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Amazon Linux vs Ubuntu Linux comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 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
4.8
Amazon Linux boosts ROI with cost savings, improved performance, scalability, rapid deployment, and enhanced AWS integration ensuring reliability.
Sentiment score
6.6
Organizations achieve substantial savings and increased productivity with Ubuntu Linux, highlighting its cost-effectiveness, stability, and strong ROI.
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
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.3
Amazon Linux support is highly rated for its fast response, knowledgeable engineers, and comprehensive documentation and resources.
Sentiment score
6.5
Ubuntu's extensive online community and resources reduce the need for paid support, though it's effective for urgent issues.
Amazon has the best expertise and they are available 24/7.
IT Analyst | Aws Cloud Ops | Dev Ops | Fin Ops at Tata Consultancy
Timely and helpful responses for performance, updates, or AWS integration issues.
QA Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
It offers specific advantages and constraints depending on the use case.
Cloud Architect at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
They responded well, understood that the issue was not on my end, and provided a patch within two days.
Manging Director at Winworth UK
The community around Ubuntu Linux is beneficial, providing answers to questions and assisting with issues.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
Ubuntu Linux has a comprehensive knowledge base for self-help.
Techincal Support Engineer at Ibits Tech Solutions
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Amazon Linux efficiently scales workloads via AWS integration, offering reliable performance and quick response to traffic spikes.
Sentiment score
7.2
Ubuntu Linux is praised for scalable adaptability in cloud and on-premises setups, supporting diverse industries with flexible architecture.
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.
Technical Team Lead - Content Security at Valuepoint Systems
Its real scalability comes from its seamless integration with AWS tools like CloudFormation, Auto Scaling, and user data scripts, which allow me to deploy and configure hundreds of identical ready-to-use instances automatically.
Student at Unemployed at the moment
The beauty here is that we can scale it immediately, which also saves cost.
IT Analyst | Aws Cloud Ops | Dev Ops | Fin Ops at Tata Consultancy
In a server environment, it can seamlessly adapt to increased customer demand.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
From my perspective as a user, I would rate Linux at eight points for its high scalability and greater relevance and advantage in terms of adherence, cost-saving, desktop compatibility, cloud server dominance, and wide industry adoption.
Sr. Associate Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.5
Amazon Linux offers exceptional stability, reliability, and security, seamlessly integrating with AWS services for highly available, resilient performance.
Sentiment score
7.9
Ubuntu Linux is praised for its stability and reliability, though some issues occur with virtual machines or new hardware integration.
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.
FullStack Developer at EnactOn Technologies
Ubuntu Linux is extremely stable and maintains uptime effectively.
Manging Director at Winworth UK
Ubuntu Linux is generally stable, though there can be occasional issues with new hardware integration.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
Ubuntu Linux is very stable.
Product Assistant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Amazon Linux enhancements focus on documentation, package availability, migration support, and improved usability for broader adoption and engagement.
Users seek improved Windows compatibility, user-friendliness, business app support, and better documentation, GUI, security, and integration for Ubuntu Linux.
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
There is a push towards integrating AI into software for various purposes like video and sound processing.
Manging Director at Winworth UK
Stability issues occur when integrating new components due to physical or technical challenges.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
Unlike CentOS, Ubuntu Linux lacks an easily accessible inbuilt repository where dependencies or packages are easily found.
Techincal Support Engineer at Ibits Tech Solutions
 

Setup Cost

Amazon Linux offers cost-effective, scalable solutions without licensing fees, making it a budget-friendly choice for enterprises.
Ubuntu Linux offers a cost-effective, open-source OS with free basic use, optional paid enterprise support, and scalable solutions.
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 only pay for the EC2 instance and any other AWS resources I use, but the operating system itself has no licensing fees, which is a significant advantage over commercial operating systems like Red Hat Enterprise Linux or Windows servers, which incur extra hourly charges.
Student at Unemployed at the moment
The setup cost is free.
Head of mission at CapHornier
Ubuntu Linux is open-source, leading to cost savings through its free availability.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
I always use the free version, so I never paid for any installations or support.
Systems Engineering - SigFox Paraguay at TEISA
 

