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CentOS vs Windows 10 comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 3, 2025

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
Windows 10
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
4.5
Number of Reviews
281
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 4.7%, down from 8.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows 10 is 2.7%, down from 4.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
CentOS4.7%
Windows 102.7%
Other92.6%
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.
Deboprio Dutta - PeerSpot reviewer
Improved security features with gaming enhancements while supporting various features
I understand that Windows 11 supports quite a bit of additional features for people who are, for example, into high-end gaming and the features that support that kind of utility. It's not personally much of a thing for me, however, I've heard about differences between the two operating system versions. To the best of my knowledge, I think Windows 11 brings some AI features for Microsoft Copilot, which probably weren't as integrated into the previous version. There are the occasional bugs and issues that pop up, yet none are significant enough for me to consider a major update. Overall, it's a smooth experience.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is performance."
"The user interface of CentOS is intuitive, we can also use the command prompt."
"The most valuable feature of CentOS is that it is easy to use."
"A valuable features of CentOS is that it's quite stable and doesn't crash often. It's also quite intuitive."
"CentOS' best feature is that it's the standard product for Linux, so it's well-supported."
"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."
"The latest version of this solution has everything built in, making it comprehensive and very easy to use."
"The solution is stable and reliable."
"Microsoft technology is very simple and user friendly."
"It's stable for the most part. It's working fine."
"The initial setup is very straightforward."
"The usability is satisfactory."
"Some things that I like about Windows 10 are its GUI, its performance is good, and it has many features."
"Windows 10 is user-friendly and easy to use, these are the most valuable features."
"It is a much faster solution if you are transitioning from a traditional Windows operating system."
"Windows 10 is easy to use with a good user interface."
 

Cons

"The solution might be discontinued but I hope that IBM will continue to develop it and improve on the functionally and features."
"CentOS can be somewhat difficult for beginners, as it has a complex UI, especially for those not in the IT field."
"Previous versions were unstable."
"GUI could be merged and expansion simplified."
"The solution could be more scalable."
"I would like the integration to be more secure."
"There is no notification before updates are applied to the solution, which occasionally means that new functionality isn't compatible with how the product is currently being used, and causes issues."
"Currently, CentOS is not providing support, so you will not get new packages that are compatible with that operating system."
"Windows 10 is not so stable sometimes. We've seen bugs before, so we contacted Microsoft technical support and they resolved it."
"The user interface could improve for the Portuguese language and more features should be added."
"The stability could improve and it could be more secure."
"The stability could be improved."
"Microsoft could improve the support for installing programs."
"The interface must be made faster."
"I'm currently facing an issue on Windows 10 related to pop-up notifications. The problem is identifying which specific application requires attention when the taskbar notifies about an important event. For instance, when working on an application, the taskbar appears with a notification but doesn't indicate which application needs attention. I have to minimize the active application windows to identify it, which can be inconvenient."
"The security features in Windows 10 can be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I'm not required to pay a licensing fee."
"The solution is open source so is free."
"CentOS is free."
"CentOS is a free solution."
"This is an open source solution."
"This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs involved."
"CentOS is an expensive solution. There are other solutions that are rated at the top that are not expensive, such as Red Hat."
"I use the free version."
"Microsoft supports free upgrades from Windows 10 to Windows 11."
"We already have a license for Windows 10 in our role as Microsoft partners."
"When compared with other Operating Systems, such as Linux-based solutions, it's expensive."
"Pricing depends on the type of license."
"There is a license to use the solution."
"I have a home license that costs me around 1,000 rupees."
"The price is quite expensive for our currency. A perpetual license costs around 300 dollars."
"The licensing fees could be more flexible."
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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
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise23
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business124
Midsize Enterprise64
Large Enterprise119
 

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.
What needs improvement with Windows 10?
Performance and slowness are areas that could be improved in Windows 10. Sometimes the system experiences slowdowns. The only issue I face and can remember is related to performance.
What is your primary use case for Windows 10?
I use Windows 10 for regular office activities.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

CentOS 7 (x86_64) - with Updates HVM
No data available
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Windows 10 and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
866,088 professionals have used our research since 2012.