We performed a comparison between Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Windows Server based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Users of Windows Server 2016 feel that it is a very user-friendly solution. Furthermore, they note that its active directory feature is highly valuable. They also note that it is highly scalable. However, many users feel that its security capabilities could be greatly improved. They also feel that the graphical interface could be better.
Comparison of Results: Based on the parameters we compared, Red Hat Enterprise Linux seems to be a slightly superior solution. All other things being more or less equal, our reviewers found Windows Server 2016 rather expensive to purchase and not as secure as it should be.
"When it comes to security, scalability, and robustness, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) excels in all aspects. That's why we rely on this operating system."
"Its security is the most valuable. It is very stable and has many features. It also has good performance. Some of our clients were using Windows servers and products. I suggested Red Hat Linux to them and described the features. They switched to it, and they really loved it. There were around 50 servers in my last company, and they switched all those servers from Windows to Red Hat. I used to manage those servers."
"I like most of the features. I like its stability. I like its views. It provides a very stable environment."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is how easy it is to use."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a reliable operating system that can run for long periods of time without any issues."
"The enterprise support of the product is valuable to us."
"We have support. If we have any issues with the distro, we can call their support team."
"We have used many of the Linux-based operating systems for production purposes, but this is the only solution that guarantees performance and scalability. When we run industry servers, they demand high performance."
"The most valuable features I have found to be the flexibility and wide range of support training available."
"Nothing is required for the maintenance of the solution, Microsoft does everything. It is very good and robust."
"The solution has a sufficient amount of stability and performance that meets my needs."
"The domain controller features are useful."
"It is pretty simple and flexible. It works with all kinds of software. That's why we are using it. We avoid using Linux and other platforms."
"Windows Server is a stable and scalable solution."
"Since Windows Server has a graphical user interface (GUI), it is easy to use and implement the services that we are using."
"We have been using this solution for a long time and it has been stable."
"A lot of improvement is required to get security compliance, especially with the privacy of the data, managing it, and storing it."
"It could be simplified. I'd like to see them introduce PDFs or documents to better explain technicalities to new users."
"The UI is not user-friendly and has room for improvement."
"The licensing model is kind of a mess."
"In the past and with older versions, you couldn't expand the root file system without rebooting the server or restarting the operating system. That is something that they have actually corrected now, which is great. They corrected that issue somewhere around RHEL 7."
"Workstations: More applications for graphics."
"It is challenging to use the knowledge base and the deployment documentation."
"The cost of this solution could be improved."
"The performance could be a bit better."
"The solution could improve by increasing security."
"A typical user will find implementing it on their own difficult."
"There is room for improvement in terms of pricing."
"It would help if Microsoft made it lighter to run on the servers and made troubleshooting much easier."
"Better integration with more platforms would be useful."
"The solution could be more reasonably priced."
"The solution could be cheaper."
More Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Pricing and Cost Advice →
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is ranked 1st in Operating Systems (OS) for Business with 167 reviews while Windows Server is ranked 4th in Operating Systems (OS) for Business with 180 reviews. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is rated 8.8, while Windows Server is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) writes "Highly stable, good knowledge base, and reasonable price". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Windows Server writes "Easy to setup, stable and caters to my wide range of use cases but lacks user-friendly interface". Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is most compared with Ubuntu Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise, Windows 10, CentOS and Oracle Linux, whereas Windows Server is most compared with Ubuntu Linux, Windows 10, Oracle Linux, CentOS and Windows 11. See our Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs. Windows Server report.
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We monitor all Operating Systems (OS) for Business reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.
