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Windows 11 vs Windows Server 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
5.7
Users found Windows 11 cost-effective, especially with free upgrades, though some questioned the ROI without noticeable enhancements.
Sentiment score
5.5
Windows Server boosts efficiency and resource management, with users reporting significant cost reductions and improved virtualization and Azure services.
Windows 11 is more stable compared to its earlier versions.
IT Manager
It has definitely saved time and generated a return on investment as well.
Presales Engineer at Crayon
We're very competitive commercially and technically because of it.
IT-Operation Head at Granules India Ltd
We've seen value in Windows Server because the systems work smoothly without any problems.
L3 Engineer at Momentum Metropolitan Holdings Limited
Windows Server offers excellent value for money, particularly when compared to alternatives.
Security Engineer at ProVision
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.0
Windows 11 support is generally quick and knowledgeable, though accessibility varies, especially between newer and older hardware.
Sentiment score
6.2
Customer service is generally effective, but technical support quality varies, and experiences with Microsoft are mixed.
Everything should work perfectly if you have new hardware that matches the Windows 11 requirements.
Head of IT department at Monetars
For issues that require level three or level four support, they initiate a process with Microsoft to address the problem.
Telecom Project Consultant at Nexa Resources
The technical support team’s response time is very slow.
Senior Technical Manager at Peristent Systems
Our in-house team can also solve most issues.
IT-Operation Head at Granules India Ltd
If you go through a partner who sells or supports Windows, the support could be around seven out of ten, because Windows relies on these partners for assistance.
Head of Major Account Sales Operation 1 at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Microsoft's technical support for Windows Server has been lacking, with rare responses even with premium support.
Security Engineer at ProVision
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
5.6
Windows 11 is praised for scalability, offering smooth installation, quick deployment, and adaptability despite some hardware challenges.
Sentiment score
7.6
Windows Server is flexible and scalable, efficiently adapting to varying organizational sizes despite some management complexity.
The system is used to control the whole site and the air traffic in every city.
Software Integration Engineer at Thales
We faced challenges integrating it in multi-app environments, requiring complex API setups.
Associate Vice President at Rishabh Software
The solution's scalability is good because it allows you to run a large number of virtual machines.
Senior Technical Manager at Peristent Systems
I've worked in companies with 20,000 to 100,000 users, and it scales beautifully without issues.
Manager, Information & Cloud Systems at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
It's definitely scalable.
IT-Operation Head at Granules India Ltd
The solution is used extensively in our organization, and we have plans to increase the usage.
Project Engineer at CDAC
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
6.0
Windows 11 is praised for performance but criticized for stability issues and frequent update disruptions, with mixed user feedback.
Sentiment score
7.5
Windows Server is highly stable and reliable, with improvements since 2012, often rated 8-10 out of 10 by users.
With the tool, we are able to control airplane traffic.
Software Integration Engineer at Thales
The solution's high level of stability ensures that the machine doesn't go down multiple times.
Senior Technical Manager at Peristent Systems
The stability can be influenced by the status and specifications of our company PCs.
IT Specialist at EMA
We have experienced no blue screens or crashes and often achieved an uptime of 2,000 to 3,000 days without any issues whatsoever.
Security Engineer at ProVision
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
Manager at Accenture company
The tool is stable.
ITSM Administrator & Analyst at Ministry of Interior
 

Room For Improvement

Windows 11 needs stability, security, and interface improvements as users face compatibility issues, complex installations, and high pricing.
Windows Server users seek improved security, better integration, usability, optimization, pricing, automation, documentation, patching, and technical support.
For a better experience, Windows 11 should be improved to take fewer resources.
Delivery Manager at Ford Motor Company
The needed improvements in Windows 11 include that the Copilot integration needs a better user interface experience with rich features, alongside making a very simple UI experience as well.
Presales Engineer at Crayon
The product should focus more on security, particularly Outlook.
Manager IT at Diamond Fabrics, Sapphire
From a security perspective, sometimes, malware attacks and hackers take advantage of the tool's vulnerabilities.
Manager, Strategic Alliances at Softcell Technologies Limited
Deploying antivirus and firewall software on the server is advisable, but having an external firewall adds an extra layer of security.
Project and Service Delivery Manager Cloud at MANAPPURAM COMPTECH AND CONSULTANTS LIMITED
Windows Server needs to improve its speed and stability.
Oracle business analyst at Sensience
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise users see Windows 11 pricing as high yet fair, benefiting from integrated licensing, bulk deals, and deployment advantages.
Enterprise buyers struggle with Windows Server licensing due to its complexity, varied pricing, and high costs compared to Linux.
On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a nine out of ten.
IT Manager
The tool is expensive.
Cyber security manager at Apparel
I have a university license, so I do not pay anything for Windows 11.
Associate Professor at a educational organization with 501-1,000 employees
It is quite expensive.
Head of Major Account Sales Operation 1 at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Previously, a Windows Server with two processors cost around two 154 euros annually, but now it is estimated to be around 3,000 to 4,000 euros for the same configuration.
Security Engineer at ProVision
On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the most expensive, I rate it ten out of ten.
Manager, IT Security at Averis Sdn Bhd
 

