CentOS vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) comparison

CentOS and Red Hat are both solutions in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category. CentOS is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.8, while Red Hat is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.8. CentOS holds a 4.4% mindshare in OSB, compared to Red Hat’s 7.6% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of CentOS users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of Red Hat users who would recommend it.

CentOS

Read 77 CentOS reviews

5,601 Views
5,545 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (R...

Read 388 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) reviews

18,064 Views
17,703 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

CentOS

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (R...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

Red Hat Enterprise Linux and CentOS both serve the enterprise Linux space. RHEL appears to have the upper hand for businesses needing reliable vendor support and a subscription model offering comprehensive service, while CentOS is favored by those prioritizing cost-efficiency and flexibility.

Features: RHEL provides a comprehensive support framework with tools like Satellite for easy deployment and management, advanced security measures with consistent updates, and a robust package manager that allows for easy software handling. CentOS, on the other hand, offers an open-source platform with stability and minimal resource usage, cost-free access to the features of RHEL, and similar package management capabilities without the need for a subscription.

Room for Improvement: RHEL could work on enhancing in-place upgrade paths to further simplify migrations and reduce downtime. Users also noted the complexity involved in security features such as SELinux, indicating potential for more intuitive management tools. CentOS, while generally stable, lacks the direct vendor support and timely updates available to RHEL users, which might be improved with additional community support mechanisms.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: RHEL provides structured deployment options backed by extensive documentation and vendor-supported customer service, making it ideal for enterprises needing reliable integration with their existing systems. CentOS benefits from a vast community but relies heavily on internal expertise for deployment and support, indicating a steeper learning curve for less experienced users.

Pricing and ROI: RHEL operates on a subscription model that includes access to exclusive support and updates, which can lead to a higher ROI for organizations that value vendor-backed stability as part of their business-critical applications. CentOS offers zero-cost access, making it an attractive option for businesses looking to minimize initial expenses, especially those with the internal technical capabilities to manage and support their systems independently.

To learn more, read our detailed CentOS vs. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

CentOS vs. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

December 2025

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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:

ROI

Sentiment score

5.8

CentOS offers cost savings, operational stability, and efficiency, enhancing web management with strong community and AI support.

Sentiment score

6.3

Organizations achieve significant ROI with Red Hat Enterprise Linux through cost savings, improved efficiency, automation, and reliable support.

I have seen a return on investment, particularly in terms of money saved because I do not pay for the servers.

reviewer2778354

Technical Lead InfraOps at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees

The money saved was significant, approximately fifteen percent of our IT budget.

Thiago Pallaro

Senior Support Engineer at a computer software company with 201-500 employees

It saved a lot of time through troubleshooting, which gives us substantial room for improvement in terms of fixing things.

reviewer2764785

Senior Technical Support Engineer at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the CentOS report

A long lifecycle is key to having a good return on investment.

Troels Hansen

Architect at KnowIT

Being able to transform common manual tasks that previously took all day into processes that take an hour, half an hour, or even less, demonstrates clear value.

Chris Perrault

Systems administrator at a retailer with 501-1,000 employees

Red Hat Enterprise Linux has saved us time and increased productivity.

Syed Azhar

Cloud engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

5.6

CentOS support relies on community resources and documentation, with Red Hat as a paid alternative for formal assistance.

Sentiment score

7.1

Red Hat Enterprise Linux support is praised for its knowledge and proactiveness, despite concerns about response times and escalation.

I would rate the customer support for CentOS a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.

reviewer2764785

Senior Technical Support Engineer at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees

I've seen many people across the globe interacting, and when users encounter issues, the community provides solutions.

Naveenkumar Lakshman

Presales Engineer at Crayon AS

I would rate the documentation about eight in terms of usefulness.

Alex Kvasnytskyy

Technical Operations Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the CentOS report

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) support is great, as they go beyond their duty to help resolve issues and provide solutions even for third-party software such as XRDP.

Antoine Ragland

Senior Infrastructure Systems Administrator at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees

When we do contact customer service, they are generally very knowledgeable and well-versed in our size.

Tucker Hewitt

Solutions Architect at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

Usually, I send the information, and they have something for me within hours, sometimes even minutes.

ChristianLopez

Team manager at Evertec

For more quotes and insights, download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.0

CentOS is praised for its scalability, handling large user bases effectively and reliably across diverse IT environments.

