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Oracle Solaris vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs Ubuntu Linux 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
8.5
Oracle Solaris offers strong integration and troubleshooting ease, but cost-effectiveness and complexity vary, impacting adoption and ROI.
Sentiment score
7.7
RHEL offers high ROI through cost savings, reliability, security, automation, and integration, enhancing efficiency and supporting innovation.
Sentiment score
7.2
Ubuntu Linux offers cost savings and extended hardware lifespan with no purchase or licensing fees, enhancing productivity and ROI.
In terms of ROI, there have been performance improvements because Oracle Solaris is lighter.
A long lifecycle is key to having a good return on investment.
Being able to transform common manual tasks that previously took all day into processes that take an hour, half an hour, or even less, demonstrates clear value.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux has saved us time and increased productivity.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.3
Oracle Solaris offers global 24/7 support with knowledgeable staff but faces regional quality variance and sometimes scripted interactions.
Sentiment score
7.6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux customer service is praised for prompt, knowledgeable support, though some desire faster response and continuity.
Sentiment score
6.5
Ubuntu Linux users rely on community resources for support, often finding them sufficient over direct technical assistance.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) support is great, as they go beyond their duty to help resolve issues and provide solutions even for third-party software such as XRDP.
When we do contact customer service, they are generally very knowledgeable and well-versed in our size.
Usually, I send the information, and they have something for me within hours, sometimes even minutes.
They responded well, understood that the issue was not on my end, and provided a patch within two days.
The community around Ubuntu Linux is beneficial, providing answers to questions and assisting with issues.
Ubuntu Linux has a comprehensive knowledge base for self-help.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Oracle Solaris excels in scalability and adaptability, efficiently handling workloads across diverse IT environments and supporting extensive storage.
Sentiment score
7.8
Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers adaptable, scalable, and robust performance across diverse environments, excelling in cloud and hybrid setups.
Sentiment score
7.1
Ubuntu Linux is scalable and flexible, ideal for diverse infrastructures, despite some documentation issues, due to its open-source nature.
Many of our applications scale really well, with some having several hundreds of VMs, which we couldn't accomplish on Windows.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) scales very well with the growing needs of our company.
There are no issues with scalability when it comes to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
In a server environment, it can seamlessly adapt to increased customer demand.
Any Linux is scalable in terms of capacity, and on a day-to-day basis, we use scalability options with the help of Kubernetes clusters.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
Oracle Solaris is praised for its stability, with minimal issues, high reliability, and strong support enhancing user satisfaction.
Sentiment score
8.3
RHEL offers exceptional stability and performance, with high uptime and resilience, making it ideal for business-critical operations.
Sentiment score
7.8
Ubuntu Linux is praised for stability and reliability, but issues may occur in virtual environments or with community software.
It works consistently with minimal downtime and very few bugs or glitches.
It just works, and that's really the key factor; I can't remember the last time we had a system go down and had to restore it due to a bad patch.
We've not had a service outage with Red Hat in six years.
The system has been completely stable, which makes it deserve a perfect score.
Ubuntu Linux is extremely stable and maintains uptime effectively.
Ubuntu Linux is generally stable, though there can be occasional issues with new hardware integration.
 

Room For Improvement

Oracle Solaris needs better hardware certification, easier configuration, enhanced GUI, and broader software support for improved adoption.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux needs better documentation, user interface, pricing, support, security, and integration with modern systems and cloud platforms.
Users seek improved Ubuntu compatibility with Windows, better management tools, enhanced enterprise features, and modern interface support.
Oracle Solaris needs to improve its compatibility with office tools like Excel.
Addressing these limitations would significantly enhance the operating system's flexibility and efficiency.
The built-in security features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux were insufficient for our needs, necessitating the implementation of supplementary security measures.
By providing pre-installed, native automation tools within the operating system, Red Hat would streamline processes and improve user efficiency.
There is a push towards integrating AI into software for various purposes like video and sound processing.
Stability issues occur when integrating new components due to physical or technical challenges.
Unlike CentOS, Ubuntu Linux lacks an easily accessible inbuilt repository where dependencies or packages are easily found.
 

