Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

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
7.2
Number of Reviews
68
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
5.2
Number of Reviews
271
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 5.5%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows 10 is 3.0%, down from 4.5% 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.
Akos Szirmai - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy installation and the initial setup time is reasonable
Stability can be an issue. I have to restart it every two days. And the boot time is quite long. My laptop's old, has no SSD, and is just a traditional Winchester. Had desktops with Windows 11 and SSDs, much better performance. But hardware limitations on my current laptop lead to stability and response issues. It's more like the whole reinstall every two years thing. It makes cleaning a pain. Performance improves significantly after a fresh install, then slowly deteriorates as I add more programs. But my biggest concern with Windows 10 is actually bigger than my situation. I'm replacing my laptop anyway, but I read that Windows 10 support ends in a year or so. And with hardware limitations, many other computers won't run Windows 11. So it's not just me. A lot of people with decent, still-working Windows 10 machines will lose support and be unable to switch to 11. This will be a significant problem for individuals and institutions. Large companies with thousands of computers don't replace them every three years, and they might face issues with many computers unable to run Windows 11 and lacking support for 10.

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 stable and reliable."
"The most valuable feature is performance."
"It is a scalable and cost-effective product compared to public cloud solutions."
"The solution is easy to use but not as easy as Windows."
"It’s scalable."
"If I need to install a feature or fix a server issue, I can easily find answers online. The CentOS community is also vast and helpful."
"CentOS is very easy to use, and all the commands are user-friendly."
"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward and not complex, especially if you are familiar with CLI."
"The licensing is reasonable."
"Windows 10 is stable, but you need to install system updates constantly and download new antivirus definitions to avoid getting into any trouble."
"The product is quite user-friendly and easy to navigate."
"I like that it's really easy to use."
"The solution has been very stable."
"The UI is very familiar, which makes it very user-friendly and easy to navigate."
"The product's configuration and deployment phases are easy."
"The most valuable feature is how friendly the interface is. I expect that we will soon go up to Windows 11 because it's already available."
 

Cons

"I would like the integration to be more secure."
"As an open-source solution, there isn't much technical support."
"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."
"The tool has no official support."
"When comparing the GUI of CentOS to Microsoft Windows or Mac, it could improve."
"CentOS is pretty old now, so I wouldn't recommend anyone use it."
"Updates are going to a streaming version."
"The solution might be discontinued but I hope that IBM will continue to develop it and improve on the functionally and features."
"I prefer Linux over Windows 10 because the command prompt is better in Linux."
"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 product must provide AI features in future releases."
"I would like to see better pricing and faster support."
"There is some room for improvement in the security of the solution."
"If Microsoft could find a way to better manage updates and patches, that could be more useful for end users, which would be good."
"Microsoft could improve the support for installing programs."
"The product is exposed to more threats compared to Mac."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs involved."
"We have a CentOS license that we pay for on a yearly basis."
"The solution is not subscription-based, unlike Red Hat."
"Once you buy the license, Linux will provide you with yearly or monthly patches, so your systems will be scalable for a long time."
"There are no licensing costs for CentOS."
"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."
"The solution is open source so is free."
"CentOS is an open source that is free of cost."
"Licensing fees are paid yearly."
"The price is fine."
"The solution is a bit expensive."
"The solution is not expensive and there is a license required."
"The solution is affordable and there is a license to use it."
"The licensing is yearly. It would be nice if they offered some one-time license options where you could procure it for a lifetime."
"I believe there is an agreement with Microsoft to pay the licensing fee yearly."
"All Microsoft products are expensive."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Operating Systems (OS) for Business solutions are best for your needs.
845,564 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

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%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
7%
 

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?
I am not responsible for the setup cost in my company, so I am unsure about the cost of the license.
What needs improvement with Windows 10?
I do not have notes for improvement.
What is your primary use case for Windows 10?
In my case, I would mostly say it's because of security reasons. At least for the typical use cases that I generally rely on Windows for, there didn't seem to be a noticeable performance difference...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Windows 10 and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,564 professionals have used our research since 2012.