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Debian vs Oracle Linux comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 14, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.5
Debian users save money through no license costs, reduced maintenance, and efficiency, with some saving up to 60%.
Sentiment score
6.4
Oracle Linux saves costs, reduces downtime, integrates with Oracle tools, and offers strong security with positive ROI.
There were direct cost savings since Debian has no licensing fees, and we did not require paid support, so it saved us considerable money.
Embedded Linux / BSP Engineer at Veethree
We were able to save a substantial amount by using Linux instead of Windows and spending a lot of money on Windows licenses.
Cybersecurity Engineer at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
I have seen a return on investment; specifically, the cost is around zero because there is no need for a license, and since my whole team uses Debian, we are fine with the number of employees needed.
DevOps Technology Lead at TriStratus Ltd
Everything from Oracle tools to applications is well integrated within Oracle Linux.
IT Department Manager at DHA Lahore
Our team is comfortable using Oracle Linux as it integrates well with Oracle tools, making everything work seamlessly.
Director of Provisioning Services at MRP ELITE
In terms of outcomes or benefits I've seen over the last year, we have more than 30 servers, and we only need to reboot one server while all other servers continue working fine, resulting in very low downtime, which is very helpful.
System Engineer at Reve Systems
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
Debian's community support effectively aids users through forums and documentation, minimizing the need for official customer service.
Sentiment score
6.3
Oracle Linux support is skilled but criticized for high costs, slow responses, yet praised for useful resources and zero-downtime updates.
We rely on community resources for support, such as documentation, forums, and asking questions online.
Cybersecurity Engineer at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
Whenever I had a query, I used Google to search for it and found very helpful information from public platforms.
Cloud Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
While it does not have traditional paid customer support like some commercial distributions, the Debian community and documentation are very strong.
Embedded Linux / BSP Engineer at Veethree
Not all support engineers at Oracle are the same, so sometimes I experience good support that resolves issues quickly, while other times, it loops.
Senior Infrastructure Specialist at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
Oracle's technical support is excellent.
IT Department Manager at DHA Lahore
It is not as helpful or friendly as their application support.
IT Admin at Rosy Blue NV
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Debian offers scalability and stability, ideal for cloud environments, with open-source benefits and effective management of high traffic.
Sentiment score
7.3
Oracle Linux is praised for scalability, though some experience challenges with non-Oracle hardware and processor compatibility.
We don't spin up new Debian instances arbitrarily.
Cybersecurity Engineer at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
As the growth of our infrastructure is required, we can host many Debian servers.
Cloud Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
We decided to use Debian because we needed a more stable and predictable base, especially for long-running systems where frequent changes or upgrades could cause issues.
Embedded Linux / BSP Engineer at Veethree
It handles device performance well, automatically managing any issues that arise.
Software Engineer at Trianz
Oracle should make the process faster, as we sometimes have to use a previous processor model to ensure compatibility.
Director of Provisioning Services at MRP ELITE
New processor models sometimes lack immediate compatibility with Oracle Linux, requiring the use of previous models until support is available.
IT Department Manager at DHA Lahore
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.5
Debian is valued for stability and reliability, ideal for developers prioritizing long-term support over rapid updates.
Sentiment score
8.0
Oracle Linux is praised for its stability and reliability, effectively handling workloads with minor bugs primarily related to hardware.
I rate Debian an eight out of ten because it excels in stability, reliability, and package management, which are very important for long-running production systems.
Embedded Linux / BSP Engineer at Veethree
That long-term support has helped me and my customers by being stable and running well.
Embedded Developer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
In my experience, Debian is very stable.
Cybersecurity Engineer at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
Testing determines stability, as continuous Linux use and installations reveal more bugs.
Senior Infrastructure Specialist at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
Oracle Linux is very stable.
IT Department Manager at DHA Lahore
Our environment is locally deployed, and there are no performance issues or latency problems.
Director of Provisioning Services at MRP ELITE
 

Room For Improvement

Debian needs improvements in package management, installer, cloud integration, hardware support, GUI updates, and contributor support for better usability.
Oracle Linux requires security updates, better hardware compatibility, user-friendly interface, cost-effective support, and improved virtualization performance.
I believe security on Debian is top-notch due to its long history and the many individuals and organizations that rely on it, meaning there are many eyes on it.
Founder at a media company with 1-10 employees
If Debian had a memory-based distribution, similar to Alpine, that would be great, as we could get benefits in terms of memory or embedded systems.
DevOps Technology Lead at TriStratus Ltd
Debian was easy to set up.
Cloud Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Having a user interface would make tasks easier, saving time by avoiding the need to remember command-line instructions.
IT Admin at Rosy Blue NV
There are significant limitations as we are not able to customize the system, and we are forced to use standard features which are not suitable for our business.
Manager, Information Technology at Gemini Equipment
Oracle Linux's outage management can be improved to better handle outages.
Software Engineer at Trianz
 

