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Kali Linux vs Oracle Solaris 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

Kali Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
11th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
AWS Marketplace (3rd)
Oracle Solaris
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
9th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
50
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Kali Linux is 2.2%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Solaris is 2.3%, down from 3.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

GurpreetSingh4 - PeerSpot reviewer
Has small footprint and low maintenance cycles
Pre-installed tools can provide basic training and security measures, which is helpful. However, these tools may not be sufficient to secure your workload fully. That's why it's important to complement them with other specialized security tools to enhance your overall security. Before using Kali Linux, make sure you know its pros and cons. It's a good system to learn because it's the best choice for some situations. It has default firewall settings that block everything by default. It's up to the user to decide how much they want to open up. Learning Kali Linux takes time because it relies on command-line tasks instead of graphical interfaces. Practice is key to becoming comfortable with it.
Erick Kathurima - PeerSpot reviewer
Has enabled a user-friendly and lightweight installation with improved performance
I installed Oracle Solaris on a normal PC to test its functionality. It is comfortable to use and provides a good test environment, especially because it is not commonly known or recognized in the market Oracle Solaris has a graphical interface that is user-friendly, especially with its use of…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution's most valuable feature is that it is very easy to use."
"I use the tool with Nmap to perform network audits. We use it to find vulnerabilities in our network through attacks. It's for those who want to launch or create viruses or perform attacks on systems. With Kali Linux, you can conduct penetration testing for networks, web applications, and Android mobile apps."
"The most valuable feature of Kali Linux is the attack it performs using a CVE script that's already on the internet."
"We use the product for open-source intelligence and identifying vulnerabilities."
"The solution's stability is very good."
"The interface is good and straightforward to use."
"The tools available in Kali Linux are incredibly effective for conducting security assessments."
"Additionally, it now includes comprehensive migration analytics and reporting capabilities."
"We like that the virtualization is built in, so you don't have to spend extra money on buying licenses for a hypervisor."
"It works well. It is very stable and very good. It is also very safe. It cannot be easily infected by viruses or attacks."
"This product is stable, has good documentation, lots of solutions, a big community, and good support."
"The stability of the solution is good."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy."
"Solaris is scalable because they have their own file system, like CFS."
"We are able to deploy new environments very quickly and securely. Using the virtualization features, we can migrate the environments very flexibly between our servers."
"Oracle Solaris has a graphical interface that is user-friendly, especially with its use of dark colors."
 

Cons

"The product should improve its security features."
"From an improvement perspective, it should be made possible for users to learn about the product easily."
"The tool is already stable and well-developed, so there's minimal feedback for enhancement or change. However, it should improve security, which is crucial, especially with the increasing use of Kali Linux in cloud environments."
"Any new user or someone without deep expertise won't be able to understand how to scale or manage it"
"From an improvement perspective, Kali Linux could include more ML to help with academic literature, as it is one of the areas where there are shortcomings in the solution."
"The installation process of Kali Linux can be slow, particularly when installing and upgrading packages within virtualized environments."
"There can be some lagging issues because the product gets stuck at times, making it an area of concern where improvements are required."
"I would like for them to offer more features for the free version in order for users to test them in their internal environment before purchasing."
"Oracle Solaris can improve by supporting all the recent features that are in the market from other competitors."
"They could also enable Oracle OEM for x86 architecture as well."
"The tool is quite complex and difficult for anyone trying to use or study it."
"One of the drawbacks is Oracle itself. Oracle has its good and bad they are not putting resources into the development."
"There is an issue where Solaris doesn't give the correct figures for memory use when checked."
"The scalability of the solution can be improved."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux is more secure and better documented. So Oracle could learn from them when it comes to security and documentation."
"If it could support other file systems, it would be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an open-source tool."
"Kali Linux offers a perpetual license, meaning you pay for it once and can use it. While free versions of Linux are available, Kali Linux, being an enterprise edition, usually comes with a perpetual license. I rate its pricing a five out of ten."
"The licensing fee is expensive compared to other products."
"Kali Linux is open source."
"The price is good because Kali Linux already provides a good bundle of tools."
"I use it free of charge."
"There is no need to make any payments towards the licensing costs since it is a solution that is available for free."
"I have used the free version."
"It is more expensive, but very complete and worth enacting."
"It is a very expensive product."
"The product is inexpensive."
"Solaris is highly priced compared to other solutions, but since it's a niche product, this is to be expected."
"The price of Oracle Solaris could be less expensive."
"It is an expensive product. I rate the pricing a ten out of ten."
"The solution is free to use."
"There should be an option to install the solution for free and just pay for the support. We purchased an annual license and the price could be better."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
16%
Computer Software Company
14%
University
13%
Educational Organization
10%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Kali Linux?
I use the tool with Nmap to perform network audits. We use it to find vulnerabilities in our network through attacks. It's for those who want to launch or create viruses or perform attacks on syste...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kali Linux?
Kali Linux offers a perpetual license, meaning you pay for it once and can use it. While free versions of Linux are available, Kali Linux, being an enterprise edition, usually comes with a perpetua...
What needs improvement with Kali Linux?
The tool is already stable and well-developed, so there's minimal feedback for enhancement or change. However, it should improve security, which is crucial, especially with the increasing use of Ka...
How does Oracle Linux compare with Solaris?
When comparing Oracle Linux and Solaris, I believe that Linux is more secure and more flexible. It is also very suitable for enterprises that are already Oracle solution users. I found Linux to be ...
What do you like most about Oracle Solaris?
We use the solution as an internal operating system.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Solaris?
I find the pricing of Oracle Solaris to be affordable compared to competitors like Windows.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
Solaris 11, Solaris
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Siemens, IVV
Find out what your peers are saying about Kali Linux vs. Oracle Solaris and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.