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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
5.3
Number of Reviews
277
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 4.8%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows 10 is 2.7%, down from 4.3% 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.
Deboprio Dutta - PeerSpot reviewer
Improved security features with gaming enhancements while supporting various features
I understand that Windows 11 supports quite a bit of additional features for people who are, for example, into high-end gaming and the features that support that kind of utility. It's not personally much of a thing for me, however, I've heard about differences between the two operating system versions. To the best of my knowledge, I think Windows 11 brings some AI features for Microsoft Copilot, which probably weren't as integrated into the previous version. There are the occasional bugs and issues that pop up, yet none are significant enough for me to consider a major update. Overall, it's a smooth experience.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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 most valuable feature is performance."
"I like how you can alternate certain things and minimize admin features on there and just let it run on specific scripts. It's nice. Even if I had to put it in a container, I'd still do it. I prefer Linux over Windows any day."
"The pricing is good. We pay a minimal fee."
"There's lots of great documentation available."
"The technical support is good."
"You can work with the UI or in command line, if you prefer."
"It’s scalable."
"The solution is stable."
"I recommend Windows 10 for beginners."
"I've pretty much used the solution without incident."
"I understand that Windows 11 supports quite a bit of additional features for people who are, for example, into high-end gaming and the features that support that kind of utility."
"Windows installation is straightforward. It only took about 30 minutes."
"I am impressed with the tool's interface and navigation."
"The Windows Store concept, in my opinion, is valuable."
"Some things that I like about Windows 10 are its GUI, its performance is good, and it has many features."
 

Cons

"The price of CentOS could improve."
"It would be useful if reporting were included as part of the basic license."
"CentOS NetworkManager is an area of concern in the solution that needs improvement, and it is the same with other products from Red Hat."
"It is challenging to scale the solution when we have to increase the storage capacity from one end."
"Integration with Open Stack could be improved."
"This solution is no longer suited to our business following the change they have made to the release process. It is no longer an enterprise solution."
"The server system is a little bit tough to manage."
"In terms of commands, it's all CLI and there isn't any GUI which can make it challenging to use for some people."
"It could benefit from more integration."
"MS Office or Internet Explorer has a big ribbon on top, which occupies needed space."
"Stability can be an issue. I have to restart it every two days. And the boot time is quite long."
"The updates take a lot of time to complete, and they could be faster."
"The stability could improve and it could be more secure."
"The system frequently attempts to update Windows 10 software, which significantly slows down my laptop computer."
"The solution could always be more secure, even though I am quite happy with its level of security at the moment."
"The solution's pricing could be a little cheaper."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is open source."
"There is no price or licensing required — it's open-source."
"It's freeware, so we can use it without worrying about licensing."
"We have a CentOS license that we pay for on a yearly basis."
"There are no licensing costs for CentOS."
"There are no costs for CentOS, it is open-source."
"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."
"It's free."
"I don't pay for my personal use. However, my company certainly has some licenses, but I'm not aware of what they pay for them."
"There is a license required for this solution."
"The initial version came with the PCs and the upgrade we were able to get cost approximately $12 per computer. It was really cheap."
"The license came with the computer when I purchased it."
"The solution is expensive, but they do not have any competition."
"There is an annual subscription to use this solution."
"We pay for the license, and it's fine."
"The solution is a bit expensive."
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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
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
9%
 

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?
CentOS is a free product with free updates. There are third-party companies available for support, but they charge varying amounts for their services.
What needs improvement with Windows 10?
The only annoyance is the frequent updates that come almost every month or couple of months. A couple of updates could enhance the experience overall.
What is your primary use case for Windows 10?
I use Windows 10 ( /products/windows-10-reviews ) as my main operating system for daily business. It is part of a couple of different systems that I use, including Linux.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Windows 10 and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
856,874 professionals have used our research since 2012.