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CentOS vs Windows Server 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 Server
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
194
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 Server is 9.6%, up from 8.6% 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.
Jai Prakash Sharma - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient Management Achieved with Internal Resources and Reliable Technical Support
Maintenance of Windows Server varies by organization, but for us, it's not very difficult as we have in-house resources managing these tasks. However, it can become a bit tricky when we want to see a collated view of our security posture. Regarding AI integrations with Windows Server, Copilot adoption is progressing, though I have only experienced it on endpoints and not on the server side. We operate significant workloads on AI, but we consume those primarily on Linux rather than Windows Server. I don't have much experience regarding integration capabilities in Windows Server for AI workloads, so I may not be the right person to provide insights on that. Overall, I am quite happy with my experience using Windows Server. I don't have many constraints or concerns, so I would rate it eight out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product is very efficient when it comes to virtualization."
"We used the solution as an operating system."
"It’s scalable."
"The product is based on Red Hat and very stable."
"It’s a simple, straightforward implementation."
"CentOS's most valuable features are that it's cost-saving and helps to scale down your usage."
"The scalability of CentOS is good. We can deploy the operating system in many hardware, laptops, and servers."
"There's lots of great documentation available."
"The solution is scalable."
"The product offers in-house servers. It helps us update them and check any technical issues easily."
"We have had no problems with Windows Server and we plan to continue using it in the future."
"Windows Server is easy to use."
"I have found Windows Server to be easy to use and the performance to be good."
"The performance of Windows Server is good."
"The most valuable features are the ease of access and maintaining the solution."
"We use Active Directory and IIS to host different kinds of web apps. We have also used the FTP feature for our FTP server."
 

Cons

"The solution’s stability could be improved."
"The support could be a bit better."
"The solution could improve by making the management tools better for the DevOps teams. For example, WebEX and Webstacks."
"I would like to see more frequent updates."
"The performance could stand improvement."
"CentOS should extend the support of the solution. The solution is set to have no update support in 2023."
"As an open-source solution, there isn't much technical support."
"The product lacks a graphical user interface that can help users automate certain systems using the native features offered by CentOS."
"Security and vulnerabilities could improve."
"In terms of support, it's pretty complicated when you have to study the documentation."
"The price could be a little less. It's a bit expensive."
"The solution could improve by being more user-friendly."
"The upgrade process for this solution could be simplified and made more straightforward."
"I would like to see the security features improved in the future."
"The solution is not easy to use and could be simplified. Additionally, the solution could have better integration."
"Perhaps the scalability could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"CentOS is an expensive solution. There are other solutions that are rated at the top that are not expensive, such as Red Hat."
"There are no licensing fees for CentOS."
"There are no licensing costs for CentOS."
"I'm not required to pay a licensing fee."
"We are using a subscription-based license option for CentOS."
"For the enterprise version of CentOS, there is a license required. However, for personal use, I do not need a license."
"We have a CentOS license that we pay for on a yearly basis."
"Once you buy the license, Linux will provide you with yearly or monthly patches, so your systems will be scalable for a long time."
"We pay these on an annual basis."
"The price of the solution could improve."
"There is a license required for Windows Server and Microsoft the cost is based on the number of ports that you have on the production server."
"The solution requires licencing."
"There is a license for Windows Server, but we have got the license from a local supplier, Black Neuron Technology. They also provide tech support locally."
"We had to purchase the solution and also the licenses to go on each computer system."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"It's expensive, but we have a need for it and have to purchase it."
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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%
Educational Organization
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Government
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 Server?
I don't have experience with Windows Server containers and Kubernetes for deploying cloud-native applications. I cannot provide specific improvements for Windows Server because I don't have extensi...
What is your primary use case for Windows Server?
At the office, the main use case for Windows Server involves different functions, for example, file server or firewall and the IIS server, Microsoft Internet Server, Internet Information Services. ...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Rakuten, Rackspace, Tyco
Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Windows Server and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.