Sentiment score

7.2

RHEL excels in scalability and adaptability across environments, efficiently managing workloads and facilitating infrastructure management with tools like Ansible.

CentOS is scalable and user-friendly without requiring complex configurations.

Naveenkumar Lakshman

Presales Engineer at Crayon AS

It allows users to scale resources vertically for upgrading hardware and horizontally by adding more servers, making it suitable for modern web hosting and containerized applications.

Mohammad Wasif

IT infrastructure executive at a computer software company with 201-500 employees

CentOS's scalability for my organization has handled growth and changing needs smoothly.

reviewer2764785

Senior Technical Support Engineer at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the CentOS report

Many of our applications scale really well, with some having several hundreds of VMs, which we couldn't accomplish on Windows.

Sean Doyle

Solutions Architect at a transportation company with 10,001+ employees

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) scales very well with the growing needs of our company.

Sheldon Kroner

Director, DevOps at Lightedge Solutions

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) handles increases in users, applications, or data smoothly, which is why we use it for all our projects, as it provides us with confidence.

reviewer2753943

Cloud Administrator at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.0

CentOS is widely regarded as stable and reliable, often rated highly for its consistent performance and efficiency.

Sentiment score

7.8

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is valued for stability, reliability, minimal downtime, and strong support, with quick resolutions for issues.

CentOS is stable, reliable, flexible, and very useful.

Mohammad Wasif

IT infrastructure executive at a computer software company with 201-500 employees

CentOS's simplicity and stability make it easy to use.

Naveenkumar Lakshman

Presales Engineer at Crayon AS

I believe CentOS is stable, but we are gradually moving away from it.

Alex Kvasnytskyy

Technical Operations Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the CentOS report

It works consistently with minimal downtime and very few bugs or glitches.

reviewer2592627

Senior DevOps Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

It just works, and that's really the key factor; I can't remember the last time we had a system go down and had to restore it due to a bad patch.

Jason Cummings

Senior software engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

We've not had a service outage with Red Hat in six years.

ScottPalmer

Team Lead, Linux Systems & Tools at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report

Room For Improvement

CentOS users seek better security, user-friendliness, third-party integration, frequent updates, and stability, as it shifts from a stable platform.

Users desire improved RHEL support, documentation, pricing, compatibility, user interface, updates, automation, security, cloud integration, and communication.

The documentation and support could be improved, along with compatibility with newer hardware as hardware continually evolves over time.

Naveenkumar Lakshman

Presales Engineer at Crayon AS

Kernel parameters, sysctl config details, tuned profiles, process prioritization, optimized disk, and input scheduler choice are all points for performance optimization.

Mohammad Wasif

IT infrastructure executive at a computer software company with 201-500 employees

CentOS RADIUS server handles sensitive authentication data, so improving security is the priority.

R Kirishikaran

Technical person at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the CentOS report

Addressing these limitations would significantly enhance the operating system's flexibility and efficiency.

reviewer2592627

Senior DevOps Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

The built-in security features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux were insufficient for our needs, necessitating the implementation of supplementary security measures.

reviewer2591346

IT Infrastructure Engineer at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees

By providing pre-installed, native automation tools within the operating system, Red Hat would streamline processes and improve user efficiency.

reviewer2620827

Systems Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report

Setup Cost

CentOS is a cost-effective, open-source operating system favored for its free availability and minimal setup costs.

RHEL is costly for small businesses but valued by large enterprises for its support, stability, and reliability.

There was no cost in terms of deploying it or getting the license for it.

reviewer2764785

Senior Technical Support Engineer at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees

CentOS is a free product with free updates.

Alex Kvasnytskyy

Technical Operations Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees

The enterprise subscription cost is at a certain level, but CentOS saves customers from paying additional money, optimizing costs for enterprises and startups involved in application development.

Naveenkumar Lakshman

Presales Engineer at Crayon AS

For more quotes and insights, download the CentOS report

It may be considered expensive compared to other solutions like CentOS or Ubuntu, which offer some of the same features without additional costs.

Sitakanta Chaudhury

Cloud Infrastructure Architect at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

Its pricing has room for improvement because it's more expensive in the local market due to purchasing power parity in India.

