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CentOS vs Windows Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 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

CentOS
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
9th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
69
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Windows Server
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
194
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 4.6%, down from 8.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server is 9.8%, up from 8.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Windows Server9.8%
CentOS4.6%
Other85.6%
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.
Jai Prakash Sharma - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient Management Achieved with Internal Resources and Reliable Technical Support
Maintenance of Windows Server varies by organization, but for us, it's not very difficult as we have in-house resources managing these tasks. However, it can become a bit tricky when we want to see a collated view of our security posture. Regarding AI integrations with Windows Server, Copilot adoption is progressing, though I have only experienced it on endpoints and not on the server side. We operate significant workloads on AI, but we consume those primarily on Linux rather than Windows Server. I don't have much experience regarding integration capabilities in Windows Server for AI workloads, so I may not be the right person to provide insights on that. Overall, I am quite happy with my experience using Windows Server. I don't have many constraints or concerns, so I would rate it eight out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"There's lots of great documentation available."
"Very robust and easy to work with."
"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 product offers a free community-based version."
"The initial setup is very easy."
"CentOS is very easy to use, and all the commands are user-friendly."
"The latest version of this solution has everything built in, making it comprehensive and very easy to use."
"It is a scalable and cost-effective product compared to public cloud solutions."
"Windows Server is easy to use."
"The solution is user-friendly, the UI looks good, and there are new versions every year. Each new version is very different, better, and cleaner."
"This solution is very user friendly, easy to use for any system administrator, simple to deploy applications, has a wide range of applications available, great UI, and takes less technical skills to operate than some other competitors."
"PowerShell is a great feature of the solution."
"Network configuration and management in Windows Server is very easy, providing fast deployment, plug and play capability, and simplified partition creation."
"The simplicity of the solution is the most valuable aspect."
"Windows Server performance is very good for backups."
"I like the fact that Windows Server is user friendly."
 

Cons

"It could be more secure."
"It is challenging to scale the solution when we have to increase the storage capacity from one end."
"The stability could always be improved."
"I would like to see more frequent updates."
"GUI could be merged and expansion simplified."
"Previous versions were unstable."
"The support could be a bit better."
"The price could be better. They could add more drivers in terms of peripherals and other things. Add more drivers for the Linux specifications in the next release. Right now, they are just pushing to have more drivers for Windows instead of Linux."
"The stability is not very good because you have to restart the system to keep the stability."
"It is not fast and is very slow. Versions before 2002 are not stable."
"The system needs to offer better integration capabilities."
"The license is a one-time purchase. The cost could be less expensive. We have education pricing, so it's okay now because we pay less than other agencies."
"Sometimes we face some overload on the server."
"It would be nice if it was more user-friendly."
"The initial setup of Windows Server was complex."
"The solution should improve its stability."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is no price or licensing required — it's open-source."
"CentOS is a free solution."
"CentOS is cheaper compared to Windows."
"There are no licensing costs for CentOS."
"For the enterprise version of CentOS, there is a license required. However, for personal use, I do not need a license."
"It is open-source, which means it is a free product. It has a one-time deployment cost."
"Once you buy the license, Linux will provide you with yearly or monthly patches, so your systems will be scalable for a long time."
"It's freeware, so we can use it without worrying about licensing."
"We have purchased Windows Server’s yearly license."
"To use Windows Server, we pay for licensing yearly. The licensing cost should be cheaper—it is expensive and should not cost that much."
"It could be cheaper."
"The license model needs improvement."
"There is a license required and it is on an annual basis."
"Windows Server is expensive. We purchase its yearly license."
"There is a license required for this solution."
"The product was quite 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
16%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Government
8%
University
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise23
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business77
Midsize Enterprise41
Large Enterprise88
 

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 Server?
I don't have experience with Windows Server containers and Kubernetes for deploying cloud-native applications. I cannot provide specific improvements for Windows Server because I don't have extensi...
What is your primary use case for Windows Server?
At the office, the main use case for Windows Server involves different functions, for example, file server or firewall and the IIS server, Microsoft Internet Server, Internet Information Services. ...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

CentOS 7 (x86_64) - with Updates HVM
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Rakuten, Rackspace, Tyco
Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Windows Server and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
867,497 professionals have used our research since 2012.