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Kali Linux vs Sophos Central comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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 AWS Marketplace
3rd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
Operating Systems (OS) for Business (11th)
Sophos Central
Ranking in AWS Marketplace
8th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
8.5
Number of Reviews
38
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the AWS Marketplace category, the mindshare of Kali Linux is 1.0%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos Central is 0.3%, down from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
AWS Marketplace
 

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.
Sandeepraj Gatla - PeerSpot reviewer
Cost-effective security management with a user-friendly interface, efficient resource utilization, and rapid response capabilities
While Sophos Central has demonstrated commendable functionality, there is room for improvement in the realm of automation. Specifically, addressing ransomware attacks often requires leveraging external tools, deploying virtual machines, and utilizing supplementary tools like Caliper Analytics for operations and security communication. The integration of these essential functionalities directly into the software would represent a significant enhancement, streamlining the incident response process and bolstering the platform's comprehensive threat mitigation capabilities. Furthermore, a valuable addition to future releases could involve augmenting the new screen component with advanced capabilities such as XML utilization and rule integration. This enhancement, especially pertinent to tools involved in sandboxing and virtual machines within the investigation process, would greatly streamline the analysis of logs and reports. This would prove particularly beneficial in the context of email analysis, spam attack detection, and other critical security aspects. By incorporating these features, Sophos Central could further elevate its utility in facilitating in-depth security analyses and response strategies.

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."
"The tools available in Kali Linux are incredibly effective for conducting security assessments."
"The interface is good and straightforward 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."
"We use the product for open-source intelligence and identifying vulnerabilities."
"The solution's stability is very good."
"Kali Linux is much better than other OS because it gives you a good set of tools. It is preferred for vulnerability assessments and cybersecurity."
"In general, Kali Linux is used for hosting applications, developing new applications, and operating systems. It's also used in containers and nodes. The tool offers a smaller footprint than Windows because it lacks the functionality of graphical user interfaces. One advantage of Kali Linux is its lower maintenance requirements than Windows, with slower update cycles and easier maintenance procedures."
"Sophos Central provides reports on downloads. It alerts the admin when users use their personal computers. The product is also flexible."
"It is easy to manage and configure."
"One of the significant advantages of Sophos is its affordability compared to other technologies like Check Point and Fortinet."
"The primary benefits include complete control over hardware devices and the valuable assistance provided in log shipment."
"The product's installation phase was easy."
"The most valuable feature is that it protects my IT infrastructure from attacks."
"Sophos Central is cloud-based, which allows the administrator to control everything from anywhere. It is free for most of the products except the firewall."
"One of the most valuable features of Sophos Central for maintaining our cybersecurity posture is its ease of use."
 

Cons

"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."
"There can be some lagging issues because the product gets stuck at times, making it an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The tool is slightly difficult to learn."
"From an improvement perspective, it should be made possible for users to learn about the product easily."
"Unfortunately, my current tool runs on Windows 10, and its use is restricted to enterprise versions. Integrating this tool or similar functionalities into Kali Linux for non-enterprise users would be incredibly valuable."
"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"
"I would like to have automation in Kali Linux instead of manually configuring or setting up something in case of an upgrade."
"I would like to see improvements in the password recovery process within the Sophos Central solution."
"The solution must provide a separate app for Tamper Protection."
"Additionally, Sophos Central can be resource-intensive, demanding servers with a minimum of eight gigabytes of RAM, which may pose considerations for larger organizations dealing with legacy applications tied to specific OS and hardware configurations."
"The solution's performance drops at times because it is a SaaS-based tool, making it an area that requires improvement."
"One area I would like to see improvement in Sophos Central is the multi-factor authentication process."
"SSID authentication has to be improved."
"It's not well-marketed, so many customers don't know about this feature."
"There were challenges we faced with generating reports for the physical firewall in certain instances."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing fee is expensive compared to other products."
"There is no need to make any payments towards the licensing costs since it is a solution that is available for free."
"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 price is good because Kali Linux already provides a good bundle of tools."
"Kali Linux is a free product, and you don't have to pay for a license."
"I use it free of charge."
"Kali Linux is open source."
"I have used the free version."
"Sophos Central is moderately priced."
"The pricing is highly affordable, with no additional costs."
"It offers the most competitive pricing compared to other vendors."
"The price is reasonable."
"The product's pricing was somewhat high. We paid Rs. 1500 INR per license, approximately equivalent to 20 USD."
"Pricing is on a device basis."
"The solution is moderately expensive."
"It is an expensive tool."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
16%
Computer Software Company
14%
University
13%
Educational Organization
10%
No data available
 

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...
What do you like most about Sophos Central?
One of the significant advantages of Sophos is its affordability compared to other technologies like Check Point and Fortinet.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos Central?
The product has a reasonable price considering the cybersecurity services it offers.
What needs improvement with Sophos Central?
The firewall capabilities of Sophos Central need improvement. I have found it somewhat limited, and I prefer to work directly on the device for firewall management.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Kali Linux vs. Sophos Central and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.