AlmaLinux vs Debian comparison

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 4, 2026

Debian and AlmaLinux compete in providing dependable open-source platforms for enterprises. AlmaLinux appears to have the upper hand due to its enterprise-grade stability and RHEL compatibility, which are crucial for businesses relying on RHEL-based applications.

Features: Debian offers a comprehensive repository with robust package management and extensive software availability, delivering versatility across applications. It benefits from broad community support and adaptability. AlmaLinux, on the other hand, provides enterprise-level stability and seamless RHEL compatibility, which offers a smoother transition for businesses using RHEL. The structured features of AlmaLinux are aligned with enterprise needs.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Debian's deployment model is simplified by its large community network, easing the initial setup phase. AlmaLinux offers a seamless deployment experience due to its RHEL compatibility, often needing fewer adaptations for RHEL-based infrastructures. While Debian benefits from community-driven support, AlmaLinux provides more structured assistance aligned with enterprise environments.

Pricing and ROI: Debian, being open source, leads to minimal setup costs and presents a strong ROI backed by its community support and adaptability. AlmaLinux, also open source, targets enterprises with a balance of operational expenses and the value of its RHEL compatibility. While Debian reduces initial expenditures, AlmaLinux's enterprise alignment suggests a potentially higher ROI for businesses prioritizing stability and compatibility.

To learn more, read our detailed Operating Systems (OS) for Business Report (Updated: January 2026).

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

AlmaLinux

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

17th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

4.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Debian

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

14th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

reviewer2797887

Owner

Reliable long-term hosting has reduced server migrations and lets me focus on projects

One area for improvement with AlmaLinux is the use of SELinux to secure and harden my server, which I find to be a complicated beast. Better documentation on that part could be useful, although there is a lot of material out there. I choose a nine because nothing is ever perfect. For example, coming from Ubuntu, I found their firewall software easy to use, while with AlmaLinux's entire ecosystem, I always have to look up how to use firewall-cmd. These are just little preferences. I cannot think of anything else AlmaLinux could improve; it serves me well, and I have not been missing anything.

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Badal Shrivastav

Embedded Linux / BSP Engineer at Veethree

Reliable platform has supported long-term on-prem deployments and predictable OTA updates

If I consider how Debian can be improved, it could be more accessible in making newer software versions available for users who need recent features while still maintaining default stable behavior. While backports help, the workflow could be streamlined. The release cycle can feel slow for rapidly evolving tools, and better guidance around mixing stable, backports, and testing would help. Regarding hardware support, Debian can be improved by supporting multiple BSPs, making it more versatile in the embedded domain. Hardware support for new devices can sometimes lag behind, which is understandable given Debian's focus on stability. Clearer guidance on handling newer hardware or firmware would be beneficial.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"AlmaLinux provides free updates and security, unlike Red Hat, where support must be purchased separately."

"Positively, I can say that AlmaLinux has brought a sense of stability, and besides the security patches, we also noticed better virtualization for our use cases."

"The most valuable feature I find in AlmaLinux is the binary compatibility with RHEL and the long-term stability, which makes it a predictable, rock-solid system behavior, while also having small and safe packaging for subsystems or systems that run twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week."

"The long-term support provided by AlmaLinux helps my business by ensuring that we do not have to renew our servers every four to five years."

"The best features Debian offers are that it is fast, simple, and long-term supported."

"Debian's best features are that it is very light and very comfortable for even older computers."

"Debian offers features that are best for my needs, including being open source, which allows for the implementation of many things and the use of a wide variety of open-source tools."

"Debian offers the best features in that it is open source, simple, and battle-tested, with a good release cycle."

"Debian's stability helps me in my daily work because my work relies on stability; I'm trying to deploy production workloads, and Debian offers that stability for me."

"Debian has positively impacted my organization by bringing strong security and consistent compliance awareness."

"Debian has positively impacted my organization, and I have noticed specific improvements since adopting it."

"Debian positively impacts my organization by allowing us to utilize a much more lightweight operating system with Amazon EC2 instances, which greatly reduces costs because we can use EC2 instances with lower RAM."

More Debian pros

Cons

"One area for improvement with AlmaLinux is the use of SELinux to secure and harden my server, which I find to be a complicated beast."

"If AlmaLinux could provide ten to twenty years of fixes, that would be an improvement because I do not want to update the system all the time, as it becomes more challenging for me as a system administrator to track all the patches and everything I should patch on the system."

"After six months of migration, we ended up using more resources for the same websites, and that's not acceptable."

"The stable kernel because it is going to be older and naturally stable does not always support brand new components such as CPUs or specialized GPUs out of the box, which can make it difficult to use there."

"Customer support for Debian has been acceptable. We approached the Azure Debian support, and while it seems adequate, they need to improve somewhat."

"In terms of scalability, Debian on-premises is not very scalable because it depends on your hardware."

"I believe Debian can be improved by adding more containerization features out of the box, and it should make some updates when it comes to the UI."

"I wish the company responsible for Debian would send communications about updates and new features to keep people informed and to give Debian the recognition and praise that it deserves."

