Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs Rocky Linux comparison

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (R...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 13, 2025

Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Rocky Linux are prominent competitors in the enterprise Linux distribution market. Red Hat Enterprise Linux has the upper hand due to its enterprise-grade security, extensive support structure, and comprehensive management tools, which are essential for organizations prioritizing stability and robust support. Conversely, Rocky Linux stands out for its cost-efficiency and strong community support, appealing to budget-conscious users seeking compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux without licensing fees.

Features: Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers Red Hat Satellite for ecosystem management, robust security protocols including SELinux, and comprehensive cluster management tools, making it ideal for enterprise environments requiring high security and management capabilities. Rocky Linux provides stability and a RHEL-compatible experience, with community-driven development and clustering features, ensuring a financially attractive option without compromising essential functionalities.

Room for Improvement: Red Hat Enterprise Linux could improve by clarifying documentation, simplifying its upgrade process, and offering more transparent pricing models. Rocky Linux could enhance its integration with enterprise tools, expand its community support infrastructure, and broaden its professional support options to better cater to larger organizations and improve its maturity as an enterprise system.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Red Hat Enterprise Linux supports diverse deployment models across on-premises, hybrid cloud, and public cloud environments, with a well-regarded customer service team, though complex queries may experience delays. Rocky Linux features a straightforward community-supported deployment process, making it suitable for users who rely on self-support solutions and transparent community contributions.

Pricing and ROI: Red Hat Enterprise Linux's higher pricing is justified by its extensive technical support and security features, offering a good return on investment for enterprises valuing reliability. In contrast, Rocky Linux offers significant cost savings by eliminating licensing fees, maintaining RHEL compatibility, and delivering substantial value through reduced operational costs, particularly appealing to organizations with limited budgets.

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

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs. Rocky Linux

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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:

ROI

Sentiment score

6.5

RHEL boosts ROI through cost-saving automation, improved productivity, security, and reduced total ownership costs with reliable support.

Sentiment score

4.3

Transitioning to Rocky Linux yields cost savings and efficient support, though ROI remains partially evaluated due to retained resources.

A long lifecycle is key to having a good return on investment.

Troels Hansen

Architect at KnowIT

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.

Chris Perrault

Systems administrator at a retailer with 501-1,000 employees

Red Hat Enterprise Linux has saved us time and increased productivity.

Syed Azhar

Cloud engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report

When it comes to return on investment, a lot of money is saved since we moved from a purchased license to the open source provided by Rocky Linux.

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Cloud Infrastructure Services at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

ROI has been good as we have significant open source community involvement.

reviewer2758263

Technical Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

I have seen a return on investment since there was definitely money saved at the time due to the lack of need for licensing since Rocky is available openly.

reviewer2772054

System Administrator at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Customer Service

Sentiment score

7.1

Red Hat Enterprise Linux support is praised for expertise and efficiency, despite occasional initial communication challenges and delays.

Sentiment score

4.5

Rocky Linux is reliable with minimal customer support needed; community resources are effective, and official support responds promptly.

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.

Antoine Ragland

Senior Infrastructure Systems Administrator at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees

When we do contact customer service, they are generally very knowledgeable and well-versed in our size.

Tucker Hewitt

Solutions Architect at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

Usually, I send the information, and they have something for me within hours, sometimes even minutes.

ChristianLopez

Team manager at Evertec

For more quotes and insights, download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report

The support level is extraordinary, providing on-time assistance.

DILIP BHARADWAJ

Senior System Engineer at Al Jazeera Media Network

We have not yet needed to contact a vendor regarding Rocky Linux.

KRISTOF Laenen

Senior Network Engineer at KLC bvba

Even if we raise a support ticket, we receive a resolution or a reply from the team within two business days.

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Cloud Infrastructure Services at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.3

RHEL excels in scalability, enabling seamless adaptation for diverse workloads across on-premises and cloud environments with high stability.

Sentiment score

5.6

Rocky Linux is praised for scalability, ease of integration, and effective performance in scalable and high availability environments.

Many of our applications scale really well, with some having several hundreds of VMs, which we couldn't accomplish on Windows.

Sean Doyle

Solutions Architect at a transportation company with 10,001+ employees

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) scales very well with the growing needs of our company.

