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Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs Ubuntu Linux comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

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
6.3
RHEL enhances productivity and lowers costs by boosting efficiency, reliability, and integration, while reducing downtime and maintenance demands.
Sentiment score
6.0
Ubuntu Linux offers cost savings, high returns, stability, and security, making it a valuable, cost-effective alternative to licensed software.
A long lifecycle is key to having a good return on investment.
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.
Systems administrator at a retailer with 501-1,000 employees
I invest effort and money in RHEL 8, expecting the system to be secure and reliable when serving my clients.
Associate Director at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.3
Red Hat Enterprise Linux support is well-regarded for quick responses and expertise, despite occasional delays and variable initial interactions.
Sentiment score
6.5
Ubuntu Linux users appreciate efficient support but often rely on community resources and documentation for effective self-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.
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.
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.
Team manager at Evertec
They responded well, understood that the issue was not on my end, and provided a patch within two days.
Manging Director at Winworth UK
The community around Ubuntu Linux is beneficial, providing answers to questions and assisting with issues.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
Ubuntu Linux has a comprehensive knowledge base for self-help.
Techincal Support Engineer at Ibits Tech Solutions
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
RHEL excels in scalability, adapting seamlessly to diverse environments and workloads, supporting organizations with efficient resource management.
Sentiment score
7.1
Ubuntu Linux is highly scalable for servers, excelling in diverse industries and popular for cloud and on-premises applications.
Many of our applications scale really well, with some having several hundreds of VMs, which we couldn't accomplish on Windows.
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.
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.
Cloud Administrator at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Ubuntu Linux itself is a lightweight OS, so it's very convenient to scale it up to any form needed.
Associate Cloud Operations Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
In a server environment, it can seamlessly adapt to increased customer demand.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
So far, I do not have any issues related to security in Ubuntu Linux.
System Administrator at mmcytech
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
RHEL is renowned for its stability, reliability, and robust support, ensuring minimal downtime and secure performance for critical applications.
Sentiment score
7.9
Ubuntu Linux is praised for its stability, reliability, minimal maintenance, and efficient updates, though challenges may arise in virtual environments.
It works consistently with minimal downtime and very few bugs or glitches.
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.
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.
Team Lead, Linux Systems & Tools at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
The system has been completely stable, which makes it deserve a perfect score.
BA at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Ubuntu Linux is extremely stable and maintains uptime effectively.
Manging Director at Winworth UK
If updates happen frequently, no system would be stable without tuning it every time there's an update.
Associate Cloud Operations Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Red Hat Enterprise Linux users seek AI integration, better security, clearer subscriptions, and improved cloud, container, and automation support.
Ubuntu Linux faces challenges in user-friendliness, stability, compatibility, and integration, demanding improvements in support and enterprise tools.
Addressing these limitations would significantly enhance the operating system's flexibility and efficiency.
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.
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.
Systems Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
There is a push towards integrating AI into software for various purposes like video and sound processing.
Manging Director at Winworth UK
During a migration project that I was handling, Ubuntu Linux was not completely compatible for the migration process from one application to another. This is an area they could improve in migrating from minor versions to major versions.
Associate Cloud Operations Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
Stability issues occur when integrating new components due to physical or technical challenges.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
 

Setup Cost

Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers robust support and value, appealing to large organizations but challenging smaller companies with pricing complexity.
Ubuntu Linux offers cost-effective adoption with a free core version, optional subscription support, and significant resource efficiency for enterprises.
It may be considered expensive compared to other solutions like CentOS or Ubuntu, which offer some of the same features without additional costs.
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.
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.
Senior DevOps Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
For an enterprise-wide scalable operating system with professional services, you can select Ubuntu Linux at a reasonable price.
Owner at a computer software company with 1-10 employees
The setup cost is free.
Head of mission at CapHornier
Ubuntu Linux is open-source, leading to cost savings through its free availability.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
 

