CentOS vs SUSE Linux Enterprise comparison

CentOS and SUSE are both solutions in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category. CentOS is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.9, while SUSE is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.2. CentOS holds a 5.1% mindshare in OSB, compared to SUSE’s 7.1% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of CentOS users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of SUSE users who would recommend it.

CentOS

Read 69 CentOS reviews

7,838 Views
7,921 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

SUSE Linux Enterprise

Read 32 SUSE Linux Enterprise reviews

9,837 Views
8,800 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

CentOS

SUSE Linux Enterprise

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 7, 2024

SUSE Linux Enterprise and CentOS are both robust enterprise-grade Linux distributions. Users report better support and pricing satisfaction with SUSE Linux Enterprise, while CentOS is often favored for its extensive features and higher perceived value.

Features: SUSE Linux Enterprise has strong security features, scalability, and comprehensive software support. CentOS is known for its stability, a vast library of software packages, and suitability for enterprise applications.

Room for Improvement: SUSE Linux Enterprise could enhance customization options and performance optimization. CentOS needs better documentation and more frequent updates.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SUSE Linux Enterprise provides professional customer support and a smooth deployment process. CentOS deployment is straightforward but lacks in customer service.

Pricing and ROI: SUSE Linux Enterprise has higher setup costs, justified by professional support. CentOS offers a lower-cost setup with a good return on investment due to its feature-rich platform.

To learn more, read our detailed CentOS vs. SUSE Linux Enterprise Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

CentOS vs. SUSE Linux Enterprise

April 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:

Categories and Ranking

CentOS

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

6th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SUSE Linux Enterprise

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

7th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 5.1%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SUSE Linux Enterprise is 7.1%, down from 8.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Operating Systems (OS) for Business

Featured Reviews

Mahender Nirwan

Software developer at TAIGLE LLC

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.

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Dominique Locksley

Linux System Administrator at Adapt IT

Has good kernel modules and upgrades

I like how the tool handles kernel modules and upgrades - we rarely have issues after upgrades, unlike with other Linux distributions like Oracle Linux or Ubuntu. The kernel module management is excellent. Changes made in one version typically work the same in other versions too, which isn't always the case with other distributions. There's also lots of information and community support available if you run into any problems, both on the official website and in forums and user groups. I know many people who use it specifically, so it's easy to get independent support if needed. I've been working with the tool for a long time, since 2003, before they became SUSE Linux Enterprise. It's always been one of the most admin-friendly Linux versions.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is productive."

"It is a scalable and cost-effective product compared to public cloud solutions."

"We particularly like that we can remove the graphic user interface to minimize attack settings for the operating system."

"The user access level is most valuable. When you do administration with CentOS, the number of customizations that you can do for each user is higher than other solutions. It is very customizable."

"CentOS' best feature is that it's the standard product for Linux, so it's well-supported."

"Offers useful information and has good compatibility."

"The solution is open source."

"It has minimal updates compared to other distributions."

More CentOS pros

"It's a flexible solution."

"It also was very easy to setup, and offered an easy to use advanced setup option as well. This helped to create special configurations for different use cases."

"SUSE Linux had a clean user interface, which was a valuable feature for me."

"The technical support services are good."

"The solution offers a secure operation system."

"I like how the tool handles kernel modules and upgrades - we rarely have issues after upgrades, unlike with other Linux distributions like Oracle Linux or Ubuntu. The kernel module management is excellent. Changes made in one version typically work the same in other versions too, which isn't always the case with other distributions. There's also lots of information and community support available if you run into any problems, both on the official website and in forums and user groups. I know many people who use it specifically, so it's easy to get independent support if needed. I've been working with the tool for a long time, since 2003, before they became SUSE Linux Enterprise. It's always been one of the most admin-friendly Linux versions."

"YaST simplifies the server management of SUSE allowing for a centralized utility to control most of the server functions."

"Linux is easy to use. You have more control on a Unix system."

More SUSE Linux Enterprise pros

Cons

"The performance could stand improvement."

"I was using CentOS because it was very stable, and now it's not."

"CentOS could improve by having troubleshooting logs."

"The solution might be discontinued but I hope that IBM will continue to develop it and improve on the functionally and features."

"Lacks sufficient security and some coding tools."

"There could be more integration features included in the product."

"Like every operating system, it could be more secure."

"Integration with other platforms could be improved."

More CentOS cons

"The software management side was a bit difficult, especially compared to Ubuntu."

"SUSE Linux could provide more information about cost and the details of how clustering works."

