We performed a comparison between CentOS and Windows Server based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: In this comparison, CentOS has a slight edge over Windows Server because it is free whereas Windows Server is considered expensive. Users also favor the technical support they receive from CentOS.
"I like its stability, performance, and usability."
"It is better than Ubuntu Linux."
"The latest version of this solution has everything built in, making it comprehensive and very easy to use."
"It is a stable soultion."
"The pricing is good. We pay a minimal fee."
"It’s scalable."
"The solution is open source."
"The initial setup is very easy."
"The product is easy to use and adapt. It is known for GUI."
"The installation is not difficult. I found it to be very straightforward."
"Since Windows Server has a graphical user interface (GUI), it is easy to use and implement the services that we are using."
"From the very beginning, I have been using a Windows-based OS so for me, it's very easy because it's GUI compared to command line or something Linux-based."
"I like its simplicity."
"The stability and performance are great."
"Windows server is stable, having improved on previous versions."
"Windows Server is easy to use."
"It would be ideal if Red Hat would continue the CentOS versions in an open-source format. They seem to be moving away from that. Now only paid versions are available."
"As an open-source solution, there isn't much technical support."
"CentOS NetworkManager is an area of concern in the solution that needs improvement, and it is the same with other products from Red Hat."
"Continuous deployment is the only thing that can be improved."
"If CentOS could add Office features then that would be beneficial. Additionally, the UI could improve."
"We would like Red Hat to keep supporting the solution but they have decided to get rid of it and there isn't much we can do about it."
"The tool has no official support."
"This solution is no longer supported and will not receive any updates going forward."
"It would help if there was a possibility to postpone some updates. If some are not required, it could speed up the process of starting up the operating system. Sometimes big workloads related to services are running directly on the system itself and not the application. This is what I have noticed"
"It is not easy to use. It can be more user-friendly to make our routine work a bit easy. It could also be cheaper."
"When it comes to the performance of this solution others are slightly better such as Linux."
"The initial setup is simple for some but difficult for others."
"When it comes to virtualization, VMware is a bit more advanced in terms of security. Hyper-V does provide facilities, but it probably has to do a bit more work in terms of encryption. People will normally go for VMware because of the features that it has as a server, particularly the virtualization feature."
"There should be the ability to add other databases to be installed and configured instead of going to other virtual machines. They should be better integrated so they are all in one place."
"In the next release, I would like to see better pricing."
"It should have more stability and fewer automatic updates. A CLI approach, similar to Linux, is missing right now."
CentOS is ranked 5th in Operating Systems (OS) for Business with 63 reviews while Windows Server is ranked 4th in Operating Systems (OS) for Business with 180 reviews. CentOS is rated 8.2, while Windows Server is rated 8.0. 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 Windows Server writes "Easy to setup, stable and caters to my wide range of use cases but lacks user-friendly interface". CentOS is most compared with Oracle Linux, Ubuntu Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), SUSE Linux Enterprise and openSUSE Leap, whereas Windows Server is most compared with Ubuntu Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), Windows 10, Oracle Linux and Oracle Solaris. See our CentOS vs. Windows Server 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.
