Debian vs SUSE Linux Enterprise comparison

Debian and SUSE are both solutions in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category. Debian is ranked #14 with an average rating of 9.0, while SUSE is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.7. Debian holds a 5.5% mindshare in OSB, compared to SUSE’s 5.4% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Debian users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of SUSE users who would recommend it.

Debian

Read 10 Debian reviews

3,059 Views
2,937 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SUSE Linux Enterprise

Read 36 SUSE Linux Enterprise reviews

6,508 Views
6,313 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Debian

SUSE Linux Enterprise

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 14, 2025

SUSE Linux Enterprise and Debian compete in the enterprise Linux market. SUSE Linux Enterprise holds the advantage in enterprise-grade stability and support, making it favorable for businesses requiring dependable vendor assistance, while Debian's strength lies in community-driven versatility and adaptability.

Features: SUSE Linux Enterprise provides features like an inbuilt HANA firewall, seamless integration with SAP HANA, and advanced security and performance measures. Its automated deployment through tools like AutoYaST and reliable kernel lifecycle management are integral. Debian shines with its vast software library, strong community support, and stable performance, boasting features like compatibility across various environments and advanced package management with APT-get.

Room for Improvement: SUSE Linux Enterprise requires a registered system for support, which could complicate isolated deployments. The command-line expertise may still be necessary for advanced setups, and the resource-heavy management tools can burden smaller systems. Debian could benefit from streamlined support channels, improved corporate integration features, and more polished deployment processes to better serve enterprise environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SUSE Linux Enterprise offers a straightforward deployment experience with robust support services, catering to enterprises seeking a solution that ensures smooth operations. Debian's flexible deployment model allows vast customization, although it demands more initial setup effort due to community-based support and system configuration flexibility, serving technically skilled teams well.

Pricing and ROI: SUSE Linux Enterprise incurs higher initial costs due to its premium support and services, aiming for ROI through reduced overhead and reliability. Debian, being open-source, offers lower setup costs and excellent long-term value for businesses managing their support and systems, achieving high ROI by leveraging its cost-effective, adaptable nature.

To learn more, read our detailed Debian vs. SUSE Linux Enterprise Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Debian vs. SUSE Linux Enterprise

December 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score

6.3

Organizations saved costs with Debian by avoiding Windows fees, reducing personnel needs, and implementing a strategic savings plan.

Sentiment score

4.9

SUSE Linux Enterprise provides better ROI and cost savings for SAP deployment than Red Hat, enhancing revenue by 10-15%.

There were direct cost savings since Debian has no licensing fees, and we did not require paid support, so it saved us considerable money.

Badal Shrivastav

Embedded Linux / BSP Engineer at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees

We were able to save a substantial amount by using Linux instead of Windows and spending a lot of money on Windows licenses.

reviewer2774055

Cybersecurity Engineer at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees

I have seen a return on investment; specifically, the cost is around zero because there is no need for a license, and since my whole team uses Debian, we are fine with the number of employees needed.

Sabry Tarek

DevOps Technology Lead at TriStratus Ltd

For more quotes and insights, download the Debian report

I have seen a return on investment by switching our clusters from on-prem to Azure public cloud, using our same Bring Your Own Licenses, which saved costs on licensing.

G Srivastava

Senior cloud engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SUSE Linux Enterprise report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.2

Debian users primarily use community resources for support, with online research favored over official assistance for reliable information.

Sentiment score

5.6

SUSE Linux Enterprise support is generally praised for expertise, though experiences vary, with high costs for certain interactions.

We rely on community resources for support, such as documentation, forums, and asking questions online.

reviewer2774055

Cybersecurity Engineer at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees

Whenever I had a query, I used Google to search for it and found very helpful information from public platforms.

reviewer2774466

Cloud Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

While it does not have traditional paid customer support like some commercial distributions, the Debian community and documentation are very strong.

Badal Shrivastav

Embedded Linux / BSP Engineer at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Debian report

SUSE Linux Enterprise provides a stable, secure, and well-supported platform for enterprise workloads, with powerful management tools and robust support for clustering, cloud, and containers.

MoezCHEBBI

Senior Lead DevOps Engineer at Kyndryl

The customer support is good; whenever we have opened a case, they have provided detailed explanations of the issues and resolutions.