"It seems there should be a more deterministic way to do that. It does seem that you are running a lot of random install scripts to install things or relying on another two or three package management services, so there could be better software installation methods."

"Debian should have a reset feature; if something goes wrong, such as when I have installed or modified any root file, there should be a reset feature to restore my initial default settings."

"About the features of Debian, of course, it is a slow distribution like many others."

More Debian cons

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

14%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

10%

University

Comms Service Provider

17%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AlmaLinux?

AlmaLinux is free of charge, which is why I chose this distribution. It offers an alternative to Red Hat, which is free only without support and updates. AlmaLinux provides free updates and securit...

What needs improvement with AlmaLinux?

It is hard to say what needs improvement because I am on the operations side and focus on installing servers and running our software.

What is your primary use case for AlmaLinux?

I use AlmaLinux as the base operating system for all of our Linux servers. Our environment includes use cases that range from a load balancer on the NGINX platform to our monitoring software, Check...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Debian?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing seems acceptable. We have also used Ubuntu. Comparing to Ubuntu, Debian is cheaper.

What needs improvement with Debian?

In terms of improvements, I think Debian is fine as it is. I'm not an expert, so for me, it is acceptable.

What is your primary use case for Debian?

I have been using Debian for a while now. My main use case for Debian is running PostgreSQL and related infrastructure. A specific example of an application I'm running on Debian is PostgreSQL.

Oracle Linux vs AlmaLinux

Comparisons

Compared 18% of the time

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs AlmaLinux

Compared 18% of the time

Alpine Linux vs AlmaLinux

Compared 11% of the time

Fedora Linux vs AlmaLinux

Compared 10% of the time

openSUSE Leap vs AlmaLinux

Compared 10% of the time

More AlmaLinux Competitors

Rocky Linux vs Debian

Compared 41% of the time

openSUSE Leap vs Debian

Compared 11% of the time

Alpine Linux vs Debian

Compared 8% of the time

Kali Linux vs Debian

Compared 5% of the time

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs Debian

Compared 4% of the time

More Debian Competitors

Product Reports

Operating Systems (OS) for Business

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Also Known As

AlmaLinux OS 8 (x86_64), AlmaLinux OS 10 (x86_64)

Debian 12

Overview

AlmaLinux is an open-source, enterprise-level Linux distribution designed to provide stability, high performance, and community-driven support. It offers compatibility with RHEL, making it a reliable option for businesses seeking robust OS alternatives.

Built by CloudLinux, AlmaLinux serves enterprises looking for a powerful Linux distribution. It boasts seamless transitions from CentOS, providing a familiar environment for IT teams. With its open-source nature, AlmaLinux empowers organizations by offering control over their workflows. It supports diverse workloads, making it suitable for handling anything from basic setups to complex architectures. AlmaLinux stands out due to its strong security features, which focus on protecting sensitive data and maintaining secure server environments.

What are AlmaLinux's most important features?

Compatibility with RHEL: Ensures a seamless transition for users familiar with Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Long-Term Support: Offers extended support periods, ensuring stability for enterprise systems.
Rich Community Support: Backed by an active community and regular updates.
Security Enhancements: Integrated security improvements for protecting business data.
Open-Source Nature: Provides flexibility and customization through a transparent codebase.

What benefits or ROI should users look for?

Cost Efficiency: Free to use, reducing operational expenses.
Reliable Performance: Consistent updates and support for enterprise needs.
Reduced Vendor Lock-in: Allows migration from other enterprise Linux systems with ease.
Security Assurance: Continuous security patches protect corporate assets.

AlmaLinux has been implemented across industries like finance, healthcare, and technology due to its reliability and adaptability. In finance, it ensures secure transactions and data integrity. Healthcare organizations rely on it for managing sensitive patient data. Tech companies use it for its stability and community-driven enhancements, making it a versatile choice for diverse applications.

AlmaLinux

Debian is a reliable open-source operating system ideal for servers and desktops. With its wide array of packages and stable releases, it suits developers and organizations seeking dependable performance and security.

Debian stands out for its stability and extensive package repository, making it a go-to choice for developers. Its open-source nature ensures transparency and flexibility. Debian's package management system, APT, simplifies software installation and updates. Its security updates are regular and prompt, ensuring systems are protected. With support for multiple architectures, Debian caters to various environments from desktops to large-scale servers.

What are the key features of Debian?

Package Management: APT tool for efficient software installation and updates.
Security: Regular security updates maintain robust protection.
Open Source: Community-driven with transparency and flexibility.
Architecture Support: Compatibility with diverse hardware systems.
Stability: Reliable performance across server and desktop configurations.

What benefits and ROI should be considered in reviews?

Cost Efficiency: Free distribution reduces expenses.
Performance: Stable and reliable for demanding applications.
Customizability: Open-source nature allows tailored solutions.
Community Support: Extensive community for troubleshooting and advice.

Debian is widely used in industries such as web hosting, scientific research, and education, where reliability and long-term support are priorities. Its flexibility allows it to be adapted for specialized applications in scientific computing or educational environments, ensuring it meets industry-specific technical requirements.

Operating Systems (OS) for Business