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CentOS vs Windows 10 comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 7, 2024

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

CentOS
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
69
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Windows 10
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.2
Number of Reviews
274
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 5.5%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows 10 is 3.0%, down from 4.5% 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.
Akos Szirmai - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy installation and the initial setup time is reasonable
Stability can be an issue. I have to restart it every two days. And the boot time is quite long. My laptop's old, has no SSD, and is just a traditional Winchester. Had desktops with Windows 11 and SSDs, much better performance. But hardware limitations on my current laptop lead to stability and response issues. It's more like the whole reinstall every two years thing. It makes cleaning a pain. Performance improves significantly after a fresh install, then slowly deteriorates as I add more programs. But my biggest concern with Windows 10 is actually bigger than my situation. I'm replacing my laptop anyway, but I read that Windows 10 support ends in a year or so. And with hardware limitations, many other computers won't run Windows 11. So it's not just me. A lot of people with decent, still-working Windows 10 machines will lose support and be unable to switch to 11. This will be a significant problem for individuals and institutions. Large companies with thousands of computers don't replace them every three years, and they might face issues with many computers unable to run Windows 11 and lacking support for 10.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We used the solution as an operating system."
"The initial setup is very easy."
"Very robust and easy to work with."
"I like its stability, performance, and usability."
"The solution is stable and reliable."
"CentOS is very efficient and very powerful with many capabilities."
"The most valuable feature is that it is compatible with RedHat."
"The solution is productive."
"We use Windows due to the fact that the system is good for us and for our information system."
"The solution is easy to use and user-friendly."
"The solution is easy to use and secure."
"The product is user-friendly and runs on multiple PCs."
"It is user-friendly, and it supports many applications. I am working as an enterprise lead, so I have different client applications, and they are mostly compatible with Windows. The graphical interface of Windows 10 is better than Windows 8."
"Windows 10 has a convenient user interface."
"Windows installation is straightforward. It only took about 30 minutes."
"The most valuable feature is the interface."
 

Cons

"The YUM install manager can be improved. It is below average as compared to the other install managers. This is the only major problem that I see with CentOS. They should reduce dependency on the YUM manager."
"As an open-source solution, there isn't much technical support."
"I have had a tough time with the product's scalability, making it an area where improvements are required."
"CentOS can be somewhat difficult for beginners, as it has a complex UI, especially for those not in the IT field."
"The price of CentOS could improve."
"CentOS could be improved with more user-friendly monitoring."
"The product lacks a graphical user interface that can help users automate certain systems using the native features offered by CentOS."
"Integration with Open Stack could be improved."
"We are using Defender for security protection, which is part of Windows 10. We have been receiving a lot of spam mail, but when we speak to Microsoft, they claim the email is from a genuine website. However, inside that mail, there is a link, and when we click the link, it is spam. They need to improve their customer support when dealing with these types of issues."
"I've had some issues with a configuration that's given me trouble."
"I would like to see an easier licensing system."
"MS Office or Internet Explorer has a big ribbon on top, which occupies needed space."
"The solution could always be more secure, even though I am quite happy with its level of security at the moment."
"Windows 10 needs to be a little bit more secure."
"The search feature could be improved."
"Windows 10 should provide more frequent updates."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is open source so is free."
"There are no licensing fees. CentOS is a free solution."
"The product is free."
"The price could be better. The cost depends on how the organization or a specific person licenses it. If you want the free version, there's Ubuntu which is supported by forums. You can pay for the license yearly or pay for a specific version."
"Once you buy the license, Linux will provide you with yearly or monthly patches, so your systems will be scalable for a long time."
"This is a free solution."
"This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs involved."
"We don’t have to pay for the system’s licenses."
"There is an annual subscription to use this solution."
"There is a license required for this solution."
"The product is moderately priced."
"We pay Microsoft a yearly license fee."
"We pay for an annual license."
"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."
"The initial version came with the PCs and the upgrade we were able to get cost approximately $12 per computer. It was really cheap."
"Licensing fees are paid yearly."
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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%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
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 stability, and also lots of features. I specifically like that the solution has fe...
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?
I am not responsible for the setup cost in my company, so I am unsure about the cost of the license.
What needs improvement with Windows 10?
I do not have notes for improvement.
What is your primary use case for Windows 10?
In my case, I would mostly say it's because of security reasons. At least for the typical use cases that I generally rely on Windows for, there didn't seem to be a noticeable performance difference...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Windows 10 and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
849,600 professionals have used our research since 2012.