
My experience with the pricing for Ubuntu Linux is that I always use the free version, so I never paid for any instal...
 

Also Known As

CentOS 7 (x86_64) - with Updates HVM
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, RHEL
Ubuntu
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Travel Channel, Mohawk Industries, Hilti, Molecular Health, Exolgan, Hotelplan Group, Emory University, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, HCA Healthcare, Paychex, UPS, Intermountain Healthcare, Brinker International, TransUnion, Union Bank, CA Technologies
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: July 2025.
865,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.