We performed a comparison between CentOS and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) finishes ahead of CentOS in this comparison. Users feel that RHEL offers better stability, control, and consistent value-added updates. Additionally, the improved integration with RHEL provides for a better TCO, allowing resources to be distributed elsewhere in the organization, further enhancing productivity and profitability.
"The most valuable feature of CentOS is that it is easy to use."
"The product offers a free community-based version."
"It helps us install and deploy our applications."
"The latest version of this solution has everything built in, making it comprehensive and very easy to use."
"It is better than Ubuntu Linux."
"It is a stable soultion."
"The most valuable feature is the limited resources the solution uses in operation."
"CentOS is very easy to use, and all the commands are user-friendly."
"The support and the stability are Red Hat Enterprise Linux's most valuable areas."
"The solution is very stable, reliable, easy to use, and has good technical support."
"The product is easy to use."
"By implementing Red Hat Enterprise Linux, we wanted to solve some of the reboot problems of Windows. Every patch on Windows affected our applications because the system had to be rebooted. Red Hat Enterprise Linux has improved the uptime of the applications."
"It is a good operating system. It is very stable. It does not take a lot of maintenance. You set it up well and it runs."
"The solution has features that simplify adoption for non-Linux users. There is an interface that you can activate on RHEL systems, and on other Linux systems as well, so that you will get a graphical user interface instead of just a shell. It's easier for an administrator who is used to only working on Windows."
"I like its user-friendliness for the admins administering the servers and the ease of doing fix packs on the servers and upgrades with the Red Hat software. It saves time and cost because we don't need to have expensive hires to do the work. We can do it ourselves a lot of times. It's a pretty straightforward, easy-to-learn, and user-friendly operating system."
"We also use Ansible. Ansible is a wonderful tool for automation. We use it to automate our patching. We use Ansible to get playbooks to take care of anything that's manual."
"I would like the integration to be more secure."
"GUI could be merged and expansion simplified."
"The main issue is the End of Support. For that reason, we will switch to another operating system."
"Previous versions were unstable."
"The solution could be more scalable."
"CentOS could be improved by being more secure. Of course, we use a firewall, but security is always a concern."
"The support could be a bit better."
"We occasionally have issues with software installation."
"The price is something that can be improved, as they are still being undercut."
"The solution's ecosystem is good but it would be better to create cohesive components in all of the development tools."
"The product lags a bit behind in the market."
"Sometimes the solution deletes our archives or other features that were useful to us."
"Red Hat should provide a way to mirror repositories or at least provide a solution for us to bubble up packages throughout the entire process."
"Support for older versions of the operating system could be improved. If people can't afford to upgrade, or if they have servers that are outdated, they need to be able to provide back-field support for those."
"The solution lacks proper documentation."
"Network virtualization resources could be better. When you have any kind of trouble with network virtualization, such as with OVS, which is like a switch in a virtual environment, it takes many hours to find what is happening. Other vendors, such as VMware, and even other Linux implementations for network virtualization have better resources. It is much easier to escalate, and there is better documentation."
More Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Pricing and Cost Advice →
CentOS is ranked 5th in Operating Systems (OS) for Business with 63 reviews while Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is ranked 1st in Operating Systems (OS) for Business with 167 reviews. CentOS is rated 8.2, while Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is rated 8.8. The top reviewer of CentOS writes "Allows you to securely store data, and command prompts make it simple to use". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) writes "Highly stable, good knowledge base, and reasonable price". CentOS is most compared with Oracle Linux, Ubuntu Linux, Windows Server, SUSE Linux Enterprise and openSUSE Leap, whereas Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is most compared with Windows Server, Ubuntu Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise, Windows 10 and Oracle Linux. See our CentOS vs. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report.
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We monitor all Operating Systems (OS) for Business reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.