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CentOS vs Ubuntu Linux 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
Ubuntu Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
147
Ranking in other categories
OpenStack (1st)
 

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 Ubuntu Linux is 13.4%, down from 22.0% 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.
Kevin Haury - PeerSpot reviewer
Linux's advanced terminal empowers versatile usage and ongoing secure development
Initially, there was nothing complicated. It's easy since I have many years of experience with it. However, if I were a beginner with Linux, it could be completely disruptive compared to Windows. So, I would have to spend some time practicing with Linux to understand how it works and how I can accomplish the same tasks compared to Windows. Maybe one month, at least.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The pricing is good. We pay a minimal fee."
"A valuable features of CentOS is that it's quite stable and doesn't crash often. It's also quite intuitive."
"It is a stable soultion."
"The solution is stable and reliable."
"The product is free to use."
"The most valuable feature is performance."
"It's a good and stable system. It provides everything you need for web servers and database servers."
"The vendor updates the tool regularly to solve vulnerabilities."
"The most valuable feature of Ubuntu Linux is the price because we don't need to pay as it is used for selling equipment."
"I would rate Ubuntu Linux a nine out of ten as a total rating."
"Ubuntu Linux is lightweight, fast, and works seamlessly with command-line terminals."
"We use Ubuntu Linux because it is scalable, stable and developer-friendly."
"It's faster than Windows."
"I like its computation speed compared to Windows and other similar features."
"Ubuntu has a good interface, it is easier to use than other distribution such as CentOS or Red Hat. It's suitable for beginners who want to start learning Linux. It has a simple interface and it's easy to use."
"It is scalable. I can customize it based on what I want to do."
 

Cons

"We would like Red Hat to keep supporting the solution but they have decided to get rid of it and there isn't much we can do about it."
"It is challenging to scale the solution when we have to increase the storage capacity from one end."
"The solution could improve by making the management tools better for the DevOps teams. For example, WebEX and Webstacks."
"They could build more options into the wizard."
"GUI could be merged and expansion simplified."
"The solution is stable, however, it could always be even more stable if possible."
"The solution must improve its security."
"The support could be a bit better."
"It can have more security."
"It can be improved in terms of user-friendliness for inexperienced users. It also has a lot of scope for improvement in terms of deployment. It is kind of hard for inexperienced users, and the learning curve is very steep. There is not really good documentation for new professionals. Even we are using network servers to install it."
"Ubuntu is putting great efforts into making their platform a great hosting platform for Kubernetes and other related tools, but they are not addressing the challenges with what it takes to run Ubuntu in a large Windows-based environment."
"Linux does not provide a user-friendly interface."
"The solution's initial setup is complex, and its technical support is not very good."
"The product must enable automation using AI."
"There is a large open-sourced community that is helpful. I had a lot of problems when starting out and there was plenty of assistance throughout the community. Since everyone is helping for free the support could be better."
"The encryption of the partition regarding software systems could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"CentOS is an open source that is free of cost."
"It is open-source, which means it is a free product. It has a one-time deployment cost."
"The solution is open source so is free."
"For the enterprise version of CentOS, there is a license required. However, for personal use, I do not need a license."
"This is an open source solution."
"There are no licensing costs for CentOS."
"CentOS is an open-source tool."
"The solution is open source."
"I use Ubuntu Linux free of cost."
"It's an open source solution, but you can make donations if you'd like to."
"I am using the free version of the solution."
"The solution is open source and its use is included in the monthly fees we pay."
"There is an annual subscription for this solution."
"Ubuntu pricing is reasonable."
"Ubuntu Linux is open-source and available to use free of charge."
"It comes as free software, where there is an option for you to buy support licenses."
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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
17%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
University
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
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.
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 do you like most about Ubuntu Linux?
It has a good support system for loading databases.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ubuntu Linux?
The cost is not much, and I am not sure about the licensing cost because a separate team handles it.
 

Comparisons

 

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 CentOS vs. Ubuntu Linux and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.