Valuable Features

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is favored for its stability, security, management tools, and support, enhancing efficiency and compliance for enterprises.
Ubuntu Linux offers security, stability, and user-friendliness, with strong community support, cost-effectiveness, and excellent compatibility for various users.
It also has strong security features, is OIS and FIPS certified, and has built-in Linux security configurations.
Cloud Infrastructure Architect at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
There is also no downtime.
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.
Technical Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Ubuntu Linux's open-source nature supports community contributions, bolstering its development and support ecosystem.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
Ubuntu Linux supports remote troubleshooting via SSH, allowing connection from anywhere, which is beneficial for troubleshooting server issues.
Techincal Support Engineer at Ibits Tech Solutions
The updates in terms of security are very fast, and it is very easy to deploy.
manager at SSDU Innovations
 

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
434
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ubuntu Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
151
Ranking in other categories
OpenStack (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is 6.9%, down from 9.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubuntu Linux is 8.1%, down from 12.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)6.9%
Ubuntu Linux8.1%
Other85.0%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

CC
Vice President at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Automation has transformed daily operations and supports secure, continuous infrastructure
When considering improvements to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), I see one primary area. Within your portal, if you provided more study material along with demonstrations similar to the sessions we are attending, which feature a user-friendly guide, you could incorporate this into your Red Hat console. When I want to install an agent or something else, typing in the console should provide me with clear step-by-step instructions. Throughout the years, installation steps have been available, but regarding AI agents or Ansible automation, I need to verify whether clear information exists. Including this information would be beneficial. Additionally, if you add the sessions that have occurred to your portal or another location, this would help us review them multiple times to gain better understanding. Time is limited, and many sessions occur simultaneously, making it impossible to attend everything. Making these sessions available on your website would be very helpful.
reviewer2728158 - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate Cloud Operations Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
Good compatibility and improvement needed in migration process
For long-term support, it has been good because in most enterprise environments, people still use Ubuntu Linux sixteen, which is quite obsolete now. Other enterprise versions do not support obsolete systems, so supportability is good in terms of Ubuntu Linux. For sustainability, it's quite a significant point of view for every organization. For us, Ubuntu Linux is the preferable way. For others, it might not be, so that is quite a subjective matter itself. The pinpoint of the problem is that they take time because they need specific information. We need to go to AWS first, and then they'll contact the Ubuntu Linux support team itself. This creates a two-way hop for us, which is why it's not that great. It's not really Ubuntu Linux's problem but rather the way we are accessing Ubuntu Linux. The migration part when migrating an application or one version of Ubuntu Linux to another is quite hectic. During the process, one or many applications might crash. That is something they could handle themselves, but I don't think that's something Ubuntu Linux will look into. During a migration project that I was handling, Ubuntu Linux was not completely compatible for the migration process from one application to another. This is an area they could improve in migrating from minor versions to major versions.
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Comparison Review

it_user281973 - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Government
7%
Comms Service Provider
11%
University
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business93
Midsize Enterprise49
Large Enterprise312
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business85
Midsize Enterprise22
Large Enterprise54
 

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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
From my perspective, the licensing of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is well-suited for enterprise environments because it includes access to updates, security patches, and Red Hat support. The in...
What needs improvement with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is a very mature platform, but I think it could improve in a few areas. The subscription and licensing model can be a bit complex for new users, and some enterprise ...
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 support. This solution is suitable for both desktop and server use. It has a very app...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ubuntu Linux?
Ubuntu Linux is almost free, but it has some professional services that require payment if you choose to use them. For a low-cost application server, Ubuntu Linux is a good choice, or for an enterp...
What needs improvement with Ubuntu Linux?
I was thinking that Ubuntu Linux and Windows would work on the same machine. With Windows 11, they came together, so it is a good thing. On the GUI, when I use SSH or PuTTY or what is called a cons...
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

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
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 Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs. Ubuntu Linux and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
911,473 professionals have used our research since 2012.