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CentOS vs Oracle Solaris comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 7, 2024

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

CentOS
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
69
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Oracle Solaris
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
10th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
50
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 4.6%, down from 8.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Solaris is 2.0%, down from 3.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Mahender Nirwan - PeerSpot reviewer
In-depth documentation available and command-line utility works well
One issue I recently faced, but I think it was due to my IT support guys, was that when the server storage gets full, the service crashes. It's very difficult to regain access and stability in that situation. That could be improved. So, the stability might be improved. But I don't think it's a CentOS-level issue. The system administrators need to come up with a solution for that, but I don't think it's CentOS's fault. I haven't done any research [R&D] on this issue. There's one thing for sure. We recently migrated from CentOS 7 to CentOS 9, and it was a bit difficult. For example, updating Windows is simple; you just download it, and it takes about 15-20 minutes. But that's not the case with migrating from CentOS 7 to 9. We had to back up the entire server, launch a new server, and then restore the backup to the new server. We couldn't directly migrate. I think that was a bit of a problem. The setup and updates are not that new in CentOS.
Erick Kathurima - PeerSpot reviewer
Has enabled a user-friendly and lightweight installation with improved performance
I installed Oracle Solaris on a normal PC to test its functionality. It is comfortable to use and provides a good test environment, especially because it is not commonly known or recognized in the market Oracle Solaris has a graphical interface that is user-friendly, especially with its use of…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The open architecture is useful for us. That's why we're using CentOS."
"The most valuable feature of CentOS is that it is easy to use."
"There's lots of great documentation available."
"The user interface of CentOS is intuitive, we can also use the command prompt."
"It's easy to install."
"The technical support is good."
"The product's initial setup phase is very straightforward."
"The initial setup is very easy."
"One of the main features of this solution is the ease of use."
"Solaris' best feature is its stability."
"We use the solution as an internal operating system."
"The most valuable feature of Oracle Solaris is the incremental backup that happens in the system."
"Oracle Solaris's operating system is good."
"It works well. It is very stable and very good. It is also very safe. It cannot be easily infected by viruses or attacks."
"Oracle Solaris is great due to the fact that it actually is meant for high-end servers."
"We like that the virtualization is built in, so you don't have to spend extra money on buying licenses for a hypervisor."
 

Cons

"CentOS should extend the support of the solution. The solution is set to have no update support in 2023."
"The solution could be more scalable."
"The tool has no official support."
"I have had a tough time with the product's scalability, making it an area where improvements are required."
"If CentOS could add Office features then that would be beneficial. Additionally, the UI could improve."
"They could build more options into the wizard."
"Continuous deployment is the only thing that can be improved."
"The interface could be improved."
"I don't want to receive any updates on Oracle"
"I believe before Oracle was using Oracle Linux, they were using Oracle Solaris for their customers who are using Oracle databases. This was because it was more optimized for the hardware built for it. It has good performance for the database only. However, if you take it out of the Oracle applications, it will not do well compared to other operating systems, such as Linux or even Windows can have better performance."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux is more secure and better documented. So Oracle could learn from them when it comes to security and documentation."
"There is an issue where Solaris doesn't give the correct figures for memory use when checked."
"The scalability of the solution can be improved."
"Currently, there are two variants, there's SPARC and there's x86. I would have wanted a scenario where they're all just one product."
"Oracle Solaris can improve by supporting all the recent features that are in the market from other competitors."
"The primary drawback with this product is the lack of version updates."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs involved."
"We are using a subscription-based license option for CentOS."
"It is open-source, which means it is a free product. It has a one-time deployment cost."
"This is an open source solution."
"CentOS is an open-source tool."
"The solution is free of cost to use."
"We don’t have to pay for the system’s licenses."
"There are no licensing fees for CentOS."
"The current setup with hardware devices involves a higher cost, but the performance is top-notch."
"The annual license cost is fair and reasonable."
"The solution is expensive and is based on an annual fee."
"This solution needs a license to use it."
"Its licensing is on a yearly basis."
"It is an expensive product. I rate the pricing a ten out of ten."
"It is more expensive, but very complete and worth enacting."
"If you buy Oracle hardware it's supported free with the hardware. If you're putting it on non-Oracle hardware, that is when you buy the support license, which is also very reasonable. It is $1000 dollars per year, so it's not overly expensive."
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Comparison Review

it_user281973 - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 24, 2017
It's improved our company's system environments that run Oracle databases.
Red Hat is mission critical to our environment Red Hat has improved the mission critical environments running Oracle databases, while CentOS has improved our web environment and MySQL. Oracle and SAP Environment and all HPC environments. 10 years No issues Very stable i don´t find any problem…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which would you choose - RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) or CentOS?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is fantastic. It is an inexpensive solution that has excellent security, performance, and stability, and also lots of features. I specifically like that the solution has fe...
What do you like most about CentOS?
CentOS is very easy to use, and all the commands are user-friendly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CentOS?
CentOS is a free product with free updates. There are third-party companies available for support, but they charge varying amounts for their services.
How does Oracle Linux compare with Solaris?
When comparing Oracle Linux and Solaris, I believe that Linux is more secure and more flexible. It is also very suitable for enterprises that are already Oracle solution users. I found Linux to be ...
What do you like most about Oracle Solaris?
We use the solution as an internal operating system.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Solaris?
I find the pricing of Oracle Solaris to be affordable compared to competitors like Windows.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
Solaris 11, Solaris
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Siemens, IVV
Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Oracle Solaris and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.