G Srivastava

Senior cloud engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

I rate the customer service 10 out of 10 because SUSE has 24/7 availability support, extended support, security, multi-Linux distribution support, upgradation, and everything is user-friendly.

Ajit Gite

Devops MAnager at DXC Technology

For more quotes and insights, download the SUSE Linux Enterprise report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.4

Debian's scalability, reliability, and open-source nature make it ideal for infrastructure expansion, handling multiple servers, and client demands.

Sentiment score

6.0

SUSE Linux Enterprise is praised for its strong scalability, ease of maintenance, cloud compatibility, but faces some kernel issues.

We don't spin up new Debian instances arbitrarily.

reviewer2774055

Cybersecurity Engineer at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees

As the growth of our infrastructure is required, we can host many Debian servers.

reviewer2774466

Cloud Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

We decided to use Debian because we needed a more stable and predictable base, especially for long-running systems where frequent changes or upgrades could cause issues.

Badal Shrivastav

Embedded Linux / BSP Engineer at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Debian report

Its scalability is quite good since we are using Azure, which allows us to easily scale up or down our resources as needed.

G Srivastava

Senior cloud engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

SUSE Linux Enterprise is widely recognized for its strong scalability, making it suitable for organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to global enterprises.

MoezCHEBBI

Senior Lead DevOps Engineer at Kyndryl

For more quotes and insights, download the SUSE Linux Enterprise report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.4

Debian is widely praised for its stability, with users consistently rating it highly for reliable and dependable performance.

Sentiment score

7.9

SUSE Linux Enterprise is praised for its stability and reliability, with occasional minor issues in newer versions and Hyper-V.

I rate Debian an eight out of ten because it excels in stability, reliability, and package management, which are very important for long-running production systems.

Badal Shrivastav

Embedded Linux / BSP Engineer at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees

That long-term support has helped me and my customers by being stable and running well.

reviewer2797047

Embedded Developer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

In my experience, Debian is very stable.

reviewer2774055

Cybersecurity Engineer at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Debian report

When HANA is utilized by many applications, I notice that while utilization does increase, we have never faced lagging or server unresponsiveness.

G Srivastava

Senior cloud engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

I would rate stability for SUSE Linux Enterprise an eight out of ten.

Prashant Saxena

Solution specialist Data and AI at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SUSE Linux Enterprise report

Room For Improvement

Debian users seek better update communication, intuitive package management, improved UI, and enhanced containerization and cloud deployment features.

SUSE Linux Enterprise requires improvements in package management, security policies, cloud integration, UI, documentation, licensing, and support services.

I believe security on Debian is top-notch due to its long history and the many individuals and organizations that rely on it, meaning there are many eyes on it.

reviewer2774178

Founder at a media company with 1-10 employees

If Debian had a memory-based distribution, similar to Alpine, that would be great, as we could get benefits in terms of memory or embedded systems.

Sabry Tarek

DevOps Technology Lead at TriStratus Ltd

Debian was easy to set up.

reviewer2774466

Cloud Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Debian report

Security is a top concern, and further strengthening default security policies, simplifying compliance management, and integrating advanced vulnerability management tools would be a valuable improvement.

MoezCHEBBI

Senior Lead DevOps Engineer at Kyndryl

The software manager was different, making it challenging to install certain applications.

Charles White Jr

Lead Desktop Support Technician at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

The license we subscribed to should carry over within the same instance family.

reviewer2754477

IT Manager at a wellness & fitness company with 5,001-10,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SUSE Linux Enterprise report

Setup Cost

Debian is a cost-effective, free solution ideal for enterprises to optimize setup and licensing costs compared to alternatives.

SUSE Linux Enterprise provides flexible pricing, emphasizing support over licensing, with mixed affordability perceptions but justified by scalability and support.

My experience with Debian's pricing, setup cost, and licensing has been that it is all free.

reviewer2796165

IT Support Manager at a educational organization with 5,001-10,000 employees

As long as I remain within the limit of that credit, I can create machines as much as I want without exceeding the monthly limit.

reviewer2774055

Cybersecurity Engineer at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is quite favorable; since Debian is totally free, it is one of my first options.

Sabry Tarek

DevOps Technology Lead at TriStratus Ltd

For more quotes and insights, download the Debian report

Upgrading an instance results in overlapping or double subscription fees.

reviewer2754477

IT Manager at a wellness & fitness company with 5,001-10,000 employees

I would rate pricing for SUSE Linux Enterprise considering one is a high price and ten is a low price.