Valuable Features

Windows 11 offers a user-friendly interface, enhanced security, productivity features, and seamless integration with Microsoft tools, boosting its appeal.
Windows Server excels in scalability, security, and integration, offering features like Active Directory and seamless Microsoft tool compatibility.
The tool's most valuable feature is its stability.
Telecom Project Consultant at Nexa Resources
Windows is one of the best operating systems an enterprise or user can use.
Cyber security manager at Apparel
The tool is user-friendly.
Manager IT at Diamond Fabrics, Sapphire
Windows Server is a stable and scalable solution.
IT head at Ficobank
The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that every Microsoft product is scalable, flexible, secure, and available on a certain budget.
Manager, Strategic Alliances at Softcell Technologies Limited
The IP directory is the most valuable feature.
Connectivity Platform Cyber Security Specialist at BASF Business Services GmbH
 

Categories and Ranking

Windows 11
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Windows Server
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
195
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 Windows 11 is 8.4%, up from 3.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server is 9.8%, up from 8.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Windows Server9.8%
Windows 118.4%
Other81.8%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Naveenkumar Lakshman - PeerSpot reviewer
Presales Engineer at Crayon
Daily work has become smoother and organized as I manage calls, notes, and files efficiently
The best features that Windows 11 offers in my opinion are Notepad++ and the integration, as I could use Microsoft 365 on it and I could also run many applications. If I want to use Linux, then I could use Windows Subsystem for Linux as well. Most of the industry-wide applications are easily installable on Windows 11 and user-friendly as well. Windows 11 has definitely impacted my organization positively because you could see that all the day-to-day activities, most of our professionals would use a Windows system itself. In terms of productivity, Windows 11 has made a positive difference as we use a mail inbox with its links and Microsoft Teams, which is available. Windows 11 is natively installable and very friendly with the compatible operating system, and alongside, we have other applications that are available. Edge browser, which is the default browser for Windows 11, is also a good browser and a very decent option. Additionally, we have other features available for the day-to-day activities. You can see it gives you a basic calendar, calculator, and camera options, and you have the File Explorer. You get a pretty decent operating system for a layman to work on a day-to-day basis. While there are certain tasks that consume a certain amount of time, Windows 11 reduces the time. The usability and architecture, how it is built, makes a user get into a state where they don't need to spend excessive effort on the task to be done. You can get everything through a UI-based interface, and everything is sorted and very simple. Over the period of time, the operating system evolution by Microsoft is good for the individual workspace.
GS
Manager, Information & Cloud Systems at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
Long-standing experience improves reliability and security, making it a trusted platform
It's difficult to see improvements when using it daily. They improved compatibility with other platforms, such as Linux. One improvement I was thinking about some years ago was the ability to manage an on-premises server from Azure. Now, they have created Azure Arc, and we are using it as a very good way of managing on-premises servers. What can be improved is on the Azure side. With Active Directory on the server side and Entra ID on the Azure side in our hybrid environment, we find issues with data syncing to Entra ID. In Entra ID, Microsoft omitted some parameters. In Active Directory, you can put an expiring date to an account, but you cannot do that in Entra ID. We have other means of doing that, but it's common to have consultants working for six months, requiring account expiration or renewal processes. The Entra ID Connect syncing tool could be improved. Though they moved the service to Azure and use an agent instead of having a dedicated server, it remains cumbersome to set up due to the differences between Entra ID and Active Directory.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
13%
Computer Software Company
10%
University
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise25
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business78
Midsize Enterprise41
Large Enterprise88
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Windows 11?
We use Windows 11 for our workstation’s daily operations.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Windows 11?
It is very difficult to say the price for Windows 11. I mean, what do you say about the Windows price? Everybody wants it cheaper, and if you get it cheap, then you still want it cheaper.
What needs improvement with Windows 11?
I wouldn't say I particularly enjoy Windows 11 because I've been so used to using it, I'm fine with using Windows 11. Comparing Windows 11 with a Mac, it's smoother to operate on the Mac OS. The Ma...
What needs improvement with Windows Server?
The user interface of Windows Server needs improvement, especially when working with users, user accounts, and groups. There are multiple ways to accomplish tasks that do not align completely, so t...
What is your primary use case for Windows Server?
I integrated Windows Server in my infrastructure. We use Hyper-V technology extensively, as it is very important for us, and it functions quite well.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Rakuten, Rackspace, Tyco
Find out what your peers are saying about Windows 11 vs. Windows Server and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.