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Oracle Solaris vs SUSE Linux Enterprise comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 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

Oracle Solaris
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
10th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
50
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SUSE Linux Enterprise
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
7th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Oracle Solaris is 2.0%, down from 3.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SUSE Linux Enterprise is 6.9%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Erick Kathurima - PeerSpot reviewer
Has enabled a user-friendly and lightweight installation with improved performance
I installed Oracle Solaris on a normal PC to test its functionality. It is comfortable to use and provides a good test environment, especially because it is not commonly known or recognized in the market Oracle Solaris has a graphical interface that is user-friendly, especially with its use of…
Naveen Venugopal - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient IT management with crucial automatic updates but needs developer-friendly configuration
Sometimes it is a bit of work for developers to change the configurations. Some kernels will not fit with some packages, and this aspect could be improved. Furthermore, the system's rigidity when updating packages and services needs improvement. Additionally, there should be more loosely bound functionalities to improve developer experience.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The backup capabilities are quite good."
"Oracle Solaris is great due to the fact that it actually is meant for high-end servers."
"It stands out for its exceptional stability."
"This product handles databases well; they run on top of the operating system."
"It is a scalable solution. I recommend it for bigger companies."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten since we haven't faced any issues."
"Solaris's best features are high availability, robustness, and database hosting."
"The ability to manipulate the zones and the files within the zones from a global OS provides us flexibility that no other virtualization can match."
"Out-of-the-box SLES supported all of our HBAs and hardware specific components."
"The most valuable features of the solution are patching and the BTRFS file system."
"SUSE Linux Enterprise is stable."
"The technical support services are good."
"The initial setup is very straightforward."
"The tool’s idempotency ensures all configurations are in place at all times."
"It's easy to set up."
"SUSE Linux had a clean user interface, which was a valuable feature for me."
 

Cons

"Red Hat Enterprise Linux is more secure and better documented. So Oracle could learn from them when it comes to security and documentation."
"One of the drawbacks is Oracle itself. Oracle has its good and bad they are not putting resources into the development."
"Setting up Oracle Solaris can be complex because it requires more commands than other systems."
"If it could support other file systems, it would be better."
"The solution is pricey and can be improved by lowering the cost."
"There is an issue where Solaris doesn't give the correct figures for memory use when checked."
"Solaris' package management could be improved, especially in comparison to Linux."
"Solaris is not easy to use. It needs better GUI, UI, and configuration tools."
"SUSE could make more APIs available."
"The free version sometimes has security holes."
"Sometimes it is a bit of work for developers to change the configurations."
"Red Hat has more packages that are available than SUSE does. I'd love to see more projects based on SUSE."
"The solution is expensive."
"I would appreciate the product's future releases being lighter and operating more efficiently on smaller systems."
"I would like to see GUI improved, it could be more user-friendly."
"Additionally, error handling needs improvement. The system should be more transparent when there's an error, rather than just declaring a generic error. It would be helpful if it could provide more specific information about the problem on that particular system. As it stands, you can waste a lot of time trying to troubleshoot these vague errors."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"As a private user or individual, I wouldn't recommend it to others, considering it is a costly product."
"It is more expensive, but very complete and worth enacting."
"There are no licensing fees but you can opt to pay for support."
"There should be an option to install the solution for free and just pay for the support. We purchased an annual license and the price could be better."
"The annual license cost is fair and reasonable."
"The solution is free to use."
"Its licensing is on a yearly basis."
"The solution is expensive and is based on an annual fee."
"The price is reasonable."
"The product is expensive. We purchase its yearly license."
"As far as licensing goes, there is nothing unusual here. The price and model have worked fine for my organization."
"SUSE Linux Enterprise is reasonably priced compared to other operating systems. I find it's a much better option for us than Oracle, for example, because of the pricing structure. The pricing is easier to explain to clients and makes it easier to get clients' commitment. The licensing is also simpler to manage and keep track of. Their responsiveness is great - they give feedback very quickly when we ask questions about licensing or other aspects. This helps ensure we're always at the gold standard regarding licensing and everything related to SUSE Linux Enterprise."
"Regarding pricing, everybody would want it to be cheaper."
"The license we pay is for Oracle. We make use of the community edition."
"Anyone can use Linux because it is open-source."
"There is no license for this solution, there is only a subscription of support available."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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 ...
What do you like most about Oracle Solaris?
We use the solution as an internal operating system.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Solaris?
I find the pricing of Oracle Solaris to be affordable compared to competitors like Windows.
What do you like most about SUSE Linux Enterprise?
The initial setup is simple and takes five minutes for deployment and if you have automation in place, it will take four minutes.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SUSE Linux Enterprise?
I used the open-source version, so there were no setup costs.
What needs improvement with SUSE Linux Enterprise?
The software management side was a bit difficult, especially compared to Ubuntu. The software manager was different, making it challenging to install certain applications. Additionally, I encounter...
 

Also Known As

Solaris 11, Solaris
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Siemens, IVV
Air India, Akademicki Szpital Kliniczny (ASK), Allone, Altran, Apollo, ARCHIVA, Asia Innovatory Management School, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH, AutoData Norge AS, Baldor Electric, Business Connexion, CASIO, Ciclum Farma, Delta Lloyd, Edumate , HPE,  SAP SE,  Lenovo, BMW, T-Systems, UCX, Turners & Growers, Shenzhen Development Bank, Bosch Group, JK Tyres & Industries, IOCL, European Space Agency, Daimler AG, China Minsheng Banking Corp, Café Coffee Day, Unisys,  Petrochina Company Ltd, Fitch Ratings, ABeam Consulting Co Ltd, Tyro Payments, Rackspace, Pacific Textiles, ...
Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle Solaris vs. SUSE Linux Enterprise and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.