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Kali Linux vs Security Onion comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Kali Linux
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
Operating Systems (OS) for Business (11th)
Security Onion
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.5
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
Log Management (19th)
 

Mindshare comparison

Kali Linux and Security Onion aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Kali Linux is designed for Operating Systems (OS) for Business and holds a mindshare of 3.0%, up 0.8% compared to last year.
Security Onion, on the other hand, focuses on Log Management, holds 4.5% mindshare, down 5.4% since last year.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Kali Linux3.0%
Rocky Linux14.3%
Ubuntu Linux11.5%
Other71.2%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
Log Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Security Onion4.5%
Wazuh12.2%
Grafana Loki7.9%
Other75.4%
Log Management
 

Featured Reviews

NilutpalDutta - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides valuable real-time data scanning for vulnerability assessment
We don't know if Kali Linux has the port scanning capability yet, but that is an area of improvement because we are working with DMZ zones and customized ports. If we can add featured customized port scanning and DMZ zone capability, then it will be a very great tool. It might be there, but we are not exploring it yet. We are not exploring 100% of Kali Linux capabilities. If real-time customized port scanning can be added, for example, instead of a default port such as 8080 or 443, if we can use a customized port such as 9876, that capability would be great. The only point that I didn't find on Kali Linux for now is the ability to customize port scanning.
Jörg Kippe - PeerSpot reviewer
A mature and affordable solution that is easy to install and easy to update
The product takes time to learn, it's not that easy. In the beginning we had a lot of questions. If you want to use such a tool in an real (industrial) environment, you have to ask how to get the network data. Can we do a full packet capture? Can we provide agents to our end systems? There are no simple solutions to these questions. It's a general problem when running such systems in an industrial environment.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Additionally, it now includes comprehensive migration analytics and reporting capabilities."
"The most valuable feature of Kali Linux is the attack it performs using a CVE script that's already on the internet."
"The interface is good and straightforward to use."
"The solution's stability is very good."
"The outcomes from using Kali Linux in our organization are significant; we experienced reduced cybersecurity attacks and improved application security, leading to decreased attack surfaces and quicker testing cycles that enabled faster launches and installations."
"We use the product for open-source intelligence and identifying vulnerabilities."
"The tools available in Kali Linux are incredibly effective for conducting security assessments."
"Kali Linux is much better than other OS because it gives you a good set of tools. It is preferred for vulnerability assessments and cybersecurity."
"The most valuable feature of Security Onion for security monitoring is its ability to find infected ports."
"Security Onion is the most mature solution in the market."
"We use Security Onion for internal vulnerability assessment."
 

Cons

"The product should improve its security features."
"From an improvement perspective, Kali Linux could include more ML to help with academic literature, as it is one of the areas where there are shortcomings in the solution."
"Many users utilize Kali Linux through virtual machines. Sometimes Kali Linux has issues detecting hardware such as inbuilt or external Wi-Fi adapters."
"I would like to have automation in Kali Linux instead of manually configuring or setting up something in case of an upgrade."
"Unfortunately, my current tool runs on Windows 10, and its use is restricted to enterprise versions. Integrating this tool or similar functionalities into Kali Linux for non-enterprise users would be incredibly valuable."
"The tool is already stable and well-developed, so there's minimal feedback for enhancement or change. However, it should improve security, which is crucial, especially with the increasing use of Kali Linux in cloud environments."
"There can be some lagging issues because the product gets stuck at times, making it an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The only point that I didn't find on Kali Linux for now is the ability to customize port scanning."
"The product is not easy to learn."
"The initial setup of the solution is a little bit difficult."
"Security Onion's user interface could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I have used the free version."
"The licensing fee is expensive compared to other products."
"The price is good because Kali Linux already provides a good bundle of tools."
"Kali Linux offers a perpetual license, meaning you pay for it once and can use it. While free versions of Linux are available, Kali Linux, being an enterprise edition, usually comes with a perpetual license. I rate its pricing a five out of ten."
"Kali Linux is a free product, and you don't have to pay for a license."
"I use it free of charge."
"The tool is open-source."
"There is no need to make any payments towards the licensing costs since it is a solution that is available for free."
"Security Onion is a free solution."
"Security Onion is an open-source solution."
"It is an open-source solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
13%
University
13%
Computer Software Company
12%
Educational Organization
11%
University
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Government
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise7
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Kali Linux?
I use the tool with Nmap to perform network audits. We use it to find vulnerabilities in our network through attacks. It's for those who want to launch or create viruses or perform attacks on syste...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kali Linux?
Kali Linux offers a perpetual license, meaning you pay for it once and can use it. While free versions of Linux are available, Kali Linux, being an enterprise edition, usually comes with a perpetua...
What needs improvement with Kali Linux?
We don't know if Kali Linux has the port scanning capability yet, but that is an area of improvement because we are working with DMZ zones and customized ports. If we can add featured customized po...
What do you like most about Security Onion?
The most valuable feature of Security Onion for security monitoring is its ability to find infected ports.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Security Onion?
Security Onion is an open-source solution. On a scale from one to ten, where ten is expensive and one is cheap, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten.
What needs improvement with Security Onion?
The initial setup of the solution is a little bit difficult.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Kali Linux vs. Security Onion and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
868,787 professionals have used our research since 2012.