Sheldon Kroner

Director, DevOps at Lightedge Solutions

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) handles increases in users, applications, or data smoothly, which is why we use it for all our projects, as it provides us with confidence.

reviewer2753943

Cloud Administrator at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report

Even if the server is not responding and we want to attach the volume on another instance or a temporary instance, it is very easy and straightforward with no hiccups.

reviewer2758479

CloudOps Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees

It has handled growth or changing needs well.

reviewer2772054

System Administrator at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees

The scalability is quite good, though there are some issues with Rocky Linux.

Jetsada Malaisirirat

System Engineer at clusterkit

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.8

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is renowned for its stability and reliability, excelling in uptime and handling business-critical operations efficiently.

Sentiment score

7.3

Rocky Linux is praised for stability, reliability, and ease of use on low-resource systems, receiving high user satisfaction ratings.

It works consistently with minimal downtime and very few bugs or glitches.

reviewer2592627

Senior DevOps Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

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.

Jason Cummings

Senior software engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

We've not had a service outage with Red Hat in six years.

ScottPalmer

Team Lead, Linux Systems & Tools at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report

Rocky Linux is stable, scalable, and it is very much easier to use.

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Cloud Infrastructure Services at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Rocky Linux is stable.

reviewer2764758

Software Engineer at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees

Room For Improvement

Improving documentation, support, cost-effectiveness, upgrades, security, GUI, integration, and automation would enhance Red Hat Enterprise Linux's user experience.

Rocky Linux needs improvements in software availability, documentation, integration issues, updates, Kubernetes support, and security solutions to satisfy user needs.

Addressing these limitations would significantly enhance the operating system's flexibility and efficiency.

reviewer2592627

Senior DevOps Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

The built-in security features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux were insufficient for our needs, necessitating the implementation of supplementary security measures.

reviewer2591346

IT Infrastructure Engineer at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees

By providing pre-installed, native automation tools within the operating system, Red Hat would streamline processes and improve user efficiency.

reviewer2620827

Systems Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report

It is based on customer requirements, as they might want to use Rocky Linux or Ubuntu, depending on their needs.

Jetsada Malaisirirat

System Engineer at clusterkit

Rocky Linux could be improved by having more integration with Kubernetes.

Massimiliano Adamo

Linux architect at European Commission

Currently, it takes more than one month to release a new package or kernel, so speeding that up would help reduce reported vulnerability remediations.

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Cloud Infrastructure Services at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Setup Cost

RHEL's high pricing is offset by support and reliability, ideal for enterprises but costly for smaller businesses.

Enterprise clients find Rocky Linux economical, with options as low as $10 yearly, enhancing affordability compared to VMware.

It may be considered expensive compared to other solutions like CentOS or Ubuntu, which offer some of the same features without additional costs.

Sitakanta Chaudhury

Cloud Infrastructure Architect at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

Its pricing has room for improvement because it's more expensive in the local market due to purchasing power parity in India.

Syed Azhar

Cloud engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

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.

reviewer2592627

Senior DevOps Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report

We switched to Rocky Linux because of the license price, and in our business, we don't need to have a higher cost as that is not a good idea.

Walid Alioua

Network Infrastructure Manager at SAGEMCOM

There is no extra cost for a license if we are purchasing Rocky Linux from the AWS Marketplace.

reviewer2758479

CloudOps Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees

Rocky Linux is free, and I can download it and deploy it in whatever environment I have, whether it be H3C, VMware, or Hyper-V.

Bakang Khunou

Server & Cloud Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Valuable Features

Red Hat Enterprise Linux excels in stability, security, and automation, making it a preferred choice with strong support and community backing.

Rocky Linux enhances reliability and efficiency with strong community support, stability, easy migration, scalability, and cost savings.

It also has strong security features, is OIS and FIPS certified, and has built-in Linux security configurations.

Sitakanta Chaudhury

Cloud Infrastructure Architect at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

There is also no downtime.

Siphosethu Ndebele

Linux/DevOps Engineer at Ekwantu Consulting

The operating system allows for the simple addition of kernels, modules, and other applications, making it highly adaptable to various needs.

reviewer2641572

Technical Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report

Rocky Linux has positively impacted my organization, specifically through cost savings, because we did not have to buy any licenses or extra licenses of other distros, such as Oracle or Red Hat.