Setup Cost

Oracle Solaris offers significant savings and robust integration, despite complex licensing and higher costs versus alternatives like Linux.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers flexible yet costly pricing, valued for its stability, support, and customizable subscription options.
Ubuntu Linux is cost-effective and flexible, appealing to businesses seeking low-cost server solutions with optional support services.
I find the pricing of Oracle Solaris to be affordable compared to competitors like Windows.
It may be considered expensive compared to other solutions like CentOS or Ubuntu, which offer some of the same features without additional costs.
Its pricing has room for improvement because it's more expensive in the local market due to purchasing power parity in India.
Windows Servers base their cost on the number of users and have high licensing fees, while Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers free versions alongside its paid, supported versions.
For an enterprise-wide scalable operating system with professional services, you can select Ubuntu Linux at a reasonable price.
The setup cost is free.
Ubuntu Linux is open-source, leading to cost savings through its free availability.
 

Valuable Features

Oracle Solaris offers virtualization, data management, stability, and integration features, ensuring high availability and performance for enterprises.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux excels in stability, security, and flexibility, with strong support, automation tools, and comprehensive documentation.
Ubuntu Linux is secure, customizable, lightweight, and user-friendly, with strong community support and versatility for various environments.
The operating system is lightweight, which makes it easier to use on an average computer compared to systems like Windows.
It also has strong security features, is OIS and FIPS certified, and has built-in Linux security configurations.
There is also no downtime.
The operating system allows for the simple addition of kernels, modules, and other applications, making it highly adaptable to various needs.
Ubuntu Linux's open-source nature supports community contributions, bolstering its development and support ecosystem.
Ubuntu Linux supports remote troubleshooting via SSH, allowing connection from anywhere, which is beneficial for troubleshooting server issues.
In terms of security, I am satisfied with Ubuntu Linux and I can rely on its security features more than I can with Windows.
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Oracle Solaris is 2.0%, down from 3.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is 9.1%, down from 12.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubuntu Linux is 12.5%, down from 20.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

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…
Bruce Lundberg - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable patch management, high uptime, and incredible knowledge base
In terms of security, it does a lot of things that most people still turn off. SELinux is turned on by default. They have pretty good firewall rules in their defaults. The audit rules always take tweaking, but, overall, it comes out of the box not too bad. I used to write scripts to harden them from there. There are multiple ways to provision and patch. You have everything from local repositories to doing it by hand. Their knowledge base is incredible. There is so much information out there. It has never taken me longer than 30 minutes to find an answer to anything, even very tough ones. One company I worked for was a security company, and we did a lot of patching on everything. It was designed around security and email hosting, and uptime was pretty much whatever we wanted it to be. I have had a couple of times when the uptime was bad, but it was caused by a third-party solution. In fact, the Norton antivirus was definitely the worst. Red Hat had nothing to do with it.
PrashantSharma - PeerSpot reviewer
Performs efficiently but requires overcoming a learning curve
There are many differences between Ubuntu Linux and Windows as they are totally different systems. You need to have more knowledge about Linux before using Ubuntu Linux. Although it is designed as a desktop system, basic knowledge is still required. Windows can be used by any layman, which is the main difference. I do not know much about security breaches or potential issues. The Wi-Fi and wireless capabilities work perfectly fine. Excluding the learning curve, I would rate it a 10. However, considering the learning curve, I would give it a six or seven. My advice would be to have patience. Overall rating: 10 out of 10.
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Comparison Review

it_user281973 - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
University
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
13%
University
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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 suita...
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.
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 st...
What do you like most about Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
It is open source. We can customize it as per our requirements.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
My experience with the pricing, setup costs, and licensing of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) indicates that this was...
Which would you choose - Ubuntu Linux or Oracle Linux?
Ubunto Linux is a complete Linux operating system that is freely available with both community and professional suppo...
What do you like most about Ubuntu Linux?
It has a good support system for loading databases.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ubuntu Linux?
My experience with the pricing for Ubuntu Linux is that I always use the free version, so I never paid for any instal...
 

Also Known As

Solaris 11, Solaris
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, RHEL
Ubuntu
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Siemens, IVV
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
Samsung, eBay, AT&T, Walmart, Cisco, Time Warner Cable, Bloomberg, Best Buy, Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Ericsson, Orange, Wells Fargo
Find out what your peers are saying about Red Hat, Canonical, Oracle and others in Operating Systems (OS) for Business. Updated: June 2025.
862,077 professionals have used our research since 2012.