CentOS vs SUSE Linux Enterprise comparison

CentOS and SUSE are both solutions in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category. CentOS is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.8, while SUSE is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.5. CentOS holds a 4.5% mindshare in OSB, compared to SUSE’s 6.4% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of CentOS users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of SUSE users who would recommend it.

CentOS

Read 69 CentOS reviews

5,776 Views
5,776 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

SUSE Linux Enterprise

Read 34 SUSE Linux Enterprise reviews

7,057 Views
6,916 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

CentOS

SUSE Linux Enterprise

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 3, 2025

SUSE Linux Enterprise and CentOS compete in the enterprise Linux distribution category. SUSE Linux Enterprise seems to have an upper hand with its strong SAP HANA performance, seamless upgrade process, and comprehensive security measures, while CentOS stands out for its cost-effectiveness and compatibility with RHEL packages.

Features: SUSE Linux Enterprise offers robust tools like YaST for simplified server administration, optimal performance with SAP HANA, and excellent integration with Windows Active Directory. It also ensures flexibility for web-based applications and provides a stable, secure environment. CentOS is appreciated for its stability and compatibility with RHEL, offering a reliable, customizable, open-source solution with extensive hardware support.

Room for Improvement: SUSE Linux Enterprise needs better integration with cloud-based systems and more comprehensive documentation for certain configurations. Its pricing is high compared to some competitors, and there's room for more extensive package availability. CentOS faces uncertainties regarding future support, and some users note reduced stability after recent changes. The setup process could be more intuitive, and there's a need for better long-term support.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SUSE Linux Enterprise provides flexible deployment options across public, hybrid, and on-premises environments, backed by responsive technical assistance, albeit often at an extra cost. CentOS deployment is mainly on-premises, with community-driven support through forums as a primary resource. While SUSE's technical support is highly praised for its responsiveness, CentOS users may need to rely on community resources due to its open-source nature.

Pricing and ROI: SUSE Linux Enterprise requires a paid subscription for support, impacting its cost but providing significant ROI, especially for SAP deployments. Although more affordable than RHEL, it is still not the most competitively priced option. CentOS, being free and open-source, offers a cost-effective choice for budget-conscious businesses, with potential costs arising only from optional support purchases. Its lack of licensing fees makes it popular for those seeking affordable solutions without official support contracts.

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

Buyer's Guide

CentOS vs. SUSE Linux Enterprise

September 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

9th

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

6th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 4.5%, down from 7.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SUSE Linux Enterprise is 6.4%, down from 8.2% 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 (%)
SUSE Linux Enterprise	6.4%
CentOS	4.5%
Other	89.1%

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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MoezCHEBBI

Senior Lead DevOps Engineer at Kyndryl

Has delivered expert training and enabled smooth migrations using automated deployment tools

SUSE Linux Enterprise is a mature and reliable platform, but there are areas where it can be improved. Modernizing the system management tools is important as many users appreciate YaST for its centralized management, but there is a growing demand for more modern, web-based, and modular tools. The introduction of tools such as Agama, a web-based installer, and Cockpit in newer releases is a step in the right direction.SUSE has made progress with multi-Linux support, allowing organizations to manage and support not just SUSE systems but also other distributions such as Red Hat and CentOS; continuing to expand these capabilities, especially for hybrid and multi-cloud environments, will help organizations manage diverse infrastructure more effectively. Security is a top concern, and further strengthening default security policies, simplifying compliance management, and integrating advanced vulnerability management tools would be a valuable improvement.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Very robust and easy to work with."

"It helps us install and deploy our applications."

"It is better than Ubuntu Linux."

"The pricing is good. We pay a minimal fee."

"I like how you can alternate certain things and minimize admin features on there and just let it run on specific scripts. It's nice. Even if I had to put it in a container, I'd still do it. I prefer Linux over Windows any day."

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

"The solution is productive."

"It's easy to install."

More CentOS pros

"The initial setup for most modern Linux distributions is normally straightforward. Most of the common distributions use an ncurses or GUI install."

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

"SUSE Linux Enterprise is easy to configure for those who are not hardcore command-line driven."

"The most valuable features of the solution are patching and the BTRFS file system."

"The main feature is that Linux is flexible to work with for most web-based applications."

"The operating system is efficient in terms of security."

"SUSE Linux Enterprise has positively impacted my organization because it is a very robust flavor of Linux we are currently using for SAP systems, and SAP has collaborated with Azure to configure SAP systems mainly on SUSE Linux, resulting in better performance compared to other flavors."