Prashant Saxena

Solution specialist Data and AI at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

The licensing cost is a bit high.

G Srivastava

Senior cloud engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SUSE Linux Enterprise report

Valuable Features

Debian excels in stability, security, and support, offering customizable, efficient solutions with extensive resources for seamless web service deployment.

SUSE Linux Enterprise excels in stability, security, easy administration, cost-effectiveness, and adaptability, ideal for enterprise workloads.

Debian's stability helps me in my daily work because my work relies on stability; I'm trying to deploy production workloads, and Debian offers that stability for me.

Sabry Tarek

DevOps Technology Lead at TriStratus Ltd

Debian has kept my workflow secure by maintaining system stability with day-to-day or monthly updates with security patches, securing the system from external attacks.

reviewer2774466

Cloud Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

Debian has positively impacted my organization primarily in cost-efficiency, with on-premises hardware running faster and cheaper.

reviewer2796165

IT Support Manager at a educational organization with 5,001-10,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Debian report

SUSE Linux had a clean user interface, which was a valuable feature for me.

Charles White Jr

Lead Desktop Support Technician at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

It has a stable and reliable OS.

reviewer2754477

IT Manager at a wellness & fitness company with 5,001-10,000 employees

The LVM is very easy to configure, along with simple disk scanning compared to other systems.

G Srivastava

Senior cloud engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SUSE Linux Enterprise report

Categories and Ranking

Debian

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

14th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SUSE Linux Enterprise

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

6th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Debian is 5.5%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SUSE Linux Enterprise is 5.4%, down from 7.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Operating Systems (OS) for Business Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
SUSE Linux Enterprise	5.4%
Debian	5.5%
Other	89.1%

Operating Systems (OS) for Business

Featured Reviews

Badal Shrivastav

Embedded Linux / BSP Engineer at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees

Reliable platform has supported long-term on-prem deployments and predictable OTA updates

If I consider how Debian can be improved, it could be more accessible in making newer software versions available for users who need recent features while still maintaining default stable behavior. While backports help, the workflow could be streamlined. The release cycle can feel slow for rapidly evolving tools, and better guidance around mixing stable, backports, and testing would help. Regarding hardware support, Debian can be improved by supporting multiple BSPs, making it more versatile in the embedded domain. Hardware support for new devices can sometimes lag behind, which is understandable given Debian's focus on stability. Clearer guidance on handling newer hardware or firmware would be beneficial.

Read full review

MoezCHEBBI

Senior Lead DevOps Engineer at Kyndryl

Has delivered expert training and enabled smooth migrations using automated deployment tools

SUSE Linux Enterprise is a mature and reliable platform, but there are areas where it can be improved. Modernizing the system management tools is important as many users appreciate YaST for its centralized management, but there is a growing demand for more modern, web-based, and modular tools. The introduction of tools such as Agama, a web-based installer, and Cockpit in newer releases is a step in the right direction.SUSE has made progress with multi-Linux support, allowing organizations to manage and support not just SUSE systems but also other distributions such as Red Hat and CentOS; continuing to expand these capabilities, especially for hybrid and multi-cloud environments, will help organizations manage diverse infrastructure more effectively. Security is a top concern, and further strengthening default security policies, simplifying compliance management, and integrating advanced vulnerability management tools would be a valuable improvement.

Read full review

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

17%

Educational Organization

10%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	22

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Debian?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is quite favorable; since Debian is totally free, it is one of my first options.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Debian?

I believe Debian can be improved by adding more containerization features out of the box, and it should make some updates when it comes to the UI. In addition to the needed improvements, I think if...

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What is your primary use case for Debian?

As a DevOps engineer, my main use case for Debian is that it is my daily driver. I use Debian in my daily work most of the time for tasks such as installing daemons and servers like Nginx, hosting ...

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What do you like most about SUSE Linux Enterprise?

The initial setup is simple and takes five minutes for deployment and if you have automation in place, it will take four minutes.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SUSE Linux Enterprise?

I would rate pricing for SUSE Linux Enterprise considering one is a high price and ten is a low price.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SUSE Linux Enterprise?

SUSE can make improvements to SUSE Linux Enterprise. I have suggestions about what they can add to the product to simplify users' lives. They need to intensely work on their marketing strategy.