"I have not been overly impressed with their technical support."

"I would appreciate the product's future releases being lighter and operating more efficiently on smaller systems."

"Compared with the competition, of late actually, the solution has increased its pricing tremendously."

"The solution could be more stable."

"Sometimes it is a bit of work for developers to change the configurations."

"I don't like the frequency of updates, especially if they're only from the vendor."

More SUSE Linux Enterprise cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have a CentOS license that we pay for on a yearly basis."

"Once you buy the license, Linux will provide you with yearly or monthly patches, so your systems will be scalable for a long time."

"It is open-source, which means it is a free product. It has a one-time deployment cost."

"CentOS is an open-source tool."

"There are no licensing costs for CentOS."

"CentOS is an expensive solution. There are other solutions that are rated at the top that are not expensive, such as Red Hat."

"There is no license required for this solution."

"We are using a subscription-based license option for CentOS."

More CentOS pricing and cost advice

"The platform is affordable."

"When we first implemented this product, we had licenses for support."

"There is no license for this solution, there is only a subscription of support available."

"I rate the product price an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."

"Anyone can use Linux because it is open-source."

"The license we pay is for Oracle. We make use of the community edition."

"As far as licensing goes, there is nothing unusual here. The price and model have worked fine for my organization."

"There is a free tier and a paid support tier. If you do not need support, then the solution is free to use. If you need support then there is an option for that as well."

More SUSE Linux Enterprise pricing and cost advice

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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

17%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Government

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...

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What do you like most about CentOS?

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

See all answers

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.

See all answers

What do you like most about SUSE Linux Enterprise?

The initial setup is simple and takes five minutes for deployment and if you have automation in place, it will take four minutes.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SUSE Linux Enterprise?

I used the open-source version, so there were no setup costs.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SUSE Linux Enterprise?

The software management side was a bit difficult, especially compared to Ubuntu. The software manager was different, making it challenging to install certain applications. Additionally, I encounter...

See all answers

Comparisons

Oracle Linux vs CentOS

Compared 38% of the time

Ubuntu Linux vs CentOS

Compared 11% of the time

Windows Server vs CentOS

Compared 9% of the time

openSUSE Leap vs CentOS

Compared 8% of the time

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs CentOS

Compared 8% of the time

More CentOS Competitors

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 30% of the time

openSUSE Leap vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 25% of the time

Ubuntu Linux vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 18% of the time

Rocky Linux vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 7% of the time

Oracle Solaris vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 3% of the time

More SUSE Linux Enterprise Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

CentOS

May 2025

Download CentOS product report

Buyer's Guide

SUSE Linux Enterprise

April 2025

Download SUSE Linux Enterprise product report

Overview

CentOS is a versatile operating system with many use cases, including virtual spaces, scientific computing, data center servers, web-based applications, and more. Its valuable features include customization options, low memory consumption, performance, scalability, open-source nature, cost-saving, and compatibility with Red Hat packages.

The solution has helped organizations save money on licensing and improve testing capabilities for new implementations without spending additional resources. CentOS is a stable, reliable, and efficient operating system that is easy to use and integrate with other applications and services.

CentOS

SUSE Linux Enterprise is a versatile operating system ideal for deploying solutions, managing applications, and running certain applications. It is also used for migrating SAP workloads to the cloud, integrating with SAP HANA solutions and products, and as an operating system for application servers.

The solution is praised for its YaST tool for easier server administration, compatibility with Oracle and SAP, stability, scalability, ease of use, extensive documentation, pacemaker cluster, and SUSE Manager for patching. SUSE Linux offers extended support for each version and a special edition for SAP applications.

SUSE

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Air India, Akademicki Szpital Kliniczny (ASK), Allone, Altran, Apollo, ARCHIVA, Asia Innovatory Management School, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH, AutoData Norge AS, Baldor Electric, Business Connexion, CASIO, Ciclum Farma, Delta Lloyd, Edumate , HPE, SAP SE, Lenovo, BMW, T-Systems, UCX, Turners & Growers, Shenzhen Development Bank, Bosch Group, JK Tyres & Industries, IOCL, European Space Agency, Daimler AG, China Minsheng Banking Corp, Café Coffee Day, Unisys, Petrochina Company Ltd, Fitch Ratings, ABeam Consulting Co Ltd, Tyro Payments, Rackspace, Pacific Textiles, ...

Buyer's Guide

CentOS vs. SUSE Linux Enterprise

April 2025

Free Report: CentOS vs. SUSE Linux Enterprise

Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. SUSE Linux Enterprise and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

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