Valuable Features

Amazon Linux, optimized for AWS, offers robust security, cost-effectiveness, and seamless integration, enhancing deployment confidence and reducing overhead.
Ubuntu Linux is stable, secure, easy to install, cost-effective, highly customizable, and ideal for developers and enterprises.
Amazon Linux handles this automatically. It is optimized for EC2, AWS hardware and software, mostly secure and stable, and there is no additional cost.
IT Analyst | Aws Cloud Ops | Dev Ops | Fin Ops at Tata Consultancy
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
Ubuntu Linux's open-source nature supports community contributions, bolstering its development and support ecosystem.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
Ubuntu Linux supports remote troubleshooting via SSH, allowing connection from anywhere, which is beneficial for troubleshooting server issues.
Techincal Support Engineer at Ibits Tech Solutions
In terms of security, I am satisfied with Ubuntu Linux and I can rely on its security features more than I can with Windows.
Solution Architect at TB
 

Categories and Ranking

Amazon Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
14th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ubuntu Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
146
Ranking in other categories
OpenStack (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Amazon Linux is 1.7%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubuntu Linux is 8.1%, down from 12.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Ubuntu Linux8.1%
Amazon Linux1.7%
Other90.2%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Saurab Gnagurde - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Analyst | Aws Cloud Ops | Dev Ops | Fin Ops at Tata Consultancy
“Amazon Linux delivers automated security updates— including live kernel patching in AL2023—ensuring protected workloads with minimal manual effort and zero-downtime patching.”
One improvement for Amazon Linux would be stronger support for running it outside AWS. Although Amazon provides local VM images for VirtualBox and VMware, they are intended mainly for development and testing. Unlike Ubuntu, Debian, or Red Hat, Amazon Linux is not designed or fully supported as a production OS in on-prem or hybrid environments. Expanding official support outside AWS would offer more flexibility for teams that maintain mixed infrastructure. Another area for improvement is the community ecosystem. Compared to Ubuntu or Red Hat, Amazon Linux has a smaller community and fewer third-party resources or tutorials. A larger ecosystem would make troubleshooting and adoption easier. Finally, improving backward compatibility between Amazon Linux 2 and Amazon Linux 2023—especially around package management (DNF vs yum) and updated toolchains—would simplify upgrades for teams managing large fleets.
reviewer2816721 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Associate Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Hosting websites and databases has become cost‑effective and supports long‑term cloud growth
The best feature of Ubuntu Linux is that it serves as a base for private cloud and public cloud VMs for AWS. It is very useful to use Ubuntu Linux with its GUI-based and CLI modes; the commands are very lightweight, and it is much more feasible for me with its long-term support. Ubuntu Linux provides business advisory consultancy for business purposes and enables the smooth running of my website hosting to meet all business purposes. My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is good because I am using the freeware version.
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Top Industries

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

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise20
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business85
Midsize Enterprise22
Large Enterprise54
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Amazon Linux?
I do not feel there are any major improvements needed for Amazon Linux at this time.
What is your primary use case for Amazon Linux?
Amazon Linux is primarily used for development and operating services. I operated a real estate transaction site and also ran a used car parts sales website on this platform.
What advice do you have for others considering Amazon Linux?
I give Amazon Linux an overall rating of 9 on a scale from 1 to 10. The reason for that score is that it is comparable to general Linux distributions, and in addition, it can be used in good integr...
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 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.
What needs improvement with Ubuntu Linux?
The user experience on Ubuntu Linux is very good, so I believe there is no need for improvement.
 

Also Known As

No data available
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 Amazon Linux vs. Ubuntu Linux and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
908,800 professionals have used our research since 2012.