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Debian vs Windows Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 9, 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

Debian
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
15th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
4
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
6.8
Number of Reviews
195
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Debian is 4.7%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server is 10.0%, 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 Server10.0%
Debian4.7%
Other85.3%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2774055 - PeerSpot reviewer
Has reduced licensing costs and helped the team focus on implementation instead of compatibility workarounds
The best features Debian offers include compatibility and the wide range of software available on it, along with flexibility. The commands and most tutorials or documentation online for anything you need are always mainly built for Debian. It's much easier to find resources for Debian compared to other Linux distributions. Debian's compatibility and flexibility have significantly helped me in my work. For example, if I want to install any prerequisites for software on Debian, it's very easy to use the default commands for installing software such as APT-get, and I always find the package I want to install compatible and available in any of Debian's libraries or repos. When I try the same on Kali Linux or CentOS, I almost always struggle to find the packages easily, but for Debian, I always find what I need. Debian has positively impacted my organization by making it much easier for the technical team. If we had forced our team to use Kali Linux or any other Linux-based distributions, they would struggle more to complete projects that rely on Linux. Debian is the most straightforward and compatible option, which greatly simplifies our engineers' tasks. This ease of use with Debian has translated into results for our team by saving time and reducing errors. For example, when deploying a Linux-based application or software for one of our customers, since it's most likely compatible with Debian, the team can concentrate on implementing the product and installing it without working around limitations or compatibility issues.
GS
Long-standing experience improves reliability and security, making it a trusted platform
It's difficult to see improvements when using it daily. They improved compatibility with other platforms, such as Linux. One improvement I was thinking about some years ago was the ability to manage an on-premises server from Azure. Now, they have created Azure Arc, and we are using it as a very good way of managing on-premises servers. What can be improved is on the Azure side. With Active Directory on the server side and Entra ID on the Azure side in our hybrid environment, we find issues with data syncing to Entra ID. In Entra ID, Microsoft omitted some parameters. In Active Directory, you can put an expiring date to an account, but you cannot do that in Entra ID. We have other means of doing that, but it's common to have consultants working for six months, requiring account expiration or renewal processes. The Entra ID Connect syncing tool could be improved. Though they moved the service to Azure and use an agent instead of having a dedicated server, it remains cumbersome to set up due to the differences between Entra ID and Active Directory.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"The best features Debian offers are its low weight, lightweight architecture, and faster response to services."
"Debian offers the best features in that it is open source, simple, and battle-tested, with a good release cycle."
"Debian is the most straightforward and compatible option, which greatly simplifies our engineers' tasks."
"Very easy to configure."
"We haven't had any issues with the server whatsoever. It's been very reliable."
"The product is scalable."
"The domain controller features are useful."
"Windows Server is a good technology that allows IT staff to consolidate their expertise on a single product, avoiding the need to manage different sources."
"The main feature of the solution is the ease of use."
"We have not contacted technical support."
"One of the most valuable features of Windows Server is that it is easy to use. Also, with Windows, everything is integrated."
 

Cons

"It seems there should be a more deterministic way to do that. It does seem that you are running a lot of random install scripts to install things or relying on another two or three package management services, so there could be better software installation methods."
"I wish the company responsible for Debian would send communications about updates and new features to keep people informed and to give Debian the recognition and praise that it deserves."
"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."
"I cannot say that I have seen a return on investment with Debian because I am a DevOps engineer, and it is my job to do this."
"The solution could improve by being more secure."
"It could be more secure. We don't like it because if you compare it to Linux, Linux is better."
"It would be better if they improved the user interface."
"An improvement would be to have more dashboards."
"The price of Microsoft products has become expensive over the last two years."
"There is room for improvement in terms of pricing."
"I would like to see better integration with other solutions."
"Compared to Linux, the solution is a bit difficult to deploy."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"There is a license needed for this solution."
"If you're buying an instance in the cloud, then you'll pay for it monthly. Otherwise, a normal purchase is always upfront; there is no subscription model with Microsoft, at least for the Windows Server licenses."
"This is not an expensive product."
"There is a license for Windows Server, but we have got the license from a local supplier, Black Neuron Technology. They also provide tech support locally."
"We have perpetual licenses."
"It is not expensive. We have yearly basis licensing."
"We have an enterprise agreement."
"We have purchased a perpetual license to use the solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
14%
Computer Software Company
10%
Educational Organization
9%
Media Company
7%
Computer Software Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
10%
University
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business78
Midsize Enterprise41
Large Enterprise88
 

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.
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...
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 ...
What needs improvement with Windows Server?
The user interface of Windows Server needs improvement, especially when working with users, user accounts, and groups. There are multiple ways to accomplish tasks that do not align completely, so t...
What is your primary use case for Windows Server?
I integrated Windows Server in my infrastructure. We use Hyper-V technology extensively, as it is very important for us, and it functions quite well.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

Debian 12
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Rakuten, Rackspace, Tyco
Find out what your peers are saying about Debian vs. Windows Server and other solutions. Updated: November 2025.
873,808 professionals have used our research since 2012.