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Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs Ubuntu Linux comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.2
Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers cost-effective, reliable, secure solutions that enhance productivity, efficiency, and innovation while reducing ownership costs.
Sentiment score
7.0
Ubuntu Linux offers significant cost savings and high returns by eliminating licensing fees and supporting older equipment effectively.
A long lifecycle is key to having a good return on investment.
Architect at KnowIT
Being able to transform common manual tasks that previously took all day into processes that take an hour, half an hour, or even less, demonstrates clear value.
Systems administrator at a retailer with 501-1,000 employees
Red Hat Enterprise Linux has saved us time and increased productivity.
Cloud engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.1
RHEL support is praised for expertise and speed, but improvements are needed in responsiveness and efficiency due to regional variation.
Sentiment score
6.5
Most Ubuntu users prefer community and online resources over official support due to comprehensive documentation and effective forums.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) support is great, as they go beyond their duty to help resolve issues and provide solutions even for third-party software such as XRDP.
Senior Infrastructure Systems Administrator at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
When we do contact customer service, they are generally very knowledgeable and well-versed in our size.
Solutions Architect at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Usually, I send the information, and they have something for me within hours, sometimes even minutes.
Team manager at Evertec
They responded well, understood that the issue was not on my end, and provided a patch within two days.
Manging Director at Winworth UK
The community around Ubuntu Linux is beneficial, providing answers to questions and assisting with issues.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
Ubuntu Linux has a comprehensive knowledge base for self-help.
Techincal Support Engineer at Ibits Tech Solutions
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
RHEL offers robust scalability, efficiently handling workloads with virtualization, supported by tools like OpenShift and Ansible for ease.
Sentiment score
7.2
Ubuntu Linux is highly scalable, adaptable for diverse environments, and efficiently handles increased workloads across various scales and applications.
Many of our applications scale really well, with some having several hundreds of VMs, which we couldn't accomplish on Windows.
Solutions Architect at a transportation company with 10,001+ employees
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) scales very well with the growing needs of our company.
Director, DevOps at Lightedge Solutions
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) handles increases in users, applications, or data smoothly, which is why we use it for all our projects, as it provides us with confidence.
Cloud Administrator at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
In a server environment, it can seamlessly adapt to increased customer demand.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
Any Linux is scalable in terms of capacity, and on a day-to-day basis, we use scalability options with the help of Kubernetes clusters.
Associate Cloud Operations Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
So far, I do not have any issues related to security in Ubuntu Linux.
System Administrator at mmcytech
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is praised for its stability, reliability, long-term support, and effective patch management, minimizing downtime.
Sentiment score
7.8
Ubuntu Linux is renowned for its stability and reliability, especially in long-term releases, with high uptime and effective performance.
It works consistently with minimal downtime and very few bugs or glitches.
Senior DevOps Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
It just works, and that's really the key factor; I can't remember the last time we had a system go down and had to restore it due to a bad patch.
Senior software engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
We've not had a service outage with Red Hat in six years.
Team Lead, Linux Systems & Tools at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
The system has been completely stable, which makes it deserve a perfect score.
BA at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Ubuntu Linux is extremely stable and maintains uptime effectively.
Manging Director at Winworth UK
Ubuntu Linux is generally stable, though there can be occasional issues with new hardware integration.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
 

Room For Improvement

Red Hat Enterprise Linux needs better CLI, security, third-party integration, training, cloud support, and modern features in AI and automation.
Ubuntu Linux needs better compatibility, intuitive interface, enhanced hardware support, and improved integration with Windows and Mac software.
Addressing these limitations would significantly enhance the operating system's flexibility and efficiency.
Senior DevOps Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
The built-in security features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux were insufficient for our needs, necessitating the implementation of supplementary security measures.
IT Infrastructure Engineer at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
By providing pre-installed, native automation tools within the operating system, Red Hat would streamline processes and improve user efficiency.
Systems Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
There is a push towards integrating AI into software for various purposes like video and sound processing.
Manging Director at Winworth UK
Stability issues occur when integrating new components due to physical or technical challenges.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
Unlike CentOS, Ubuntu Linux lacks an easily accessible inbuilt repository where dependencies or packages are easily found.
Techincal Support Engineer at Ibits Tech Solutions
 

Setup Cost

Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers stability and support, with flexible pricing, praised despite higher costs compared to free alternatives.
Ubuntu Linux is cost-effective and efficient for enterprises, with optional paid support for advanced services.
It may be considered expensive compared to other solutions like CentOS or Ubuntu, which offer some of the same features without additional costs.
Cloud Infrastructure Architect at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Its pricing has room for improvement because it's more expensive in the local market due to purchasing power parity in India.
Cloud engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Windows Servers base their cost on the number of users and have high licensing fees, while Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers free versions alongside its paid, supported versions.
Senior DevOps Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
For an enterprise-wide scalable operating system with professional services, you can select Ubuntu Linux at a reasonable price.
Owner at a computer software company with 1-10 employees
The setup cost is free.
Head of mission at CapHornier
Ubuntu Linux is open-source, leading to cost savings through its free availability.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
 

