Rocky Linux vs Windows Server comparison

Rocky Linux and Microsoft are both solutions in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category. Rocky Linux is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.8, while Microsoft is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.3. Rocky Linux holds a 12.2% mindshare in OSB, compared to Microsoft’s 9.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Rocky Linux users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Rocky Linux

Read 18 Rocky Linux reviews

11,828 Views
11,828 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Windows Server

Read 195 Windows Server reviews

10,306 Views
10,306 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Rocky Linux

Windows Server

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 13, 2025

Windows Server and Rocky Linux are competitors in the enterprise server operating systems category. While Windows Server offers a more expansive feature set, Rocky Linux stands out for its cost-effective and highly stable environment.

Features: Windows Server excels with Work Folder Synchronization for offline access, Storage Tiering for optimized data retrieval, and seamless integration with Microsoft Azure. It provides excellent support for enterprise applications with Hyper-V and Active Directory. Rocky Linux, compatible with RHEL, ensures a smooth transition from CentOS and offers long-term stability, strong community support, and no licensing fees.

Room for Improvement: Windows Server could benefit from better performance defaults and simplified administration tools. Its complex patch management and high licensing costs are notable drawbacks. Rocky Linux needs improvements in Windows integration and better audio driver support for VMs, with clarity on its target audience and more rapid updates being suggested.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Windows Server supports diverse deployment options such as on-premises, cloud, and hybrid but has mixed feedback on customer service and cost implications. Rocky Linux offers straightforward deployments, particularly in cloud settings, and depends on reliable community support channels, offering a cost-effective support model for users.

Pricing and ROI: Windows Server's costly and complex licensing, though delivering strong ROI through application support and efficiency, remains a pain point for users. On the other hand, Rocky Linux's free open-source model without licensing fees provides a compelling ROI for budget-conscious enterprises migrating from more expensive solutions.

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

Buyer's Guide

Rocky Linux vs. Windows Server

December 2025

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Helped 881,082 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:

ROI

Sentiment score

4.3

Transitioning to Rocky Linux yields cost savings and efficient support, though ROI remains partially evaluated due to retained resources.

Sentiment score

5.5

Windows Server boosts efficiency and resource management, with users reporting significant cost reductions and improved virtualization and Azure services.

When it comes to return on investment, a lot of money is saved since we moved from a purchased license to the open source provided by Rocky Linux.

BasilJiji

System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

ROI has been good as we have significant open source community involvement.

reviewer2758263

Technical Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

I have seen a return on investment since there was definitely money saved at the time due to the lack of need for licensing since Rocky is available openly.

reviewer2772054

System Administrator at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

Windows Server offers excellent value for money, particularly when compared to alternatives.

Dan Campeanu

Security Engineer at ProVision

The tool supports many applications.

Neill-Walker

Agile Consultant at MSOLdigi

You get a standard platform that is very secure and stable.

Gustavo Schleider

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

For more quotes and insights, download the Windows Server report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

4.5

Rocky Linux is reliable with minimal customer support needed; community resources are effective, and official support responds promptly.

Sentiment score

6.2

Customer service is generally effective, but technical support quality varies, and experiences with Microsoft are mixed.

The support level is extraordinary, providing on-time assistance.

DILIP BHARADWAJ

Senior System Engineer at Al Jazeera Media Network

We have not yet needed to contact a vendor regarding Rocky Linux.

KRISTOF Laenen

Senior Network Engineer at KLC bvba

Even if we raise a support ticket, we receive a resolution or a reply from the team within two business days.

BasilJiji

System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

If you go through a partner who sells or supports Windows, the support could be around seven out of ten, because Windows relies on these partners for assistance.

WilyonTjahyadi

Head of Major Account Sales Operation 1 at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Microsoft's technical support for Windows Server has been lacking, with rare responses even with premium support.

Dan Campeanu

Security Engineer at ProVision

They resolved our problems within the defined SLA.

NirajSingh

Relationship Manager at Cognizant

For more quotes and insights, download the Windows Server report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

5.6

Rocky Linux is praised for scalability, ease of integration, and effective performance in scalable and high availability environments.

Sentiment score

7.6

Windows Server is flexible and scalable, efficiently adapting to varying organizational sizes despite some management complexity.

Even if the server is not responding and we want to attach the volume on another instance or a temporary instance, it is very easy and straightforward with no hiccups.

reviewer2758479

CloudOps Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees

It has handled growth or changing needs well.

reviewer2772054

System Administrator at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees

The scalability is quite good, though there are some issues with Rocky Linux.

Jetsada Malaisirirat

System Engineer at clusterkit

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

I've worked in companies with 20,000 to 100,000 users, and it scales beautifully without issues.