"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."

More SUSE Linux Enterprise pros

Cons

"CentOS could be improved with more user-friendly monitoring."

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

"The server system is a little bit tough to manage."

"The performance could stand improvement."

"The solution must improve its security."

"In terms of commands, it's all CLI and there isn't any GUI which can make it challenging to use for some people."

"We occasionally have issues with software installation."

"The price could be better. They could add more drivers in terms of peripherals and other things. Add more drivers for the Linux specifications in the next release. Right now, they are just pushing to have more drivers for Windows instead of Linux."

More CentOS cons

"The price of SUSE Linux Enterprise could improve, it is too expensive."

"The free version sometimes has security holes."

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

"Red Hat has more packages that are available than SUSE does. I'd love to see more projects based on SUSE."

"If you want to do something simple like changing an IP number, you have to be quite aware of all the configuration files where you will change that."

"When working in a Department of Defense environment, Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) have to be followed. SLES is not really addressed directly here. It did make following security policy difficult."

"The need to register a system for updates and support can complicate deployment in an isolated environment."

"All distributions of Linux could use some improvement."

More SUSE Linux Enterprise cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is open-source and does not have any costs or licensing fees."

"We don’t have to pay for the system’s licenses."

"The price could be better. The cost depends on how the organization or a specific person licenses it. If you want the free version, there's Ubuntu which is supported by forums. You can pay for the license yearly or pay for a specific version."

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

"I'm not required to pay a licensing fee."

"There are no licensing costs for CentOS."

"CentOS is an open-source tool."

"CentOS is free."

More CentOS pricing and cost advice

"Regarding pricing, everybody would want it to be cheaper."

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

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

"I have to pay for a license in order to get support."

"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."

"The price is reasonable."

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

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

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

15%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	29
Midsize Enterprise	19
Large Enterprise	23

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	19

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?

We are facing an issue with licensing usage. The subscription does not carry over within the same instance family, so upgrading an instance results in overlapping or double subscription fees.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SUSE Linux Enterprise?

The functionality is good, but the licensing subscription model needs improvement. The license we subscribed to should carry over within the same instance family. Why are we required to re-subscrib...

See all answers

Comparisons

Oracle Linux vs CentOS

Compared 29% of the time

Kali Linux vs CentOS

Compared 15% of the time

Ubuntu Linux vs CentOS

Compared 11% of the time

Windows Server vs CentOS

Compared 7% of the time

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs CentOS

Compared 7% of the time

More CentOS Competitors

openSUSE Leap vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 27% of the time

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 25% of the time

Ubuntu Linux vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 18% of the time

Oracle Linux vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 7% of the time

Oracle Solaris vs SUSE Linux Enterprise

Compared 4% of the time

More SUSE Linux Enterprise Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

CentOS

September 2025

Download CentOS product report

Buyer's Guide

SUSE Linux Enterprise

September 2025

Download SUSE Linux Enterprise product report

Also Known As

CentOS 7 (x86_64) - with Updates HVM

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3

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

SUSE Linux Enterprise offers features like YaST for server management, seamless integration with Oracle and SAP, and a robust security setup. Renowned for stability, it efficiently supports workstations, SAP workloads, and cloud migrations across diverse industries.

SUSE Linux Enterprise is known for its lightweight design, high performance, and ease of installation. Its flexible architecture supports extensive documentation and efficient patching. The system uses the BTRFS file system for effective virtualization, and community support is significant. However, challenges include package updates causing conflicts, difficult initial setup and software management, high pricing, and support response times. Improvements in security compliance, cloud integration, hardware compatibility, and documentation are also needed.

What are SUSE Linux Enterprise's important features?

YaST Server Management: Simplifies server setup and configurations.
Oracle & SAP Integration: Enhances performance with major enterprise applications.
HANA Firewall: Provides robust security measures.
BTRFS File System: Supports advanced storage management and snapshots.
Virtualization: Efficiently runs multiple operating systems on a single machine.

What benefits should users expect from using SUSE Linux Enterprise?

Stability & Performance: Reliability for critical applications and workloads.
Lightweight Design: Reduces resource consumption while maintaining efficiency.
Community Support: Access to extensive user and developer collaboration.
Automated Upgrades: Simplifies system maintenance and updates.

Industries like healthcare and banking use SUSE Linux Enterprise for secure transactions and structured application deployment. It is also a choice for organizations involved in testing, automation, and web development, offering support for SAP HANA integration and facilitating cloud migrations.

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

September 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: September 2025.

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