Windows Server vs openSUSE Leap comparison

openSUSE and Microsoft are both solutions in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category. openSUSE is ranked #13 with an average rating of 9.0, while Microsoft is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.3. openSUSE holds a 5.7% mindshare in OSB, compared to Microsoft’s 9.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of openSUSE users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

openSUSE Leap

Read 6 openSUSE Leap reviews

5,572 Views
5,516 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Windows Server

Read 196 Windows Server reviews

10,942 Views
10,942 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

openSUSE Leap

Windows Server

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 7, 2024

Windows Server and openSUSE Leap compete mainly in enterprise server environments. Windows Server has an upper hand due to its robust support and seamless integration with other Microsoft products.

Features: Windows Server is known for its comprehensive Active Directory, smooth virtualization capabilities, and strong enterprise support. openSUSE Leap is valued for its open-source flexibility, advanced configuration options, and rich repository of software packages.

Room for Improvement: Windows Server users highlight licensing complexity, high resource consumption, and the need for performance optimizations. openSUSE Leap users point to occasional hardware compatibility issues, a steeper learning curve, and the desire for enhanced hardware support.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Windows Server is easier to deploy due to comprehensive documentation and widespread support resources, including extensive customer service. openSUSE Leap offers complex deployment but benefits from robust documentation and an active community for support.

Pricing and ROI: Windows Server incurs higher setup costs due to licensing fees but provides substantial ROI through reliable enterprise features. openSUSE Leap is a cost-effective solution with no initial licensing fees, attractive for budget-conscious users seeking strong value via low-cost implementation and community support.

To learn more, read our detailed Windows Server vs. openSUSE Leap Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Windows Server vs. openSUSE Leap

December 2025

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Helped 881,665 peers since 2012

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

openSUSE Leap

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

13th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

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

6.7

Number of Reviews

196

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of openSUSE Leap is 5.7%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server is 9.0%, up from 9.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Operating Systems (OS) for Business Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Windows Server	9.0%
openSUSE Leap	5.7%
Other	85.3%

Operating Systems (OS) for Business

Featured Reviews

Nagendra Kavadi

Senior Manager at Cognizant

Provides BTRFS file system, which allows you to take snapshots

I only use the tool for testing purposes on my team, but multiple people use it. We don't make a team effort to install the solution. When it comes to maintenance, we ask our company to buy SUSE Linux Enterprise. My team consists of 13 people. We are currently integrating the solution with Ansible to do some coding. Although not a full-fledged automation, we are integrating the solution with Ansible and executing a couple of playbooks connected to openSUSE Leap. I would recommend the solution to other users looking for an open-source solution. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

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Gustavo Schleider

Manager, Information & Cloud Systems at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees

Long-standing experience improves reliability and security, making it a trusted platform

It's difficult to see improvements when using it daily. They improved compatibility with other platforms, such as Linux. One improvement I was thinking about some years ago was the ability to manage an on-premises server from Azure. Now, they have created Azure Arc, and we are using it as a very good way of managing on-premises servers. What can be improved is on the Azure side. With Active Directory on the server side and Entra ID on the Azure side in our hybrid environment, we find issues with data syncing to Entra ID. In Entra ID, Microsoft omitted some parameters. In Active Directory, you can put an expiring date to an account, but you cannot do that in Entra ID. We have other means of doing that, but it's common to have consultants working for six months, requiring account expiration or renewal processes. The Entra ID Connect syncing tool could be improved. Though they moved the service to Azure and use an agent instead of having a dedicated server, it remains cumbersome to set up due to the differences between Entra ID and Active Directory.

Read full review

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 by far has been the virtualization capabilities of the operating system."

"Stable - it just runs without the necessity to reboot."

"The solution is very stable after it is configured. It is hard to have a panel slow, a problem, misconfiguration, or any kind of loss function."

"The solution's most valuable feature is the BTRFS file system, which allows you to take snapshots."

"The solution is easy for me to use because the backend is derived from FreeBSD and this is something I have been using for over 20 years."

"openSUSE Leap has helped me with using containers in Podman."

"The capabilities and beta securities are important features. The IP directory is the most valuable feature."

"The performance is very good."

"I like the views in the user interface."

"The main features are ease of use and simple administration."

"The product integrates well with Sophos."

"Microsoft is a trusted brand and I enjoy working with it."

"It's easy to use."

"I have found Windows Server to be easy to use and the performance to be good."

More Windows Server pros

Cons

"In the future, the Active Directory could improve."

"It would be helpful if we could easily switch from openSUSE Leap for testing to SUSE Linux Enterprise for production."

"I would like openSUSE Leap to have better link integration with Windows."

"There is room for improvement in the console."

"Like most Linux-based operating systems, the biggest challenge Leap faces is the GUI."

"Somehow the change from OS12.x via 13.x to Leap was a bit bumpy and some old issues seemed to reappear."

"For countries in the Middle East and Africa, their pricing is a little bit high."

