CentOS vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) comparison

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CentOS Logo
13,755 views|13,626 comparisons
98% willing to recommend
Red Hat Logo
56,997 views|17,616 comparisons
96% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Mar 31, 2022

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.

  • Ease of Deployment: CentOS users feel deployment of CentOS is very simple. There are a wizard and templates, which make deployment fast, straightforward, and super easy. RHEL users also indicate that setup and deployment is straightforward.
  • Features: CentOS users like that it is easy to use and very productive. The solution is very robust and stable. Users tell us the UI is very intuitive and also offers a command prompt option. CentOS users would like to see improved security, additional coding tools, and better integration.

    RHEL users relate that the solution is very robust and easy to manage: it just works. The RHEL GUI makes it very easy for users coming from other ecosystems to understand and implement. RHEL integrates well, is mature, stable, and performs very well. Users tell us documentation could be better, and that vulnerability assessment needs to be updated.

  • Pricing: CentOS is a community-driven free software solution. RHEL users tell us that although the pricing option can be quite expensive, it is on par with what other providers are offering. RHEL users feel the price is a good value for what they receive.
  • Service and Support: CentOS’s support is community-based. Users relate that the knowledge base is trustworthy and it is very easy to get issues resolved quickly. RHEL users tell us that although they pay for support and it can get costly, the service they receive is very good and they are satisfied.

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.

To learn more, read our detailed CentOS vs. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Report (Updated: March 2024).
770,141 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"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."

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"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."

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Cons
"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."

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"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."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "There are no licensing costs for CentOS."
  • "It is open-source, which means it is a free product. It has a one-time deployment cost."
  • "There is no license required for this solution."
  • "There is no price or licensing required — it's open-source."
  • "There are no licensing fees. CentOS is a free solution."
  • "There are no licensing fees for CentOS."
  • "We are using a subscription-based license option for CentOS."
  • "CentOS is a free solution."
  • More CentOS Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The pricing is a bit on the expensive side, mainly because of the support they provide. However, it is quite affordable if you are an organization. If, as a small company or individual, this is an expensive option, I would recommend CentOS, which is an exact replica of RHEL, minus the customer support."
  • "In terms of the solution’s single subscription and install repository for all types of systems, we can have as many RHEL installations as we want because we have a specific subscription that entitles us to have as many RHEL services as we want. We pay for a subscription and with that we get RHEL and Satellite as well."
  • "Red Hat Linux is inexpensive. Linux solutions are generally inexpensive."
  • "RHEL is expensive."
  • "Because it is a subscription, you can go elastic. This means you can buy a year, then you can skip a year. It is not like when you buy something. You don't buy it. You are paying for the support on something, and if you don't pay for the support on something, there is no shame because there are no upfront costs. It changes the equation. However, we have such growth right now on the Linux platform that we are reusing and scavenging these licenses. From a business standpoint, not having to buy, but just having to pay for maintenance, changes a lot of the calculations."
  • "We have a site license on a yearly basis. Generally, we're okay with its price, but everything could be cheaper."
  • "The licensing with Red Hat is on par with other organizations like Microsoft. We have a site license, which gives us a certain number of servers, perhaps 25,000, for the type of license that we have. That works really well for us."
  • "We are an educational institution and as such, what we pay is less than the average company."
  • More Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Comparison Review
    Anonymous User
    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: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… more »
    Top Answer:CentOS is very easy to use, and all the commands are user-friendly.
    Top Answer:It is open source. We can customize it as per our requirements.
    Top Answer:We use open source. We only have a subscription for support.
    Top Answer:Their support needs improvement. It should be faster for priority tickets. Some of the tools can be improved and made user-friendly. The OpenStack and OpenShift tools can be better.
    Ranking
    Views
    13,755
    Comparisons
    13,626
    Reviews
    31
    Average Words per Review
    362
    Rating
    8.5
    Views
    56,997
    Comparisons
    17,616
    Reviews
    137
    Average Words per Review
    762
    Rating
    8.7
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux, RHEL
    Learn More
    Overview

    CentOS is a versatile operating system with many use cases, including virtual spaces, scientific computing, data center servers, web-based applications, and more. Its valuable features include customization options, low memory consumption, performance, scalability, open-source nature, cost-saving, and compatibility with Red Hat packages. 

    The solution has helped organizations save money on licensing and improve testing capabilities for new implementations without spending additional resources. CentOS is a stable, reliable, and efficient operating system that is easy to use and integrate with other applications and services.

    Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a stable and reliable open-source operating system for running application servers, databases, web servers, and production systems. It is also used for cloud infrastructure services, BI, and disaster assistance. Its valuable features include support and subscription, ease of management and troubleshooting, integration with existing infrastructure, security updates and hardening tools, scalability, and flexibility. 

    Red Hat has helped organizations accelerate deployment, provide stability, control, and reliable updates, and enable the deployment of current applications and emerging workloads across different environments.

    Sample Customers
    Information Not Available
    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
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company21%
    Financial Services Firm18%
    Government12%
    Comms Service Provider12%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company16%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    Government8%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm28%
    Government13%
    Computer Software Company11%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company14%
    Manufacturing Company10%
    Government9%
    Financial Services Firm9%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business39%
    Midsize Enterprise28%
    Large Enterprise33%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business24%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise62%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business23%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise66%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise66%
    Buyer's Guide
    CentOS vs. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    770,141 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    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.

    See our list of best Operating Systems (OS) for Business vendors.

    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.