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AlmaLinux vs Ubuntu Linux comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 4, 2026

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
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ubuntu Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
150
Ranking in other categories
OpenStack (1st)
 

Featured Reviews

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.
Salim Ahmed - PeerSpot reviewer
System Administrator at mmcytech
Has supported secure application hosting and reliable server management
I find the GUI to be good in Ubuntu Linux, and I appreciate the open SSH. The fact that it is free since it is open and open-source is why I appreciate it and feel it is secured. We have multiple different kinds of support related to Ubuntu Linux, including official support and other options. I am currently using laptops, desktops, and servers, and Ubuntu Linux supports all these devices. If I need it for Raspberry Pi or something similar, I can download another Linux distribution. Ubuntu Linux is scalable, especially for servers. We prefer using Ubuntu Linux Servers rather than Windows. The biggest advantage of Ubuntu Linux for me is that it is open-source, secured, and scalable.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"AlmaLinux provides free updates and security, unlike Red Hat, where support must be purchased separately."
"What makes Ubuntu easy to use is the large set of applications and the interface. The graphical interface is user friendly."
"I found using this solution pleasurable to learn since it is something different than Windows."
"One of the most valuable features of Ubuntu Linux is how easy it is to manage. We have some monitoring solutions, so those applications are running on top of Ubuntu. So far, the applications are running in a way that's very stable, compared to other Linux versions and flavors. In terms of redundancy and the command line, it's very easy to manage."
"Ubuntu Linux has good security features and a lot of software compatibility."
"The solution is scalable."
"Ubuntu Linux is the most secure option on the market."
"Doesn't require significant manual configuration."
"I like this product much better than some other similar solutions."
 

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 documentation is very poor."
"In general, Windows is easier to use and friendlier to deal with than Ubuntu."
"The biggest improvement, which is also applicable to Linux in general, with Ubuntu Linux is getting things standardized as to where you're going to put your configuration files and how they're going to work. Package names also need to be improved so that the package name doesn't have any match with configuration file systems and things like that. Ubuntu is still better than some of the others, such as Red Hat Linux or CentOS."
"I am really very satisfied with this solution. However, one thing that I would like to see improve, is to have better support for multiple screens with multiple resolutions. For me, that is the most important feature."
"On the GUI, when I use SSH or PuTTY or what is called a console port to connect with the network devices or servers, it is somehow difficult compared with Windows."
"One thing I've noticed is network connectivity issues where packets are sometimes lost."
"The solution has a bit of a learning curve. It's not too high, however, you do need to understand the solution to deploy it and work with it effectively."
"The solution should have more personal use applications for this platform."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"On a personal level, I'm using the free version."
"It's an open-source solution that can be used free of charge."
"Ubuntu Linux is an open-source product that is free to use."
"I don't need to pay for the license."
"The solution is free."
"We are using the free and open-sourced version of the solution."
"It comes as free software, where there is an option for you to buy support licenses."
"The solution is open source, so there is no licensing fee."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
14%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
University
8%
Comms Service Provider
11%
University
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Educational Organization
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business84
Midsize Enterprise21
Large Enterprise53
 

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...
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 do you like most about Ubuntu Linux?
It has a good support system for loading databases.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ubuntu Linux?
My experience with the pricing for Ubuntu Linux is that I always use the free version, so I never paid for any installations or support.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
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 Red Hat, Rocky Linux, Canonical and others in Operating Systems (OS) for Business. Updated: January 2026.
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