Gustavo Schleider

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

The solution is used extensively in our organization, and we have plans to increase the usage.

SHUBHAM BHINGARDE

Project Engineer at CDAC

We use it everywhere, and it serves approximately two thousand users in our company as a backend service.

Khalid Mgahed

System Engineer at Alnajat charity

For more quotes and insights, download the Windows Server report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.3

Rocky Linux is praised for stability, reliability, and ease of use on low-resource systems, receiving high user satisfaction ratings.

Sentiment score

7.5

Windows Server is highly stable and reliable, with improvements since 2012, often rated 8-10 out of 10 by users.

Rocky Linux is stable, scalable, and it is very much easier to use.

BasilJiji

System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

Rocky Linux is stable.

reviewer2764758

Software Engineer at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

We have experienced no blue screens or crashes and often achieved an uptime of 2,000 to 3,000 days without any issues whatsoever.

Dan Campeanu

Security Engineer at ProVision

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

GurpreetSingh4

Manager at Accenture company

I rate the stability a 9 out of 10.

Kepa-Ayerbe

Connectivity Platform Cyber Security Specialist at BASF Business Services GmbH

For more quotes and insights, download the Windows Server report

Room For Improvement

Rocky Linux needs improvements in software availability, documentation, integration issues, updates, Kubernetes support, and security solutions to satisfy user needs.

Windows Server users seek improved security, better integration, usability, optimization, pricing, automation, documentation, patching, and technical support.

It is based on customer requirements, as they might want to use Rocky Linux or Ubuntu, depending on their needs.

Jetsada Malaisirirat

System Engineer at clusterkit

Rocky Linux could be improved by having more integration with Kubernetes.

Massimiliano Adamo

Linux architect at European Commission

Currently, it takes more than one month to release a new package or kernel, so speeding that up would help reduce reported vulnerability remediations.

BasilJiji

System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

From a security perspective, sometimes, malware attacks and hackers take advantage of the tool's vulnerabilities.

Deepak Nagar

Manager, Strategic Alliances at Softcell Technologies Limited

Deploying antivirus and firewall software on the server is advisable, but having an external firewall adds an extra layer of security.

Abey Varghese

Project and Service Delivery Manager Cloud at MANAPPURAM COMPTECH AND CONSULTANTS LIMITED

Windows Server needs to improve its speed and stability.

Daniel Hermink

Oracle business analyst at Sensience

For more quotes and insights, download the Windows Server report

Setup Cost

Enterprise clients find Rocky Linux economical, with options as low as $10 yearly, enhancing affordability compared to VMware.

Enterprise buyers struggle with Windows Server licensing due to its complexity, varied pricing, and high costs compared to Linux.

We switched to Rocky Linux because of the license price, and in our business, we don't need to have a higher cost as that is not a good idea.

Walid Alioua

Network Infrastructure Manager at SAGEMCOM

There is no extra cost for a license if we are purchasing Rocky Linux from the AWS Marketplace.

reviewer2758479

CloudOps Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees

Rocky Linux is free, and I can download it and deploy it in whatever environment I have, whether it be H3C, VMware, or Hyper-V.

Bakang Khunou

Server & Cloud Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

It is quite expensive.

WilyonTjahyadi

Head of Major Account Sales Operation 1 at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Previously, a Windows Server with two processors cost around two 154 euros annually, but now it is estimated to be around 3,000 to 4,000 euros for the same configuration.

Dan Campeanu

Security Engineer at ProVision

On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the most expensive, I rate it ten out of ten.

Harry Murdani

Manager, IT Security at Averis Sdn Bhd

For more quotes and insights, download the Windows Server report

Valuable Features

Rocky Linux enhances reliability and efficiency with strong community support, stability, easy migration, scalability, and cost savings.

Windows Server excels in scalability, security, and integration, offering features like Active Directory and seamless Microsoft tool compatibility.

Rocky Linux has positively impacted my organization, specifically through cost savings, because we did not have to buy any licenses or extra licenses of other distros, such as Oracle or Red Hat.

Rafael Dina

IT / IAM Senior Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

For production deployment, Rocky Linux is a great choice because it offers full RHEL compatibility without licensing costs, along with strong community support.

reviewer2758479

CloudOps Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees

Since migrating to Rocky Linux, I've seen specific outcomes such as improved security because CentOS stopped the project, and security patches aren't being released.

Massimiliano Adamo

Linux architect at European Commission

For more quotes and insights, download the Rocky Linux report

The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that every Microsoft product is scalable, flexible, secure, and available on a certain budget.

