Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs openSUSE Leap comparison

openSUSE and Red Hat are both solutions in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category. openSUSE is ranked #11 with an average rating of 9.0, while Red Hat is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.8. openSUSE holds a 6.0% mindshare in OSB, compared to Red Hat’s 7.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of openSUSE users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of Red Hat users who would recommend it.

openSUSE Leap

Read 6 openSUSE Leap reviews

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5,454 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (R...

Read 385 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) reviews

18,064 Views
17,703 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

openSUSE Leap

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (R...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 21, 2025

Red Hat Enterprise Linux and openSUSE Leap compete in the Linux operating system category, each targeting different user bases. RHEL seems to have the upper hand in enterprise environments due to its advanced features, comprehensive support, and robust security, making it suitable for complex deployments, while openSUSE Leap appeals to open-source enthusiasts with its cost-effective and flexible features.

Features: RHEL offers advanced enterprise features such as automation and containerization tools, robust security options like SELinux, and seamless integration with tools like Ansible, ensuring reliability in hybrid cloud environments. It excels in security with options facilitating system protection and supports enterprise demands with stability and comprehensive features. This combination makes RHEL a reliable choice for hybrid cloud and on-premises environments. openSUSE Leap is praised for its innovative BTRFS file system, ease of use, and strong community support, providing flexibility and efficiency, making it a cost-effective solution for smaller setups with a focus on user-friendliness and innovative features.

Room for Improvement: RHEL users express the need for enhanced documentation, simplified configuration processes, and streamlined support processes, particularly concerning TPM and encryption management. RHEL licenses are complex, and users also note concerns about image size. openSUSE Leap could improve its GUI functionality, third-party integrations, and overall documentation to better meet enterprise needs. Users suggest that enhancements in these areas, along with smoother upgrades, could make openSUSE Leap more suitable for larger deployments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: RHEL offers adaptive deployment across hybrid, public cloud, and on-premises configurations with reliable customer service, though response times can vary. The support it provides is reliable, accommodating enterprise demands with flexibility in deployment. openSUSE Leap benefits from its open-source community support, optimal for on-premises setups, but may experience slower response times compared to RHEL’s premium services, affecting its competitiveness in environments that require prompt support.

Pricing and ROI: RHEL’s subscription model is pricier but delivers valuable support and decreased downtime, leading to increased operational efficiency that attracts enterprise users. The subscription offers extensive enterprise features, thus providing high value for those requiring reliable, secure operations. In contrast, openSUSE Leap provides a cost-effective, free, open-source alternative, appealing to users looking for financial savings and flexibility while sacrificing premium support. RHEL users find significant returns on investment through reduced downtime and reliability, whereas openSUSE Leap attracts budget-conscious users prioritizing affordability.

To learn more, read our detailed Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs. openSUSE Leap Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs. openSUSE Leap

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:

Categories and Ranking

openSUSE Leap

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

11th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (R...

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

1st

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

385

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 openSUSE Leap is 6.0%, up from 5.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is 7.6%, down from 11.1% 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 (%)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)	7.6%
openSUSE Leap	6.0%
Other	86.4%

Operating Systems (OS) for Business

Featured Reviews

Nagendra Kavadi

Senior Manager at Cognizant

Provides BTRFS file system, which allows you to take snapshots

I only use the tool for testing purposes on my team, but multiple people use it. We don't make a team effort to install the solution. When it comes to maintenance, we ask our company to buy SUSE Linux Enterprise. My team consists of 13 people. We are currently integrating the solution with Ansible to do some coding. Although not a full-fledged automation, we are integrating the solution with Ansible and executing a couple of playbooks connected to openSUSE Leap. I would recommend the solution to other users looking for an open-source solution. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Read full review

Ray Ortega

Server administrator at Northrop Grumman

Empowers collaboration through streamlined integration and extensive documentation

Improving Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) can be tough, however, a significant area is collaboration tools. We have many Windows users that use Outlook and Skype or Teams to collaborate on our network. They want Linux desktops due to the fact that they want to use containers. Their biggest complaint is, 'I need two workstations to do my container work and one to collaborate.' If somehow RHEL can start introducing or collaborating with Teams and Outlook so their users can work with their Windows peers, that would be great. But I don't think that's available yet. Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing, there needs to be more of an education piece to it. For instance, when purchasing 10 or 100 node licenses, they could suggest, 'We also offer this 1,000 node license instead, and it'll save you specific amounts.' Just more education on their offerings would be helpful, because usually, we're coming out with the requirements, and then they just provide it to us. They could inform us about saving by bundling it differently or using alternative approaches.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Stable - it just runs without the necessity to reboot."

