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Windows Server vs openSUSE Leap 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

openSUSE Leap
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
13th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Windows Server
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
185
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 openSUSE Leap is 6.3%, up from 5.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server is 9.0%, 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

NK
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.
NirajSingh - PeerSpot reviewer
User-friendly platform streamlining client connectivity
We are using Windows Server to connect our client software. We use it to access client systems and work on SQL databases Rather than purchasing and setting up infrastructure, we are using Windows Server, which obviously saves some costs. Windows Server is fulfilling our daily work-life purposes.…

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 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 most valuable feature by far has been the virtualization capabilities of the operating system."
"The solution's most valuable feature is the BTRFS file system, which allows you to take snapshots."
"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 most valuable feature of Windows Server is the ease of use and the applications that are available."
"Windows Server offers good operational benefits."
"It is very easy to use for the end-user."
"The performance is good."
"This solution is easy to use."
"Windows Server is most commonly used and practiced."
"It's very easy and user-friendly compared to any other operating system."
"The features that I have found most valuable are that it is quick with an easy installation and has good troubleshooting compared to Linux or any other operating system."
 

Cons

"Like most Linux-based operating systems, the biggest challenge Leap faces is the GUI."
"In the future, the Active Directory could improve."
"I would like openSUSE Leap to have better link integration with Windows."
"Somehow the change from OS12.x via 13.x to Leap was a bit bumpy and some old issues seemed to reappear."
"There is room for improvement in the console."
"It would be helpful if we could easily switch from openSUSE Leap for testing to SUSE Linux Enterprise for production."
"They can simplify the utilization and control of the system when you have a lot of setups. They provided something called Windows Center or Control Center in version 2019. It's a free tool that comes with the Windows Server. You can install it on your desktop and use it. This tool simplifies the control and monitoring of all servers. If I have 200 servers, I don't need to log in to each one to configure it. I can manage them from this tool. However, this tool needs quite a lot of improvements. It's difficult to use, and they need to improve it."
"When it comes to virtualization, VMware is a bit more advanced in terms of security. Hyper-V does provide facilities, but it probably has to do a bit more work in terms of encryption. People will normally go for VMware because of the features that it has as a server, particularly the virtualization feature."
"The upgrade process for this solution could be simplified and made more straightforward."
"There's a short availability that could be much better."
"It can have more integration, which will be useful for the data integration process. More integration with different applications and different OS would be quite good."
"The stability needs to be improved."
"The optimization of the scalability could improve."
"Sometimes we face some overload on the server."
 

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."
"openSUSE Leap is an open-source solution that is free of cost."
"The solution is open-source."
"Our current license is an enterprise license agreement which gives you a whole lot of possibility, especially when you go through an R&D process. For example, you can provision everything, spread the service use over six months, and then wrap it up. It gives you a lot of flexibility."
"It is an expensive solution."
"Our customers had a bundle package with Microsoft that included Windows Server."
"It's expensive, but we have a need for it and have to purchase it."
"We pay these on an annual basis."
"There is an annual license required for this solution."
"There is a license to use this solution and the price is reasonable."
"One of the problems with Microsoft is the price of licensing, and volume licensing for educational systems is a great option to bequeath licensing for small businesses."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
14%
Educational Organization
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Educational Organization
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about openSUSE Leap?
openSUSE Leap has helped me with using containers in Podman.
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...
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...
What needs improvement with Windows Server?
I think there is room for improvement in the stability of older versions. Additionally, Windows Server could be more power-efficient, especially for individuals doing labs or studies on personal co...
What is your primary use case for Windows Server?
Windows Server ( /products/windows-server-reviews ) is the operating system we run on our servers. We use it in the IT department, primarily as the OS for our servers.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Rakuten, Rackspace, Tyco
Find out what your peers are saying about Windows Server vs. openSUSE Leap and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.