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Amazon Linux vs Rocky Linux comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 15, 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
Amazon Linux saves organizations money and time with no licensing costs, AWS integration, and reduced maintenance efforts.
Sentiment score
4.6
Rocky Linux reduces costs, maintenance time, and boosts community support, leading to significant savings and resource onboarding opportunities.
With Amazon Linux, selecting and launching instances on a public cloud provider means the machine spins up in fewer than ten seconds, making it efficient.
Cloud Solution Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
By switching the compute fleet from a paid distribution to Amazon Linux, we have reduced our OS-related overhead cost by 100%.
System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Some wins commonly seen after switching, particularly when moving from general-purpose distributions such as Ubuntu, include approximately twenty to forty percent better price-performance ratio.
configuration and management deployment at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
When it comes to return on investment, a lot of money is saved since we moved from a purchased license to the open source provided by Rocky Linux.
System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
ROI has been good as we have significant open source community involvement.
Technical Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
I have seen a return on investment since there was definitely money saved at the time due to the lack of need for licensing since Rocky is available openly.
System Administrator at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.5
Amazon Linux's 24/7 support is efficient and responsive, with knowledgeable engineers and praised documentation, enhancing user experience.
Sentiment score
4.7
Rocky Linux support is reliable with active community help, excellent customer support, and a preference for in-house assistance.
Amazon has the best expertise and they are available 24/7.
Senior AWS Consultant at Quantum Integrators
Timely and helpful responses for performance, updates, or AWS integration issues.
QA Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Customer support provided excellent assistance, resolving the issue and getting the setup back to working order fast.
Software Engineer at cypherox technologies pvt. ltd
The support level is extraordinary, providing on-time assistance.
Senior System Engineer at Al Jazeera Media Network
We have not yet needed to contact a vendor regarding Rocky Linux.
Senior Network Engineer at KLC bvba
Even if we raise a support ticket, we receive a resolution or a reply from the team within two business days.
System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
Amazon Linux excels in scalable, efficient operations with AWS, offering reliable performance and rapid scaling to meet demand.
Sentiment score
5.9
Rocky Linux is highly scalable, easily automated, Red Hat compatible, and suitable for diverse environments from small to large clusters.
Since it is tightly integrated with AWS services, I can easily scale instances up or down based on demand using EC2 auto-scaling and load balancing.
Team Lead, Technical Content Security at Valuepoint Systems
Automatic scaling adds or removes servers based on CPU traffic, which is optimal for production applications, while load balancing helps distribute traffic across servers, preventing overloads and delivering stable performance.
Software Engineer at cypherox technologies pvt. ltd
The compatibility of container scalability with Amazon ECS and Amazon EKS, along with performance optimizations and low latency for workloads.
Technical Trainer at DIEMS Chh.Sambhajinagar
Even if the server is not responding and we want to attach the volume on another instance or a temporary instance, it is very easy and straightforward with no hiccups.
CloudOps Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
It has handled growth or changing needs well.
System Administrator at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
The scalability is quite good, though there are some issues with Rocky Linux.
System Engineer at clusterkit
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.4
Amazon Linux ensures stability, security, and efficiency for AWS environments with version locking and regular updates for seamless cloud performance.
Sentiment score
7.3
Rocky Linux is praised for stability, reliability, ease of use, scalability, and performance on low-resource systems without complexity.
Combined with AWS managed infrastructure, it provides enterprise-grade reliability suitable for production workloads.
Software Engineer at INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING
Since it is purpose-built for the cloud, it lacks the bloat of traditional desktop-focused distributions, which leads to fewer crashes and higher uptime.
System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Compared to other Linux distributions, Amazon Linux is significantly more stable for AWS workloads because it is pre-optimized for EC2 hypervisor and includes integrated AWS tools out of the box.
Full Stack Developer at EnactOn Technologies
Rocky Linux is stable, scalable, and it is very much easier to use.
System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Rocky Linux is stable.
Software Engineer at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
 

Room For Improvement

Enhancing third-party integrations, UI, documentation, and security patches can improve Amazon Linux user experience and deployment ease.
Rocky Linux users seek better Kubernetes integration, faster updates, improved Windows support, and enhanced documentation for better overall experience.
Documentation explaining the differences between Ubuntu and Amazon Linux would be valuable.
full stack developer at 71Lbs
Since we are working in a real-time manner and need to scale things immediately, the time it takes to boot an instance and then deploy things is preventing me from giving it a perfect rating.
Senior Data Engineer at a transportation company with 501-1,000 employees
My advice for others looking into using Amazon Linux is to make sure the command line is easy and that Amazon Linux has more performance than other Linux environments and is more secure than other Linux environments as well.
DevOps Engineer at Wissen infotech
It is based on customer requirements, as they might want to use Rocky Linux or Ubuntu, depending on their needs.
System Engineer at clusterkit
Rocky Linux could be improved by having more integration with Kubernetes.
Linux architect at European Commission
Currently, it takes more than one month to release a new package or kernel, so speeding that up would help reduce reported vulnerability remediations.
System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
 