Valuable Features

RHEL excels with robust security, automation, integration, package management, and enterprise-grade support, enhancing operational efficiency and stability.
Ubuntu Linux is open-source, user-friendly, stable, secure, customizable, and popular for cloud environments with strong community support.
It also has strong security features, is OIS and FIPS certified, and has built-in Linux security configurations.
Cloud Infrastructure Architect at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
There is also no downtime.
Linux/DevOps Engineer at Ekwantu Consulting
The operating system allows for the simple addition of kernels, modules, and other applications, making it highly adaptable to various needs.
Technical Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Ubuntu Linux's open-source nature supports community contributions, bolstering its development and support ecosystem.
Bachelor of Engineering at Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK University of Applied Sciences
Ubuntu Linux supports remote troubleshooting via SSH, allowing connection from anywhere, which is beneficial for troubleshooting server issues.
Techincal Support Engineer at Ibits Tech Solutions
In terms of security, I am satisfied with Ubuntu Linux and I can rely on its security features more than I can with Windows.
Solution Architect at TB
 

Categories and Ranking

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (R...
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
1st
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
393
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ubuntu Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
151
Ranking in other categories
OpenStack (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is 7.1%, down from 9.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubuntu Linux is 8.0%, down from 13.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)7.1%
Ubuntu Linux8.0%
Other84.9%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

RO
Server administrator at Northrop Grumman
Empowers collaboration through streamlined integration and extensive documentation
Improving Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) can be tough, however, a significant area is collaboration tools. We have many Windows users that use Outlook and Skype or Teams to collaborate on our network. They want Linux desktops due to the fact that they want to use containers. Their biggest complaint is, 'I need two workstations to do my container work and one to collaborate.' If somehow RHEL can start introducing or collaborating with Teams and Outlook so their users can work with their Windows peers, that would be great. But I don't think that's available yet. Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing, there needs to be more of an education piece to it. For instance, when purchasing 10 or 100 node licenses, they could suggest, 'We also offer this 1,000 node license instead, and it'll save you specific amounts.' Just more education on their offerings would be helpful, because usually, we're coming out with the requirements, and then they just provide it to us. They could inform us about saving by bundling it differently or using alternative approaches.
Salim Ahmed - PeerSpot reviewer
System Administrator at mmcytech
Has supported secure application hosting and reliable server management
I find the GUI to be good in Ubuntu Linux, and I appreciate the open SSH. The fact that it is free since it is open and open-source is why I appreciate it and feel it is secured. We have multiple different kinds of support related to Ubuntu Linux, including official support and other options. I am currently using laptops, desktops, and servers, and Ubuntu Linux supports all these devices. If I need it for Raspberry Pi or something similar, I can download another Linux distribution. Ubuntu Linux is scalable, especially for servers. We prefer using Ubuntu Linux Servers rather than Windows. The biggest advantage of Ubuntu Linux for me is that it is open-source, secured, and scalable.
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893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user281973 - PeerSpot reviewer
Storage and VMware Expert at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Aug 24, 2017
It's improved our company's system environments that run Oracle databases.
Red Hat is mission critical to our environment Red Hat has improved the mission critical environments running Oracle databases, while CentOS has improved our web environment and MySQL. Oracle and SAP Environment and all HPC environments. 10 years No issues Very stable i don´t find any problem…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
7%
Comms Service Provider
11%
University
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business90
Midsize Enterprise49
Large Enterprise269
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business85
Midsize Enterprise22
Large Enterprise52
 

Questions from the Community

Which would you choose - RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) or CentOS?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is fantastic. It is an inexpensive solution that has excellent security, performance, and stability, and also lots of features. I specifically like that the solution has fe...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
I am happy with the pricing that Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) offers. I come from a technical background, so I do not have much insight into the business side, but Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL...
What needs improvement with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
I believe improvements in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) are required. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) should explore integrating AI, as many systems are currently incorporating AI. I believe that...
Which would you choose - Ubuntu Linux or Oracle Linux?
Ubunto Linux is a complete Linux operating system that is freely available with both community and professional support. This solution is suitable for both desktop and server use. It has a very app...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ubuntu Linux?
My experience with the pricing for Ubuntu Linux is that I always use the free version, so I never paid for any installations or support.
What needs improvement with Ubuntu Linux?
The user experience on Ubuntu Linux is very good, so I believe there is no need for improvement.
 

Also Known As

Red Hat Enterprise Linux, RHEL, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) for AWS
Ubuntu
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Travel Channel, Mohawk Industries, Hilti, Molecular Health, Exolgan, Hotelplan Group, Emory University, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, HCA Healthcare, Paychex, UPS, Intermountain Healthcare, Brinker International, TransUnion, Union Bank, CA Technologies
Samsung, eBay, AT&T, Walmart, Cisco, Time Warner Cable, Bloomberg, Best Buy, Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Ericsson, Orange, Wells Fargo
Find out what your peers are saying about Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs. Ubuntu Linux and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.