I have installed Ubuntu Desktop on my personal laptop.
Systems Architect at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
You can do everything with a browse
Pros and Cons
- "You can do everything you need to do with a browser."
- "Could be even more light weight than it currently is."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Nowadays, you can do everything with a browser, meaning you don't need a vulnerable, fancy solution like Windows for example.
What needs improvement?
I am aware that they package some versions that are lightweight and are not so process or memory-intensive however, I would like to see an even more lightweight version because I believe it is possible.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have using Ubuntu for about 15 years and intend to increase my usage.
Buyer's Guide
Ubuntu Linux
May 2025

Learn what your peers think about Ubuntu Linux. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Ubuntu is very stable, I have zero issues.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used Windows for a very long time, however my specialty has been on Unix systems.
How was the initial setup?
I did the initial setup on my own. It takes about two hours, unattended, as it takes time to update and download.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I do not pay a licensing fee for this operating system.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Ubuntu Linux. If people are scared of Linux machines they don't need to be, it is as simple as Windows. Don't be scared of the fact that it says Linux on the box, it's a desktop in itself.
I would rate Ubuntu Linux an 8 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

ITOM Solution Consultant at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Great alternative to proprietary operating systems; could be more user friendly
Pros and Cons
- "Ubuntu is rather stable, simple to deploy, stable, and well supported by an open-source community."
- "I think Ubuntu's performance is fine and so is its user interface. However, the latter is not as fancy as Microsoft Windows. It could be a bit fancier and easier to use."
What is our primary use case?
I use Ubuntu mostly for private purposes.
What needs improvement?
I think Ubuntu's performance is fine and so is its user interface. However, the latter is not as fancy as Microsoft Windows. It could be a bit fancier and easier to use.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Ubuntu only occasionally. I am not an experienced user.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Ubuntu is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Ubuntu is a scalable solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is absolutely straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are no costs associated with Ubuntu.
What other advice do I have?
Ubuntu is rather stable, simple to deploy, stable, and well supported by an open-source community. I would recommend it as a possible alternative to Windows for those looking to avoid the cost associated with that operating system. It is definitely a cost-effective alternative for private usage.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Ubuntu Linux
May 2025

