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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
7.6
Number of Reviews
51
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 August 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 8.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Peter Karlsson - PeerSpot reviewer
Advanced security and predictive features improve IT management capabilities
There can always be enhancements. The usability can be enhanced, and they need to enhance the web management. In Linux, you have the Cockpit that is fairly useful. The Oracle Solaris similar features are more cumbersome to use because they are designed for more advanced users, so the ease of use for novice system administrators might be something that should be improved. There are things with ZFS I would to see improved when it comes to device removal, the ability to shrink a Z-pool, and to be able to remove devices and restructure a Z-pool without having to rebuild it from scratch. There are other technical and feature functions that are a couple of layers deeper than what most people are looking for.
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

"Oracle Solaris is great due to the fact that it actually is meant for high-end servers."
"Oracle Solaris's operating system is good."
"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."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten since we haven't faced any issues."
"It works well. It is very stable and very good. It is also very safe. It cannot be easily infected by viruses or attacks."
"We like that the virtualization is built in, so you don't have to spend extra money on buying licenses for a hypervisor."
"Oracle Solaris was the preferred operating system for their customers to run their databases on and to get the best performance. It performs well with Oracle applications. Additionally, there are some features inside that are called zones which are Linux containers."
"The most valuable feature of Oracle Solaris is the incremental backup that happens in the system."
"SUSE Linux was stable for me. I did not experience any problems with its stability."
"It also was very easy to setup, and offered an easy to use advanced setup option as well. This helped to create special configurations for different use cases."
"I like how the tool handles kernel modules and upgrades - we rarely have issues after upgrades, unlike with other Linux distributions like Oracle Linux or Ubuntu. The kernel module management is excellent. Changes made in one version typically work the same in other versions too, which isn't always the case with other distributions. There's also lots of information and community support available if you run into any problems, both on the official website and in forums and user groups. I know many people who use it specifically, so it's easy to get independent support if needed. I've been working with the tool for a long time, since 2003, before they became SUSE Linux Enterprise. It's always been one of the most admin-friendly Linux versions."
"The main feature is that Linux is flexible to work with for most web-based applications."
"The solution is easy to use, secure and allows for simple manipulation."
"The tool’s idempotency ensures all configurations are in place at all times."
"It is a stable platform."
"The most valuable feature is that there is an inbuilt HANA firewall."
 

Cons

"Currently, there are two variants, there's SPARC and there's x86. I would have wanted a scenario where they're all just one product."
"There is an issue where Solaris doesn't give the correct figures for memory use when checked."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux is more secure and better documented. So Oracle could learn from them when it comes to security and documentation."
"The Solaris code is open, and the documentation is accessible to all, not only to registered users. Also, the documentation does not support some solutions, and there are no other options."
"The challenge arises from the differences in commands and configurations compared to more common systems like Linux."
"Patching without downtime would be nice."
"I believe before Oracle was using Oracle Linux, they were using Oracle Solaris for their customers who are using Oracle databases. This was because it was more optimized for the hardware built for it. It has good performance for the database only. However, if you take it out of the Oracle applications, it will not do well compared to other operating systems, such as Linux or even Windows can have better performance."
"Solaris' package management could be improved, especially in comparison to Linux."
"I have not seen an ROI with this solution."
"The free version sometimes has security holes."
"The interface could improve."
"When working in a Department of Defense environment, Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) have to be followed. SLES is not really addressed directly here. It did make following security policy difficult."
"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."
"The solution is expensive."
"We have had trouble integrating Autodesk with the SUSE manager."
"The price of SUSE Linux Enterprise could improve, it is too expensive."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are no licensing fees but you can opt to pay for support."
"This solution needs a license to use it."
"The annual license cost is fair and reasonable."
"The current setup with hardware devices involves a higher cost, but the performance is top-notch."
"The solution is expensive and is based on an annual fee."
"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."
"As a private user or individual, I wouldn't recommend it to others, considering it is a costly product."
"The price is not good and needs to improve."
"Regarding pricing, everybody would want it to be cheaper."
"The license we pay is for Oracle. We make use of the community edition."
"The price of SUSE Linux Enterprise could be cheaper. Other solutions, such as"
"The platform is affordable."
"The product's licensing options align well with the evolving landscape of Linux variants."
"The price is reasonable."
"As far as licensing goes, there is nothing unusual here. The price and model have worked fine for my organization."
"The product is expensive. We purchase its yearly license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
University
9%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
7%
 

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: July 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.