See all answers

Comparisons

Rocky Linux vs Debian

Compared 43% of the time

openSUSE Leap vs Debian

Compared 11% of the time

Alpine Linux vs Debian

Compared 9% of the time

AlmaLinux vs Debian

Compared 6% of the time

Kali Linux vs Debian

Compared 5% of the time

More Debian Competitors

openSUSE Leap vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 24% of the time

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 22% of the time

Ubuntu Linux vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 18% of the time

Oracle Linux vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 7% of the time

Flatcar Container Linux vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 1% of the time

More SUSE Linux Enterprise Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Debian

January 2026

Download Debian product report

Buyer's Guide

SUSE Linux Enterprise

December 2025

Download SUSE Linux Enterprise product report

Also Known As

Debian 12

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3

Overview

Debian is a reliable open-source operating system ideal for servers and desktops. With its wide array of packages and stable releases, it suits developers and organizations seeking dependable performance and security.

Debian stands out for its stability and extensive package repository, making it a go-to choice for developers. Its open-source nature ensures transparency and flexibility. Debian's package management system, APT, simplifies software installation and updates. Its security updates are regular and prompt, ensuring systems are protected. With support for multiple architectures, Debian caters to various environments from desktops to large-scale servers.

What are the key features of Debian?

Package Management: APT tool for efficient software installation and updates.
Security: Regular security updates maintain robust protection.
Open Source: Community-driven with transparency and flexibility.
Architecture Support: Compatibility with diverse hardware systems.
Stability: Reliable performance across server and desktop configurations.

What benefits and ROI should be considered in reviews?

Cost Efficiency: Free distribution reduces expenses.
Performance: Stable and reliable for demanding applications.
Customizability: Open-source nature allows tailored solutions.
Community Support: Extensive community for troubleshooting and advice.

Debian is widely used in industries such as web hosting, scientific research, and education, where reliability and long-term support are priorities. Its flexibility allows it to be adapted for specialized applications in scientific computing or educational environments, ensuring it meets industry-specific technical requirements.

Debian

SUSE Linux Enterprise offers features like YaST for server management, seamless integration with Oracle and SAP, and a robust security setup. Renowned for stability, it efficiently supports workstations, SAP workloads, and cloud migrations across diverse industries.

SUSE Linux Enterprise is known for its lightweight design, high performance, and ease of installation. Its flexible architecture supports extensive documentation and efficient patching. The system uses the BTRFS file system for effective virtualization, and community support is significant. However, challenges include package updates causing conflicts, difficult initial setup and software management, high pricing, and support response times. Improvements in security compliance, cloud integration, hardware compatibility, and documentation are also needed.

What are SUSE Linux Enterprise's important features?

YaST Server Management: Simplifies server setup and configurations.
Oracle & SAP Integration: Enhances performance with major enterprise applications.
HANA Firewall: Provides robust security measures.
BTRFS File System: Supports advanced storage management and snapshots.
Virtualization: Efficiently runs multiple operating systems on a single machine.

What benefits should users expect from using SUSE Linux Enterprise?

Stability & Performance: Reliability for critical applications and workloads.
Lightweight Design: Reduces resource consumption while maintaining efficiency.
Community Support: Access to extensive user and developer collaboration.
Automated Upgrades: Simplifies system maintenance and updates.

Industries like healthcare and banking use SUSE Linux Enterprise for secure transactions and structured application deployment. It is also a choice for organizations involved in testing, automation, and web development, offering support for SAP HANA integration and facilitating cloud migrations.

SUSE

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Air India, Akademicki Szpital Kliniczny (ASK), Allone, Altran, Apollo, ARCHIVA, Asia Innovatory Management School, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH, AutoData Norge AS, Baldor Electric, Business Connexion, CASIO, Ciclum Farma, Delta Lloyd, Edumate , HPE, SAP SE, Lenovo, BMW, T-Systems, UCX, Turners & Growers, Shenzhen Development Bank, Bosch Group, JK Tyres & Industries, IOCL, European Space Agency, Daimler AG, China Minsheng Banking Corp, Café Coffee Day, Unisys, Petrochina Company Ltd, Fitch Ratings, ABeam Consulting Co Ltd, Tyro Payments, Rackspace, Pacific Textiles, ...

Buyer's Guide

Debian vs. SUSE Linux Enterprise

December 2025

Free Report: Debian vs. SUSE Linux Enterprise

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