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SUSE Linux Enterprise 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
4.9
SUSE Linux Enterprise provides better ROI and cost savings for SAP deployment than Red Hat, enhancing revenue by 10-15%.
Sentiment score
6.0
Ubuntu Linux offers cost savings, high returns, stability, and security, making it a valuable, cost-effective alternative to licensed software.
I have seen a return on investment by switching our clusters from on-prem to Azure public cloud, using our same Bring Your Own Licenses, which saved costs on licensing.
Senior Cloud Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.6
SUSE Linux Enterprise support is generally praised for expertise, though experiences vary, with high costs for certain interactions.
Sentiment score
6.5
Ubuntu Linux users appreciate efficient support but often rely on community resources and documentation for effective self-assistance.
SUSE Linux Enterprise provides a stable, secure, and well-supported platform for enterprise workloads, with powerful management tools and robust support for clustering, cloud, and containers.
Senior Lead DevOps Engineer at Kyndryl
The customer support is good; whenever we have opened a case, they have provided detailed explanations of the issues and resolutions.
Senior Cloud Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
I rate the customer service 10 out of 10 because SUSE has 24/7 availability support, extended support, security, multi-Linux distribution support, upgradation, and everything is user-friendly.
Devops MAnager at DXC Technology
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
6.0
SUSE Linux Enterprise is praised for its strong scalability, ease of maintenance, cloud compatibility, but faces some kernel issues.
Sentiment score
7.1
Ubuntu Linux is highly scalable for servers, excelling in diverse industries and popular for cloud and on-premises applications.
Its scalability is quite good since we are using Azure, which allows us to easily scale up or down our resources as needed.
Senior Cloud Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
SUSE Linux Enterprise is widely recognized for its strong scalability, making it suitable for organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to global enterprises.
Senior Lead DevOps Engineer at Kyndryl
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
SUSE Linux Enterprise is praised for its stability and reliability, with occasional minor issues in newer versions and Hyper-V.
Sentiment score
7.9
Ubuntu Linux is praised for its stability, reliability, minimal maintenance, and efficient updates, though challenges may arise in virtual environments.
When HANA is utilized by many applications, I notice that while utilization does increase, we have never faced lagging or server unresponsiveness.
Senior Cloud Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
I would rate stability for SUSE Linux Enterprise an eight out of ten.
Solution specialist Data and AI at a tech vendor with 10,001+ 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

SUSE Linux Enterprise requires improvements in package management, security policies, cloud integration, UI, documentation, licensing, and support services.
Ubuntu Linux faces challenges in user-friendliness, stability, compatibility, and integration, demanding improvements in support and enterprise tools.
Security is a top concern, and further strengthening default security policies, simplifying compliance management, and integrating advanced vulnerability management tools would be a valuable improvement.
Senior Lead DevOps Engineer at Kyndryl
The software manager was different, making it challenging to install certain applications.
Lead Desktop Support Technician at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
The license we subscribed to should carry over within the same instance family.
IT Manager at a wellness & fitness company with 5,001-10,000 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

SUSE Linux Enterprise provides flexible pricing, emphasizing support over licensing, with mixed affordability perceptions but justified by scalability and support.
Ubuntu Linux offers cost-effective adoption with a free core version, optional subscription support, and significant resource efficiency for enterprises.
Upgrading an instance results in overlapping or double subscription fees.
IT Manager at a wellness & fitness company with 5,001-10,000 employees
I would rate pricing for SUSE Linux Enterprise considering one is a high price and ten is a low price.
Solution specialist Data and AI at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The licensing cost is a bit high.
Senior Cloud Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 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

SUSE Linux Enterprise excels in stability, security, easy administration, cost-effectiveness, and adaptability, ideal for enterprise workloads.
Ubuntu Linux offers security, stability, and user-friendliness, with strong community support, cost-effectiveness, and excellent compatibility for various users.
SUSE Linux had a clean user interface, which was a valuable feature for me.
Lead Desktop Support Technician at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
It has a stable and reliable OS.
IT Manager at a wellness & fitness company with 5,001-10,000 employees
The LVM is very easy to configure, along with simple disk scanning compared to other systems.
Senior Cloud Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 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

SUSE Linux Enterprise
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
13th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
36
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 September 2026, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of SUSE Linux Enterprise is 4.1%, down from 6.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubuntu Linux is 8.1%, down from 11.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Ubuntu Linux8.1%
SUSE Linux Enterprise4.1%
Other87.8%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

MoezCHEBBI - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Lead DevOps Engineer at Kyndryl
Has delivered expert training and enabled smooth migrations using automated deployment tools
SUSE Linux Enterprise is a mature and reliable platform, but there are areas where it can be improved. Modernizing the system management tools is important as many users appreciate YaST for its centralized management, but there is a growing demand for more modern, web-based, and modular tools. The introduction of tools such as Agama, a web-based installer, and Cockpit in newer releases is a step in the right direction.SUSE has made progress with multi-Linux support, allowing organizations to manage and support not just SUSE systems but also other distributions such as Red Hat and CentOS; continuing to expand these capabilities, especially for hybrid and multi-cloud environments, will help organizations manage diverse infrastructure more effectively. Security is a top concern, and further strengthening default security policies, simplifying compliance management, and integrating advanced vulnerability management tools would be a valuable improvement.
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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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Construction Company
8%
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 Business9
Midsize Enterprise11
Large Enterprise23
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business85
Midsize Enterprise22
Large Enterprise54
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SUSE Linux Enterprise?
I would rate pricing for SUSE Linux Enterprise considering one is a high price and ten is a low price.
What needs improvement with SUSE Linux Enterprise?
SUSE can make improvements to SUSE Linux Enterprise. I have suggestions about what they can add to the product to simplify users' lives. They need to intensely work on their marketing strategy.
What is your primary use case for SUSE Linux Enterprise?
I understand your point regarding my current use case for SUSE Linux Enterprise. I want to know if the purchase process is mostly directly from SUSE or through the AWS Marketplace, and what ways I ...
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

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3
Ubuntu
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Air India, Akademicki Szpital Kliniczny (ASK), Allone, Altran, Apollo, ARCHIVA, Asia Innovatory Management School, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH, AutoData Norge AS, Baldor Electric, Business Connexion, CASIO, Ciclum Farma, Delta Lloyd, Edumate , HPE,  SAP SE,  Lenovo, BMW, T-Systems, UCX, Turners & Growers, Shenzhen Development Bank, Bosch Group, JK Tyres & Industries, IOCL, European Space Agency, Daimler AG, China Minsheng Banking Corp, Café Coffee Day, Unisys,  Petrochina Company Ltd, Fitch Ratings, ABeam Consulting Co Ltd, Tyro Payments, Rackspace, Pacific Textiles, ...
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 SUSE Linux Enterprise vs. Ubuntu Linux and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,076 professionals have used our research since 2012.