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Rocky Linux vs Windows 10 comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 7, 2024

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
3.9
Switching to Rocky Linux saved costs and time, enhanced problem resolution, and supported increased employee onboarding and organizational growth.
Sentiment score
1.4
Windows 10 enhances performance, security, and compatibility, reducing crashes and break-even in 1.5 years, despite mixed ROI perceptions.
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.
ROI has been good as we have significant open source community involvement.
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.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.1
Rocky Linux customer service is reliable, with quick responses, good documentation, and high user satisfaction despite limited official reliance.
Sentiment score
4.6
Users often use online forums and resources for Windows 10 support, experiencing mixed satisfaction with Microsoft's technical support.
The support level is extraordinary, providing on-time assistance.
We have not yet needed to contact a vendor regarding Rocky Linux.
Even if we raise a support ticket, we receive a resolution or a reply from the team within two business days.
We have informed Microsoft, but the issue is still there, and it has been more than three to four months.
The customer service and support from Microsoft are quite responsive and generally good.
The Office 365 support is good, it takes a while sometimes to point to the problem, but they're good.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
5.3
Rocky Linux is scalable and user-friendly, with organizations recommending automation tools for efficient setup and expansion.
Sentiment score
5.2
Windows 10 is widely seen as scalable for diverse organizations, supporting both personal and enterprise environments efficiently.
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.
It has handled growth or changing needs well.
The scalability is quite good, though there are some issues with Rocky Linux.
For scalability, I would rate it a nine or ten because performance-wise, Windows 10 has never given me those issues.
I can increase the licensing amount easily when there is company growth or when new people join.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Rocky Linux is praised for its stability, ease of use, scalability, and reliable performance on low-resource systems and hardware.
Sentiment score
6.4
Windows 10 is stable and reliable with minimal issues, though updates may sometimes temporarily affect performance and stability.
Rocky Linux is stable, scalable, and it is very much easier to use.
Rocky Linux is stable.
The challenges were related to third-party agents and their supportability.
I would rate the stability of the product an eight.
 

Room For Improvement

Rocky Linux needs identity clarity, better integrations, faster updates, improved security, API tools, documentation, and enhanced community support.
Windows 10 needs better update management, intuitive design, stronger security, improved performance, platform integration, flexible pricing, and support.
It is based on customer requirements, as they might want to use Rocky Linux or Ubuntu, depending on their needs.
Rocky Linux could be improved by having more integration with Kubernetes.
Currently, it takes more than one month to release a new package or kernel, so speeding that up would help reduce reported vulnerability remediations.
Microsoft can improve their Teams product because everybody uses Teams, and it's very clunky and unfriendly in terms of scrolling back, downloading files, and moving back and forth within the different teams.
Investment in Windows 10 may not be ideal as the world is changing with advancing technology in the AI age.
The transitions within Teams are not smooth, and call quality in meetings is not great.
 

Setup Cost

Rocky Linux is praised for its affordability and streamlined licensing, appealing to cost-conscious enterprises and AWS users.
Enterprise Windows 10 pricing varies widely, influenced by licensing models, with users seeking simpler, more transparent and affordable options.
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.
There is no extra cost for a license if we are purchasing Rocky Linux from the AWS Marketplace.
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.
For those buying a Windows license, it might be better to buy a Windows 11 license.
Windows is considered overpriced, especially given the normal software functionalities.
Windows 10 is cost-effective when compared to other competitors available such as Mac and Linux.
 

Valuable Features

Rocky Linux offers stability, cost savings, easy integration, and strong community support, making it ideal for critical systems management.
Windows 10 features a user-friendly interface, robust security, high performance, and enhances productivity with intuitive multitasking and seamless integration.
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.
For production deployment, Rocky Linux is a great choice because it offers full RHEL compatibility without licensing costs, along with strong community support.
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.
When using mapping software such as QGIS or ArcGIS, the system remains stable, especially when handling heavy files.
The configuration management tools, such as SACM, are effective.
Windows 11 brings some AI features for Microsoft Copilot, which probably weren't as integrated into the previous version.
 

Categories and Ranking

Rocky Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
4th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.3
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Windows 10
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
9th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
4.7
Number of Reviews
283
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Rocky Linux is 14.3%, up from 12.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows 10 is 2.8%, down from 4.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Rocky Linux14.3%
Windows 102.8%
Other82.9%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Massimiliano Adamo - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Arjun Meda - PeerSpot reviewer
User appreciates ease of use but desires improvements in pricing and update process
I do not find Windows 10 compatible with my applications as I am not using any legacy applications. Regarding my experience with Windows 10, I was annoyed with updates that constantly make my PC restart. Additionally, the user interface could be more intuitive because it is sometimes too hard to find specific items.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
12%
University
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Large Enterprise13
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business126
Midsize Enterprise63
Large Enterprise119
 

Questions from the Community

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 have no suggestions regarding how Rocky Linux can be improved. I haven't identified any areas that need improvement yet.
What is your primary use case for Rocky Linux?
As a Cloud Ops Engineer, we are setting up the server on the EC2 machine with Rocky Linux, while also doing some setup related to the frameworks for Ruby. We are installing their dependencies relat...
What needs improvement with Windows 10?
I do not find Windows 10 compatible with my applications as I am not using any legacy applications. Regarding my experience with Windows 10, I was annoyed with updates that constantly make my PC re...
What is your primary use case for Windows 10?
Regarding features such as Cortana voice activation, I am not using that; it is not AI, it is more similar to Siri in iPhones. Regarding the initial setup, it is not difficult to set up Windows 10 ...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Rocky Linux vs. Windows 10 and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
872,098 professionals have used our research since 2012.