Learn what your peers think about Ubuntu Linux. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Information Technology Infrastructure Manager at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
High performance, easy to install, and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has high fantastic performance."
- "Ubuntu Linux could improve by having better documentation because sometimes their documentation is not very good."
What is our primary use case?
We use Ubuntu Linux as an operating system for daily use. We use it for many purposes, for example, supporting, developing, configuring, and scripting.
What is most valuable?
The solution has high fantastic performance.
What needs improvement?
Ubuntu Linux could improve by having better documentation because sometimes their documentation is not very good.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Ubuntu Linux for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Ubuntu Linux is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 200 people using this solution in my organization.
How was the initial setup?
Ubuntu Linux is easy to install. We already configured it to auto-install for other Linux servers. The process takes not more than 15 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
For the implementation and maintenance of the solution, we have approximately six people.
What was our ROI?
We are saving money from not having to pay for an operating system that costs our company money because Ubuntu Linux is free to use.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are using the free and open-sourced version of the solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others because it is free and you can save licensing costs.
I rate Ubuntu Linux a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Lead Consultant at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Open source with a fast OS; lacks sufficient documentation
Pros and Cons
- "Open source with a fast OS."
- "The installation of Ubuntu is somewhat complicated, requires better documentation."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is for implementing anything that's open source, like a network monitoring tool or anything connected to network, security or vulnerability scanning. It can all be done with Linux.
What is most valuable?
The solution is open source and free with a fast OS.
What needs improvement?
The installation of Ubuntu is somewhat complicated. It requires searching online forums and installation takes time. If there was additional training and documentation available, better support for integration, that would be helpful. The UI could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for over 20 years.
How was the initial setup?
For business, the initial deployment is straightforward. If additional hard disk is required, then that will be difficult. Deployment took around 20 minutes and I believe we have around 10 users.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is open source, so no licensing costs.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend this solution if it's appropriate to your needs.
I rate this product a seven out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Stable, simple, and easy to use
Pros and Cons
- "It is stable and quite easy to use as compared to other Linux operating systems. They have created a system like Windows. It is simple and without any problems."
- "When you upgrade the core of this operating system, it can crash. This is the only problem I had. It needs more stable upgrades."
What is our primary use case?
I am using it for the desktop system. I have its latest version.
What is most valuable?
It is stable and quite easy to use as compared to other Linux operating systems. They have created a system like Windows. It is simple and without any problems.
What needs improvement?
When you upgrade the core of this operating system, it can crash. This is the only problem I had. It needs more stable upgrades.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for a few years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
For desktop, we don't need it to be scalable. Currently, it is for personal use, and there is only one user.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not used their technical support. Ubuntu probably has a lot of documents, but I never had to read something about it. I have used CentOS for dozens of years, so Ubuntu seems simple to me.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use CentOS for our web servers.
How was the initial setup?
It is very simple. It took less than half an hour.
What about the implementation team?
Usually, I do it by myself, and it is very simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is free.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Ubuntu Linux for other users who want to start using it.
I would rate Ubuntu Linux a 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Solution Architect / Head of DevOps Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
User-friendly, easy to use, and open-source
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is free to use."
- "The product could be easier to manage."
What is our primary use case?
Ubuntu is a Linux OS. The solution is primarily used for web servers and web traffic.
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to use for developers and DevOps teams.
The commands and user commands are very good.
The repository and the security repository are up to date, which is great.
The product is very user-friendly.
We've found the solution to be quite stable so far.
The solution is free to use.
There is a very good open-source community surrounding the solution that can help you troubleshoot if you run into any issues.
What needs improvement?
You need a Linux operating system to be the host of the web servers. We don't use a GUI. It's not like Windows. It's not for daily users to write documents or browsing sheets or browsing the internet.
The product could be easier to manage.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for five or six years at this point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is very good. It doesn't crash or freeze. There are no bugs or glitches. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution can scale if you need it to.
How are customer service and technical support?
We don't really deal with technical support per see. It's a free-to-use open-source solution. The way it works is it has a community and you can submit to Ubuntu and you can get help from some of the people that lead this community. It's pretty good. You can find what you need to solve pretty much any problem you might have.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've also used CentOS, and I would recommend Unbuntu over it.
How was the initial setup?
I did not install the solution myself, however, if you decide to use the cloud you can choose it as a wizard. It's my understanding that it is pretty straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is free to use. It doesn't cost us anything. It's great that we have access without having to worry about licensing fees.
What other advice do I have?
We don't use a GUI. We tend to focus on its OS layers. Therefore, we don't really deal with any dashboards.
I'd rate the solution at a perfect ten out of ten. It's been very reliable and we appreciate its capabilities overall.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Executive Director at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Open-source, easy to use, and stable
Pros and Cons
- "It is open-source, secure, and easy to use."
- "It can have more security."
What is our primary use case?
It is useful for web servers, email servers, and file servers. I am using its latest version.
What is most valuable?
It is open-source, secure, and easy to use.
What needs improvement?
It can have more security.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. We currently have around ten users. We don't have any plans to increase its usage.
How are customer service and technical support?
I am satisfied with their technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used FreeBSD.
How was the initial setup?
Its initial setup is straightforward. It took about 20 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
I did it myself. We have a team of six engineers for deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is open-source. We don't have to pay for its license.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Ubuntu Linux a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Cloud Specialist at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Our main Linux platform of choice
Pros and Cons
- "More people should use this solution."
What is our primary use case?
We mainly use this solution for application-related uses. We use it as our main Linux platform of choice.
What is most valuable?
One of the best features is that it is constantly updated.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Ubuntu Linux for more than 15 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Ubuntu Linux is both stable and scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have never contacted their support team.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We actually use both Ubuntu Linux and CentOS, but CentOS is being decommissioned so our choice is Ubuntu.
How was the initial setup?
Ubuntu Linux was very easy to deploy. You can install Ubuntu in many different ways and all of them are pretty straightforward. I also have a lot of experience with Ubuntu, so for me, the initial installation is very easy.
A team of four people is required for maintenance and deployment.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give Ubuntu Linux a rating of ten. More people should use this solution.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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