Setup Cost

Amazon Linux is cost-effective for enterprises, with no licensing fees and flexible pay-as-you-go AWS service pricing.
Rocky Linux is valued for its cost-effectiveness and stability, offering enterprise-level features without licensing fees.
With Amazon Linux itself, there is no cost associated with using it, so I would say it is very good from a pricing perspective.
Cloud Ops Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
If I am a new AWS customer, the AWS Free Tier typically includes, for the first six months, micro instances such as t2.micro or t3.micro for free.
Software Engineer at INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING
I am paying around $300 to $400 per month because I use many services.
Software Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
We switched to Rocky Linux because of the license price, and in our business, we don't need to have a higher cost as that is not a good idea.
Network Infrastructure Manager at SAGEMCOM
There is no extra cost for a license if we are purchasing Rocky Linux from the AWS Marketplace.
CloudOps Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Rocky Linux is free, and I can download it and deploy it in whatever environment I have, whether it be H3C, VMware, or Hyper-V.
Server & Cloud Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
 

Valuable Features

Amazon Linux offers seamless AWS integration, cost-effectiveness, quick scaling, and strong security, ideal for consistent cloud deployment.
Rocky Linux offers stability, RHEL compatibility, seamless CentOS migration, enterprise support, cost savings, and strong security for efficient workflows.
Amazon Linux handles this automatically. It is optimized for EC2, AWS hardware and software, mostly secure and stable, and there is no additional cost.
Senior AWS Consultant at Quantum Integrators
In terms of service security, there are many constraint security protocols and policies that help me create our own networks, security groups, and inline policies.
Software Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Amazon Linux's security updates have been helpful in general because I have had to be more specific in using the Identity Access Management (IAM) service so that we can have role-based permissions in preference to just keeping it open.
Fullstack Developer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Rocky Linux has positively impacted my organization, specifically through cost savings, because we did not have to buy any licenses or extra licenses of other distros, such as Oracle or Red Hat.
IT / IAM Senior Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
For production deployment, Rocky Linux is a great choice because it offers full RHEL compatibility without licensing costs, along with strong community support.
CloudOps Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Since migrating to Rocky Linux, I've seen specific outcomes such as improved security because CentOS stopped the project, and security patches aren't being released.
Linux architect at European Commission
 

Categories and Ranking

Amazon Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
13th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
44
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Rocky Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.7
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Amazon Linux is 1.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rocky Linux is 8.2%, down from 15.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Rocky Linux8.2%
Amazon Linux1.2%
Other90.6%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Yatin Parmar - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Engineer at cypherox technologies pvt. ltd
Cloud platform has boosted secure web hosting, automation, and rapid backend deployment
To improve Amazon Linux, optimizing performance by choosing the right instance type for Amazon EC2, utilizing load balancers such as ELB, and monitoring with CloudWatch can lead to faster applications and better user experiences while reducing costs. Stopping unused EC2 instances and employing reservation spots as needed for storage on S3 saves money for clients and companies. It is also crucial to improve security through IAM roles without root access and properly configuring security settings. Implementing backups and encryption results in enhanced data safety and trust. Automation is key; using CI/CD pipelines allows for quicker deployments and reduced errors. Moreover, employing scalable architectures with auto-scaling and using microservices to distribute traffic effectively can effortlessly manage high traffic scenarios. By leveraging managed services such as RDS, S3 for storage, and Lambda for serverless computing, maintenance requirements are reduced and my organization can focus more on development. The ultimate goal of improving AWS usage must center around optimizing performance, minimizing costs, enhancing security, and automating deployments to build efficient cloud architecture.
Massimiliano Adamo - PeerSpot reviewer
Linux architect at European Commission
Has supported seamless migrations and enabled running complex data workloads securely
The best features Rocky Linux offers include clustering and all the packages from Red Hat.Rocky Linux has impacted my organization very positively because we migrated everything from CentOS and Windows servers to Rocky Linux. Everything is clear, with good packaging, and now it's version 9.6, which is very important for us due to security problems since we are in Europe. Rocky Linux is very good for security and other aspects. Since migrating to Rocky Linux, I've seen specific outcomes such as improved security because CentOS stopped the project, and security patches aren't being released. We need to maintain a system similar to Red Hat, which is very stable and has many features such as file system, topology, and containers.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
13%
Educational Organization
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
15%
University
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise19
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Large Enterprise16
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Amazon Linux?
I believe there is no need to improve Amazon Linux. It is definitely working in a very progressive and highly scalable way.
What is your primary use case for Amazon Linux?
My use case for Amazon Linux includes web and application hosting, microservices, container, database management, and virtual desktop services. I use Amazon Linux as a lightweight base image for Do...
What advice do you have for others considering Amazon Linux?
I will provide a rating of eight for Amazon Linux. I am using a long-term support version of Amazon Linux, so there is no need for any other features. Amazon Linux provides different types of servi...
What needs improvement with Rocky Linux?
I am not an expert on Rocky Linux, but I do not have anything to say regarding improvements; I think it is doing better. I chose a rating of eight out of ten because Rocky Linux must grow more; it ...
What is your primary use case for Rocky Linux?
My main use case for Rocky Linux is for the Nutanix environment, where we have a data center and everything is hosted there, including all the services and systems. Rocky Linux is the main OS of th...
What advice do you have for others considering Rocky Linux?
My advice to others looking into using Rocky Linux is to go ahead and use it. I give Rocky Linux a rating of eight out of ten.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon Linux vs. Rocky Linux and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.