Deepak Nagar

Manager, Strategic Alliances at Softcell Technologies Limited

The IP directory is the most valuable feature.

Kepa-Ayerbe

Connectivity Platform Cyber Security Specialist at BASF Business Services GmbH

I can manage the firewalls on the server easily, open or close ports to manage security traffic, and use encryption on the hard disk to keep data secure.

Mustafa Farhat

Systems technician. IT Office at LNU

For more quotes and insights, download the Windows Server report

Categories and Ranking

Rocky Linux

Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

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

6.8

Number of Reviews

195

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Rocky Linux is 12.2%, down from 13.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server is 9.3%, up from 8.9% 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 (%)
Rocky Linux	12.2%
Windows Server	9.3%
Other	78.5%

Operating Systems (OS) for Business

Featured Reviews

Massimiliano Adamo

Linux architect at European Commission

Has supported seamless migrations and enabled running complex data workloads securely

The best features Rocky Linux offers include clustering and all the packages from Red Hat.Rocky Linux has impacted my organization very positively because we migrated everything from CentOS and Windows servers to Rocky Linux. Everything is clear, with good packaging, and now it's version 9.6, which is very important for us due to security problems since we are in Europe. Rocky Linux is very good for security and other aspects. Since migrating to Rocky Linux, I've seen specific outcomes such as improved security because CentOS stopped the project, and security patches aren't being released. We need to maintain a system similar to Red Hat, which is very stable and has many features such as file system, topology, and containers.

Read full review

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

14%

University

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

11%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Large Enterprise	14

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	78
Midsize Enterprise	41
Large Enterprise	88

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Rocky Linux?

It's very simple to work with, easy to learn, and know where things are.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Rocky Linux?

I am not an expert on Rocky Linux, but I do not have anything to say regarding improvements; I think it is doing better. I chose a rating of eight out of ten because Rocky Linux must grow more; it ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Rocky Linux?

My main use case for Rocky Linux is for the Nutanix environment, where we have a data center and everything is hosted there, including all the services and systems. Rocky Linux is the main OS of th...

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

Fedora Linux vs Rocky Linux

Compared 23% of the time

Debian vs Rocky Linux

Compared 22% of the time

Ubuntu Linux vs Rocky Linux

Compared 11% of the time

Oracle Linux vs Rocky Linux

Compared 10% of the time

Oracle Solaris vs Rocky Linux

Compared 1% of the time

More Rocky Linux Competitors

Windows 11 vs Windows Server

Compared 62% of the time

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs Windows Server

Compared 10% of the time

Ubuntu Linux vs Windows Server

Compared 9% of the time

Windows 10 vs Windows Server

Compared 5% of the time

Debian vs Windows Server

Compared 1% of the time

More Windows Server Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Rocky Linux

January 2026

Download Rocky Linux product report

Buyer's Guide

Windows Server

January 2026

Download Windows Server product report

Overview

Rocky Linux provides enterprise-grade stability and seamless Red Hat compatibility, coupled with extensive community support. Known for easy setup and minimal maintenance, its open-source nature ensures cost-effectiveness, making it ideal for critical systems.

Rocky Linux is an open-source operating system valued for its compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, making it an attractive choice for organizations migrating from CentOS. It focuses on stability, security, and long-term support, crucial for critical systems. Users benefit from seamless integration with automation tools and its strong community backing. While it offers ease of setup and package availability, areas like software availability and faster updates need enhancement. The system's UX design supports productivity, with potential improvements in documentation and security integration helping to maintain competitive advantages.

What Are the Key Features?

Enterprise-Grade Stability: Designed for reliability in mission-critical environments.
Red Hat Compatibility: Ensures seamless integration with existing Red Hat setups.
Community Support: Backed by a strong, active community providing assistance.
Ease of Setup: User-friendly installation process for quick deployment.
Minimal Maintenance: Requires reduced effort for upkeep.
Security and Clustering: Advanced features for enhanced system security.

What Benefits Should Users Expect?

Cost-Effectiveness: Open-source status reduces overall costs.
Improved Productivity: UX design and package availability streamline workflows.
Scalability: Supports growing business needs with long-term support.
Seamless Integration: Compatible with automation and monitoring tools.
Migration Ease: Smooth transition for CentOS users.

Rocky Linux is widely implemented across numerous industries as a server platform and backend OS, supporting web hosting, big data projects, and cloud infrastructure. Companies in IT environments like Nutanix data centers and high-performance computing choose it for its compatibility with open-source tools, making it favored for automation with Ansible and monitoring through Prometheus.

Rocky Linux

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

Rocky Linux vs. Windows Server

December 2025

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