Syed Azhar

Cloud engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

Windows Servers base their cost on the number of users and have high licensing fees, while Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers free versions alongside its paid, supported versions.

reviewer2592627

Senior DevOps Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report

Valuable Features

CentOS is a stable, secure, and cost-effective platform with excellent compatibility, ideal for enterprises seeking reliability and performance.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers stability, security, support, automation, and robust performance, ideal for enterprise-level deployment and management.

CentOS has helped me most through its enterprise-level stability.

R Kirishikaran

Technical person at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

The update cycle changed when CentOS was prioritized for updates, causing stability issues.

Alex Kvasnytskyy

Technical Operations Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees

In my experience, the best feature that CentOS offers is the network configuration of a device from the command-line interface, which is exceptionally clean.

reviewer2764785

Senior Technical Support Engineer at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the CentOS report

It also has strong security features, is OIS and FIPS certified, and has built-in Linux security configurations.

Sitakanta Chaudhury

Cloud Infrastructure Architect at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

There is also no downtime.

Siphosethu Ndebele

Linux/DevOps Engineer at Ekwantu Consulting

The operating system allows for the simple addition of kernels, modules, and other applications, making it highly adaptable to various needs.

reviewer2641572

Technical Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report

Categories and Ranking

CentOS

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

7th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (R...

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

1st

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

388

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 4.4%, down from 6.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is 7.6%, down from 11.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Operating Systems (OS) for Business Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)	7.6%
CentOS	4.4%
Other	88.0%

Operating Systems (OS) for Business

Featured Reviews

Mohammad Wasif

IT infrastructure executive at a computer software company with 201-500 employees

Has supported reliable deployments and simplified issue resolution in complex environments

The most suitable feature of CentOS is its exceptional stability, security, and long-term support, which make it a popular choice for enterprise and server environments. CentOS is widely recognized for providing a stable and secure platform, especially suited for server and mission-critical workloads. Whenever we face critical work, it is easy for our team to handle. For long-term support, each CentOS release generally guarantees long-term updates, ensuring reliability for extended periods. For package management, we use YUM and DNF in the new version for flexible and efficient software management. It depends on our users' requirements for installing CentOS. Licensing for CentOS is above my management details, so I am not aware of this information. CentOS always provides good feedback, is easy to handle, and easy to troubleshoot. The experience with CentOS OS has been very good over the last two months. I rate CentOS nine out of ten.

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Ray Ortega

Server administrator at Northrop Grumman

Empowers collaboration through streamlined integration and extensive documentation

Improving Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) can be tough, however, a significant area is collaboration tools. We have many Windows users that use Outlook and Skype or Teams to collaborate on our network. They want Linux desktops due to the fact that they want to use containers. Their biggest complaint is, 'I need two workstations to do my container work and one to collaborate.' If somehow RHEL can start introducing or collaborating with Teams and Outlook so their users can work with their Windows peers, that would be great. But I don't think that's available yet. Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing, there needs to be more of an education piece to it. For instance, when purchasing 10 or 100 node licenses, they could suggest, 'We also offer this 1,000 node license instead, and it'll save you specific amounts.' Just more education on their offerings would be helpful, because usually, we're coming out with the requirements, and then they just provide it to us. They could inform us about saving by bundling it differently or using alternative approaches.

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Comparison Review

it_user281973

Storage and VMware Expert at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees

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…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	30
Midsize Enterprise	22
Large Enterprise	28

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	87
Midsize Enterprise	49
Large Enterprise	266

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...

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What do you like most about CentOS?

CentOS is very easy to use, and all the commands are user-friendly.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CentOS?

I am not entirely sure about the license I purchased for my local machine, but I assume it is the community version, while for the AWS one, I do not entirely remember the pricing.

See all answers

What do you like most about Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?

It is open source. We can customize it as per our requirements.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?

Regarding pricing, setup cost, and licensing, the pricing is good; however, licensing is a bit confusing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?

IBM committed two major mistakes with Red Hat. The first was destroying the CentOS project, which was a fork of Red Hat. The second was limiting the use of free options and restricting hardware to ...