Setup Cost

Debian's open-source nature offers cost savings on software, making it a cost-effective alternative to Microsoft Windows and Ubuntu.
Oracle Linux offers cost-effective enterprise solutions with free usage and customizable, subscription-based support, often cheaper than competitors.
My experience with Debian's pricing, setup cost, and licensing has been that it is all free.
IT Support Manager at a educational organization with 5,001-10,000 employees
As long as I remain within the limit of that credit, I can create machines as much as I want without exceeding the monthly limit.
Cybersecurity Engineer at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is quite favorable; since Debian is totally free, it is one of my first options.
DevOps Technology Lead at TriStratus Ltd
While ERP might be expensive, Oracle Linux and KVMs are not on the higher side.
Director of Provisioning Services at MRP ELITE
The cost of Microsoft OS is pretty high, and switching to Oracle Linux, which is free, reduced our costs by about 20% to 25%.
IT Admin at Rosy Blue NV
Oracle Linux is affordable.
IT Department Manager at DHA Lahore
 

Valuable Features

Debian offers stability, flexibility, and efficiency, providing cost-effective operations with strong support and extensive software options for organizations.
Oracle Linux provides performance, compatibility, and cost-effective integration for Oracle applications, offering stability and support for demanding enterprises.
Debian's stability helps me in my daily work because my work relies on stability; I'm trying to deploy production workloads, and Debian offers that stability for me.
DevOps Technology Lead at TriStratus Ltd
Debian has kept my workflow secure by maintaining system stability with day-to-day or monthly updates with security patches, securing the system from external attacks.
Cloud Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Debian has positively impacted my organization primarily in cost-efficiency, with on-premises hardware running faster and cheaper.
IT Support Manager at a educational organization with 5,001-10,000 employees
Since it's from the same vendor as Oracle applications, it's easier to manage issues, making not just the solution cost-effective but also streamlined in management.
IT Admin at Rosy Blue NV
The updates are applied instantly once a CVE is identified, which makes it highly beneficial.
Consultant at a outsourcing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Oracle Linux provides fast updates, and the best aspect is that we can update our server without interrupting our service, which is very important for business continuity.
Superbly mistaken at Banco Nacional de Investimento S.A.
 

Categories and Ranking

Debian
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
14th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Oracle Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
128
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Debian is 5.5%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Linux is 6.3%, down from 13.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Oracle Linux6.3%
Debian5.5%
Other88.2%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Badal Shrivastav - PeerSpot reviewer
Embedded Linux / BSP Engineer at Veethree
Reliable platform has supported long-term on-prem deployments and predictable OTA updates
If I consider how Debian can be improved, it could be more accessible in making newer software versions available for users who need recent features while still maintaining default stable behavior. While backports help, the workflow could be streamlined. The release cycle can feel slow for rapidly evolving tools, and better guidance around mixing stable, backports, and testing would help. Regarding hardware support, Debian can be improved by supporting multiple BSPs, making it more versatile in the embedded domain. Hardware support for new devices can sometimes lag behind, which is understandable given Debian's focus on stability. Clearer guidance on handling newer hardware or firmware would be beneficial.
DR
Manager, Information Technology at Gemini Equipment
Stable performance enhances operations, but improving interface and customization is necessary
Oracle Linux can be improved by making it more user-friendly. The interface and some features need improvement. The interface is very important. Sometimes, there is a very lengthy process to generate a single report. The customization also needs development. There should be more customization allowed for the system. There are some limitations as we cannot customize the system according to our needs. We have to use the standard features which are not always suitable for our business. Despite these limitations, we continue to use it.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
17%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Educational Organization
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business44
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise74
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Debian?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing seems acceptable. We have also used Ubuntu. Comparing to Ubuntu, Debian is cheaper.
What needs improvement with Debian?
In terms of improvements, I think Debian is fine as it is. I'm not an expert, so for me, it is acceptable.
What is your primary use case for Debian?
I have been using Debian for a while now. My main use case for Debian is running PostgreSQL and related infrastructure. A specific example of an application I'm running on Debian is PostgreSQL.
How does Oracle Linux compare with Solaris?
When comparing Oracle Linux and Solaris, I believe that Linux is more secure and more flexible. It is also very suitable for enterprises that are already Oracle solution users. I found Linux to be ...
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...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

Debian 12
Oracle Enterprise Linux
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
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Find out what your peers are saying about Debian vs. Oracle Linux and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.