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CentOS vs Windows 10 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
Windows 10
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.3
Number of Reviews
277
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 Windows 10 is 2.9%, down from 4.4% 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.
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 of CentOS is that it is easy to use."
"The solution is extremely stable."
"The product's initial setup phase is very straightforward."
"The solution is open source."
"The product offers a free community-based version."
"CentOS' best feature is that it's the standard product for Linux, so it's well-supported."
"Offers useful information and has good compatibility."
"It has minimal updates compared to other distributions."
"Windows 10 is a user-friendly operating system."
"The best thing is that all are using it and that there are some applications like Power BI that are only in Windows and not in any other environment."
"Windows has significantly improved its performance and stability over the past seven or eight years. In the earlier days, issues were more challenging to resolve, but nowadays, most problems are easily fixed."
"The solution is easy to install. Even my child could set up the system."
"It works. It is stable, unlike other versions of Windows. It is easy to use and intuitive for the most part."
"Windows 10 is easy to use."
"The most valuable features of Windows 10 are the GUI and the compatibility with mostly all the software available on the market."
"I like that it's a very easy solution to use. It's also very easy to integrate it for our customers. It's a very intuitive operating system, and if they take their time to go through it quickly, they can use it without any support."
 

Cons

"It would be ideal if Red Hat would continue the CentOS versions in an open-source format. They seem to be moving away from that. Now only paid versions are available."
"Currently, CentOS is not providing support, so you will not get new packages that are compatible with that operating system."
"There could be more integration features included in the product."
"The price of CentOS could improve."
"Lacks sufficient security and some coding tools."
"We are aware that the licensing has shifted, and it's not a change we've liked."
"The stability could always be improved."
"They could build more options into the wizard."
"The interface itself could be more user-friendly."
"There is room for improvement in the troubleshooting feature."
"The cost of Windows 10 is a bit high. They should work to make it lower."
"There are a lot of frequent updates. They can reduce the number of updates and combine them into one monthly update. It also uses a lot of RAM and CPU, which should be fixed."
"The solution could improve by being more secure and having a better user interface."
"There are times I have slow performance on my laptop using Windows 10 but I am not sure if it is the laptop hardware or the solution."
"The system's pricing needs improving."
"It could be more stable."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For the enterprise version of CentOS, there is a license required. However, for personal use, I do not need a license."
"It's freeware, so we can use it without worrying about licensing."
"The solution is open source so is free."
"CentOS is a free solution."
"CentOS is an open-source tool."
"CentOS is cheaper compared to Windows."
"Once you buy the license, Linux will provide you with yearly or monthly patches, so your systems will be scalable for a long time."
"CentOS is an expensive solution. There are other solutions that are rated at the top that are not expensive, such as Red Hat."
"When compared with other Operating Systems, such as Linux-based solutions, it's expensive."
"There is a license required for this solution."
"I'm not sure about how much it's priced in the consumer world, but within enterprise it comes in a Microsoft 365 license, which is very easy. It has become an easier commercial model."
"The price is fine."
"We pay annually for the licenses of Windows 10."
"There is a license for this solution and it normally comes free with any system."
"The price is fine."
"It's not cheap, and it's one of the inconveniences. Most of the time, we use group licensing, permitting us to install servers for three months. When we want to have personal licenses, it costs too much here in Senegal."
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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
13%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
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.
What needs improvement with Windows 10?
Windows 10 is quite old, and Windows 11 has newer features such as Copilot. Investment in Windows 10 may not be ideal as the world is changing with advancing technology in the AI age. It is general...
What is your primary use case for Windows 10?
I use Windows 10 as an operating system for my personal computer. Currently, I am using Windows 11.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Windows 10 and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
852,098 professionals have used our research since 2012.