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Comparisons

Oracle Linux vs CentOS

Compared 21% of the time

Kali Linux vs CentOS

Compared 17% of the time

Ubuntu Linux vs CentOS

Compared 10% of the time

SUSE Linux Enterprise vs CentOS

Compared 7% of the time

openSUSE Leap vs CentOS

Compared 7% of the time

More CentOS Competitors

SUSE Linux Enterprise vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Compared 15% of the time

Windows Server vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Compared 12% of the time

Rocky Linux vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Compared 11% of the time

Ubuntu Linux vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Compared 9% of the time

Oracle Solaris vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Compared 4% of the time

More Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

CentOS

January 2026

Download CentOS product report

Buyer's Guide

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

January 2026

Download Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) product report

Also Known As

CentOS 7 (x86_64) - with Updates HVM

Red Hat Enterprise Linux, RHEL, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) for AWS

Overview

CentOS offers a stable, secure, and compatible environment with Red Hat packages, providing robust performance and cost efficiency. Its lightweight, scalable design and strong community support make it ideal for handling heavy workloads with limited resources.

CentOS is a popular choice for organizations seeking reliable server and virtualization solutions. Known for its robust stability and security, it offers seamless integration and maintenance. However, after a shift from Red Hat, some challenges emerged, including weak NFS client performance and a more complex interface, which beginners find challenging alongside insufficient documentation. Despite these, CentOS remains a favored option for deploying web applications, server installations, and supporting cloud solutions, thanks to its efficient use in monitoring, databases, and telecommunications.

What are CentOS's key features?

Stability: Maintains a consistent performance, essential for mission-critical environments.
Security: Offers robust safeguards, aligning with Red Hat's trusted security packages.
Compatibility: Seamlessly integrates with Red Hat ecosystems, enhancing versatility.
Cost Efficiency: Open-source approach reduces expenses compared to proprietary systems.
Community Support: Access to extensive resources and assistance from a dedicated user base.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Performance: Efficient resource management even under heavy workloads.
Integration Ease: Smooth integration with existing IT infrastructures.
Scalability: Ability to grow with changing requirements, supporting diverse applications.
Flexibility: Adaptable to a wide range of industries and use cases.
Reliability: Trusted for critical operations and consistent service delivery.

CentOS is widely used in industries requiring robust infrastructure, such as web hosting, scientific computing, and telecommunications. In data centers, companies deploy it to support virtual environments, testing, and development. The OS powers business applications, email servers, and cloud solutions, offering a cost-effective alternative to Red Hat.

CentOS

Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers stability, security, and support for mission-critical applications with robust tools and scalable architecture, ideal for diverse environments and hybrid cloud compatibility.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides organizations with a reliable platform ideal for high-performance computing and virtualization. Known for its robust security and seamless network administration, it integrates well with OpenShift and Ansible, ensuring adaptability and scalability. Despite challenges with documentation, upgrade complexity, and cost, RHEL remains a formidable choice thanks to its comprehensive documentation and extensive community support.

What are the key features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux?

Stability and Security: Maintains high stability and advanced security measures, critical for enterprise environments.
Extensive Support: Offers robust support through community and documentation, assisting with problem-solving and integration.
Automation with Ansible: Simplifies tasks and enhances efficiency, optimizing operations across the infrastructure.
Hybrid Cloud Compatibility: Supports cloud environments, enabling flexibility and strategic deployments.
Scalable Architecture: Adapts to different workloads, making it suitable for growing organizational demands.

What benefits should users look for when evaluating Red Hat Enterprise Linux?

Reliable Performance: Ensures consistent and secure operations across diverse environments, including cloud infrastructure.
Efficient Management: Centralized operations make it easy to manage enterprise workloads effectively.
Community and Documentation: Access to a strong community and comprehensive documentation aids in resolving issues.
Integration Capabilities: Easily integrates with technologies like OpenShift and SAP, enhancing operational versatility.
Adaptability: Supports a wide range of environments and technical requirements, improving strategic deployment.

Organizations across industries like financial services, telecommunications, and application hosting implement Red Hat Enterprise Linux for server and application management. Its compatibility with technologies such as SAP, Oracle, and Ansible supports functions including web, database, and enterprise solutions, ensuring stable and secure performance in high-pressure environments.

Red Hat

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Travel Channel, Mohawk Industries, Hilti, Molecular Health, Exolgan, Hotelplan Group, Emory University, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, HCA Healthcare, Paychex, UPS, Intermountain Healthcare, Brinker International, TransUnion, Union Bank, CA Technologies

Buyer's Guide

CentOS vs. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

December 2025

Free Report: CentOS vs. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

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