"The solution is very stable after it is configured. It is hard to have a panel slow, a problem, misconfiguration, or any kind of loss function."

"openSUSE Leap has helped me with using containers in Podman."

"The most valuable feature by far has been the virtualization capabilities of the operating system."

"The solution's most valuable feature is the BTRFS file system, which allows you to take snapshots."

"The solution is easy for me to use because the backend is derived from FreeBSD and this is something I have been using for over 20 years."

"The customer service is amazing."

"The feature of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) I appreciate the most is the ability to build images from the Red Hat pipeline, which is very effective."

"Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is an open source OS which allows us to modify the system as per our requirements; it is also secure and user-friendly."

"Support is most valuable. If a customer has a problem with a feature or a bug, we can open a support case for that, and the issue is resolved or taken care of. That's the main benefit of the product."

"For me, the biggest return on investment when using Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is ease of use and quality of life."

"I rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) a ten out of ten overall."

"The security it provides is one of the most important features, as are the support and the documentation. The latter helps me to do everything."

"The support from Red Hat is valuable."

More Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) pros

Cons

"I would like openSUSE Leap to have better link integration with Windows."

"There is room for improvement in the console."

"Somehow the change from OS12.x via 13.x to Leap was a bit bumpy and some old issues seemed to reappear."

"It would be helpful if we could easily switch from openSUSE Leap for testing to SUSE Linux Enterprise for production."

"In the future, the Active Directory could improve."

"Like most Linux-based operating systems, the biggest challenge Leap faces is the GUI."

"The most common challenges faced with the deployment are mostly enterprise related, such as resource compatibility and making automation instead of active compatibility."

"Red Hat Insights are instrumental in identifying vulnerabilities. I am still learning, but my understanding is that it is not directly connected to your environment to deploy a patch or vulnerability fix. It is going to give a YAML playbook to do that. It does not actually execute it."

"Red Hat Enterprise Linux should modernize its UI to make navigating the screens easier."

"The main improvement could be in the pricing models, particularly understanding how to better present those pricing models in a more predictable manner."

"It could be simplified. I'd like to see them introduce PDFs or documents to better explain technicalities to new users."

"We have many Windows users that use Outlook and Skype or Teams to collaborate on our network. They want Linux desktops due to the fact that they want to use containers. Their biggest complaint is, 'I need two workstations to do my container work and one to collaborate.'"

"To improve Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), it would be helpful to have a step-by-step process to make setup easier."

"After installation, the initial setup can be simplified or improved a little bit for new users coming from a distribution like Ubuntu or Windows."

More Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is open-source."

"openSUSE Leap is an open-source solution that is free of cost."

"The cost of this solution was reasonable and it was within our budget."

"This is an open-source operating system that can be used free of charge."

"We are good as of now. We do not have any concerns about licensing. Its price is still good for us."

"When I started using it, Red Hat Enterprise Linux was free for all and open-source. It is now paid with access to many features to upgrade and use their services."

"Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers a straightforward pricing and licensing model."

"Red Hat Enterprise Linux is only affordable for large organizations."

"Pricing depends on the model used, costing about $3,000 per virtual host in the virtual environment. It varies depending on whether you get high availability. There are modules that are upsold such as kernel patching, which we do not use due to cost considerations."

"Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers a compelling value proposition for corporations due to its robust support infrastructure, which is essential for maintaining enterprise-level systems."

"I do not have much knowledge of licensing. That is handled by the procurement team, but I know that it is expensive. If they can provide more licensing options, it will be much easier for companies to buy."

"It is cost-effective."

More Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user281973

Storage and VMware Expert at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees

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…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

19%

Computer Software Company

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	4

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	87
Midsize Enterprise	48
Large Enterprise	263

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with openSUSE Leap?

Both openSUSE Leap and the SUSE Enterprise version use the same kernel. Suppose I have a lower environment where I can run openSUSE to test all my products. It would be helpful if I could easily sw...

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What is your primary use case for openSUSE Leap?

I use openSUSE Leap for testing purposes. Before officially using any server in our office, we test it using the solution. My office usually uses production servers on the SUSE Linux enterprise ver...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for openSUSE Leap?

openSUSE Leap is an open-source solution that is free of cost.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?

It is open source. We can customize it as per our requirements.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?

Regarding pricing, setup cost, and licensing, the pricing is good; however, licensing is a bit confusing.

See all answers

Comparisons

SUSE Linux Enterprise vs openSUSE Leap

Compared 23% of the time

Ubuntu Linux vs openSUSE Leap

Compared 16% of the time

Rocky Linux vs openSUSE Leap

Compared 15% of the time

Debian vs openSUSE Leap

Compared 11% of the time

CentOS vs openSUSE Leap

Compared 5% of the time

More openSUSE Leap Competitors

SUSE Linux Enterprise vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Compared 15% of the time

Windows Server vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Compared 12% of the time

Rocky Linux vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Compared 11% of the time

Ubuntu Linux vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Compared 9% of the time

Windows 10 vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Compared 5% of the time

More Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Operating Systems (OS) for Business

December 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

December 2025

Download Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) product report

Also Known As

No data available

Red Hat Enterprise Linux, RHEL, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) for AWS

Overview

openSUSE Leap is a brand new way of building openSUSE and is new type of hybrid Linux distribution. Leap uses source from SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE), which gives Leap a level of stability unmatched by other Linux distributions, and combines that with community developments to give users, developers and sysadmins the best stable Linux experience available. Contributor and enterprise efforts for Leap bridge a gap between matured packages and newer packages found in openSUSE’s other distribution Tumbleweed.

openSUSE

Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers stability, security, and support for mission-critical applications with robust tools and scalable architecture, ideal for diverse environments and hybrid cloud compatibility.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides organizations with a reliable platform ideal for high-performance computing and virtualization. Known for its robust security and seamless network administration, it integrates well with OpenShift and Ansible, ensuring adaptability and scalability. Despite challenges with documentation, upgrade complexity, and cost, RHEL remains a formidable choice thanks to its comprehensive documentation and extensive community support.

What are the key features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux?

Stability and Security: Maintains high stability and advanced security measures, critical for enterprise environments.
Extensive Support: Offers robust support through community and documentation, assisting with problem-solving and integration.
Automation with Ansible: Simplifies tasks and enhances efficiency, optimizing operations across the infrastructure.
Hybrid Cloud Compatibility: Supports cloud environments, enabling flexibility and strategic deployments.
Scalable Architecture: Adapts to different workloads, making it suitable for growing organizational demands.

What benefits should users look for when evaluating Red Hat Enterprise Linux?

Reliable Performance: Ensures consistent and secure operations across diverse environments, including cloud infrastructure.
Efficient Management: Centralized operations make it easy to manage enterprise workloads effectively.
Community and Documentation: Access to a strong community and comprehensive documentation aids in resolving issues.
Integration Capabilities: Easily integrates with technologies like OpenShift and SAP, enhancing operational versatility.
Adaptability: Supports a wide range of environments and technical requirements, improving strategic deployment.

Organizations across industries like financial services, telecommunications, and application hosting implement Red Hat Enterprise Linux for server and application management. Its compatibility with technologies such as SAP, Oracle, and Ansible supports functions including web, database, and enterprise solutions, ensuring stable and secure performance in high-pressure environments.

Red Hat

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Travel Channel, Mohawk Industries, Hilti, Molecular Health, Exolgan, Hotelplan Group, Emory University, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, HCA Healthcare, Paychex, UPS, Intermountain Healthcare, Brinker International, TransUnion, Union Bank, CA Technologies

Buyer's Guide

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs. openSUSE Leap

December 2025

Free Report: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs. openSUSE Leap

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