"If Windows could make the OS part lighter, especially starting and restarting the Windows Server, which needs to be quick, then it would be great since this is an area where the tool lacks a bit."

"The solution is not easy to use and could be simplified. Additionally, the solution could have better integration."

"They should release a command-line version of the solution."

"The cost to use the solution is quite high."

"The solution could improve by being more user-friendly."

"The platform's user interface needs improvement."

"Security and vulnerabilities could improve."

More Windows Server cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost of this solution was reasonable and it was within our budget."

"This is an open-source operating system that can be used free of charge."

"The solution is open-source."

"openSUSE Leap is an open-source solution that is free of cost."

"We had to purchase the solution and also the licenses to go on each computer system."

"There is a license required for this solution."

"We use only the license versions of Windows Server."

"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."

"Our licensing fee is perpetual."

"It's expensive, but we have a need for it and have to purchase it."

"The price of the solution could improve."

"Windows Server's whole licensing model is complex because if you have, for example, Microsoft Office and end-user applications installed on a server with a remote desktop, then the licensing can be complex. If the model could be simplified it would be better."

More Windows Server pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

19%

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

11%

Computer Software Company

University

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	4

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	78
Midsize Enterprise	41
Large Enterprise	89

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with openSUSE Leap?

Both openSUSE Leap and the SUSE Enterprise version use the same kernel. Suppose I have a lower environment where I can run openSUSE to test all my products. It would be helpful if I could easily sw...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for openSUSE Leap?

I use openSUSE Leap for testing purposes. Before officially using any server in our office, we test it using the solution. My office usually uses production servers on the SUSE Linux enterprise ver...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for openSUSE Leap?

openSUSE Leap is an open-source solution that is free of cost.

See all answers

What do you like most about Windows Server?

The tool supports many applications.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Windows Server?

The user interface of Windows Server needs improvement, especially when working with users, user accounts, and groups. There are multiple ways to accomplish tasks that do not align completely, so t...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Windows Server?

I integrated Windows Server in my infrastructure. We use Hyper-V technology extensively, as it is very important for us, and it functions quite well.

See all answers

Comparisons

SUSE Linux Enterprise vs openSUSE Leap

Compared 20% of the time

Ubuntu Linux vs openSUSE Leap

Compared 15% of the time

Rocky Linux vs openSUSE Leap

Compared 14% of the time

Debian vs openSUSE Leap

Compared 11% of the time

Kali Linux vs openSUSE Leap

Compared 1% of the time

More openSUSE Leap Competitors

Windows 11 vs Windows Server

Compared 61% of the time

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs Windows Server

Compared 10% of the time

Ubuntu Linux vs Windows Server

Compared 8% of the time

Windows 10 vs Windows Server

Compared 5% of the time

Fedora Linux vs Windows Server

Compared 1% of the time

More Windows Server Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Operating Systems (OS) for Business

January 2026

Download openSUSE Leap product report

Buyer's Guide

Windows Server

January 2026

Download Windows Server product report

Overview

openSUSE Leap is a brand new way of building openSUSE and is new type of hybrid Linux distribution. Leap uses source from SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE), which gives Leap a level of stability unmatched by other Linux distributions, and combines that with community developments to give users, developers and sysadmins the best stable Linux experience available. Contributor and enterprise efforts for Leap bridge a gap between matured packages and newer packages found in openSUSE’s other distribution Tumbleweed.

openSUSE

Windows Server offers enterprise-grade solutions with Active Directory, Hyper-V, and Azure integration. Known for its user-friendliness and stability, it is ideal for hosting applications and managing domains, promising scalability and seamless network management across environments.

Windows Server is integral for businesses needing reliable infrastructure for server virtualization and enterprise application deployment. It excels in integrating with Microsoft applications, providing robust support for database hosting, Active Directory management, and remote access. Users benefit from its comprehensive features supporting intense workloads, virtual setups, and efficient domain management. However, it could improve its port security, vulnerability monitoring, and interface intuitiveness. Pricing models also require adjustments to be competitive, and better integration with Linux would enhance system compatibility. Regular updates can impact stability, and the command-line interface could be more efficient compared to Linux.

What are Windows Server's key features?

Active Directory: Facilitates user and resource management.
Hyper-V: Enables server virtualization for enhanced efficiency.
Azure Integration: Connects with cloud services for scalability.
Work Folder Synchronization: Supports seamless data access across devices.
Security: Offers robust measures for protecting enterprise data.

What benefits should users look for?

Ease of Use: Intuitive design simplifies administration.
Stability: Reliable performance across demanding environments.
Integration: Seamlessly connects with Microsoft services.
Scalability: Grows alongside business needs.

Windows Server is implemented across industries for virtual server hosting, enterprise application deployment, and managing complex IT infrastructures. Organizations use it for database hosting, Active Directory management, and leveraging Microsoft's ecosystem, supporting backend operations and enhancing communication security.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Rakuten, Rackspace, Tyco

Buyer's Guide

Windows Server vs. openSUSE Leap

December 2025

Free Report: Windows Server vs. openSUSE Leap

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