Rafael Dina

IT / IAM Senior Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

For production deployment, Rocky Linux is a great choice because it offers full RHEL compatibility without licensing costs, along with strong community support.

reviewer2758479

CloudOps Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees

Since migrating to Rocky Linux, I've seen specific outcomes such as improved security because CentOS stopped the project, and security patches aren't being released.

Massimiliano Adamo

Linux architect at European Commission

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Categories and Ranking

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (R...

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

1st

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

382

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Rocky Linux

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is 8.0%, down from 11.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rocky Linux is 13.0%, up from 13.0% 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)	8.0%
Rocky Linux	13.0%
Other	79.0%

Operating Systems (OS) for Business

Featured Reviews

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.

Read full review

Massimiliano Adamo

Linux architect at European Commission

Has supported seamless migrations and enabled running complex data workloads securely

The best features Rocky Linux offers include clustering and all the packages from Red Hat.Rocky Linux has impacted my organization very positively because we migrated everything from CentOS and Windows servers to Rocky Linux. Everything is clear, with good packaging, and now it's version 9.6, which is very important for us due to security problems since we are in Europe. Rocky Linux is very good for security and other aspects. Since migrating to Rocky Linux, I've seen specific outcomes such as improved security because CentOS stopped the project, and security patches aren't being released. We need to maintain a system similar to Red Hat, which is very stable and has many features such as file system, topology, and containers.

Read full review

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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

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

13%

University

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	86
Midsize Enterprise	47
Large Enterprise	262

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Large Enterprise	14

Questions from the Community

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...

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)?

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

What do you like most about Rocky Linux?

It's very simple to work with, easy to learn, and know where things are.

What needs improvement with Rocky Linux?

I am not an expert on Rocky Linux, but I do not have anything to say regarding improvements; I think it is doing better. I chose a rating of eight out of ten because Rocky Linux must grow more; it ...

What is your primary use case for Rocky Linux?

My main use case for Rocky Linux is for the Nutanix environment, where we have a data center and everything is hosted there, including all the services and systems. Rocky Linux is the main OS of th...

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Comparisons

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Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 24% of the time

Debian vs Rocky Linux

Compared 22% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

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Compared 11% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Download Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) product report

Download Rocky Linux product report

Also Known As

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

No data available

Overview

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

Rocky Linux provides enterprise-grade stability and seamless Red Hat compatibility, coupled with extensive community support. Known for easy setup and minimal maintenance, its open-source nature ensures cost-effectiveness, making it ideal for critical systems.

Rocky Linux is an open-source operating system valued for its compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, making it an attractive choice for organizations migrating from CentOS. It focuses on stability, security, and long-term support, crucial for critical systems. Users benefit from seamless integration with automation tools and its strong community backing. While it offers ease of setup and package availability, areas like software availability and faster updates need enhancement. The system's UX design supports productivity, with potential improvements in documentation and security integration helping to maintain competitive advantages.

What Are the Key Features?

Enterprise-Grade Stability: Designed for reliability in mission-critical environments.
Red Hat Compatibility: Ensures seamless integration with existing Red Hat setups.
Community Support: Backed by a strong, active community providing assistance.
Ease of Setup: User-friendly installation process for quick deployment.
Minimal Maintenance: Requires reduced effort for upkeep.
Security and Clustering: Advanced features for enhanced system security.

What Benefits Should Users Expect?

Cost-Effectiveness: Open-source status reduces overall costs.
Improved Productivity: UX design and package availability streamline workflows.
Scalability: Supports growing business needs with long-term support.
Seamless Integration: Compatible with automation and monitoring tools.
Migration Ease: Smooth transition for CentOS users.

Rocky Linux is widely implemented across numerous industries as a server platform and backend OS, supporting web hosting, big data projects, and cloud infrastructure. Companies in IT environments like Nutanix data centers and high-performance computing choose it for its compatibility with open-source tools, making it favored for automation with Ansible and monitoring through Prometheus.

Sample Customers

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

Information Not Available

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs. Rocky Linux