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 initial setup is very easy."
"Offers useful information and has good compatibility."
"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward and not complex, especially if you are familiar with CLI."
"Very robust and easy to work with."
"I like how you can alternate certain things and minimize admin features on there and just let it run on specific scripts. It's nice. Even if I had to put it in a container, I'd still do it. I prefer Linux over Windows any day."
"I like its stability, performance, and usability."
"The open architecture is useful for us. That's why we're using CentOS."
"The latest version of this solution has everything built in, making it comprehensive and very easy to use."
"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."
"It is open source. We can customize it as per our requirements."
"One of Red Hat Enterprise Linux’s valuable features is its enterprise-level security. We are guaranteed that it's secure, and that's important for us because we need to comply with security regulations. Security always remains a top priority."
"While using it, we encountered far fewer complexities, and the entire process is much smoother and streamlined."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a reliable operating system that can run for long periods of time without any issues."
"We use Red Hat Enterprise Linux with Git apps in our closed environment to develop and run scenarios."
"It's been great since we have it. It's been reliable and fast."
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux is certainly more secure than AIX, which is what we had. It's also better than Solaris. It has improved from that perspective. We can handle the vulnerabilities better. It's more secure."
"The solution could improve by making the management tools better for the DevOps teams. For example, WebEX and Webstacks."
"Integration with other platforms could be improved."
"GUI could be merged and expansion simplified."
"There is no notification before updates are applied to the solution, which occasionally means that new functionality isn't compatible with how the product is currently being used, and causes issues."
"The stability could always be improved."
"They could build more options into the wizard."
"As an open-source solution, there isn't much technical support."
"I would like the integration to be more secure."
"I'm not sure how the support is being changed in terms of needing to pay for it. That's an area that can be improved. They should offer support without charging users for it."
"Red Hat's standard deployment is with Satellite and Kickstart, but we're looking at other options to help speed it along. We do have a mix of bare metal and virtualized servers and it's easier to spin up in the virtualized world versus bare metal. That's why we're looking at some options outside of Red Hat, for the bare metal."
"The only issue we have had with it is around the SELinux configuration because the way Ansible installs, it sticks the platform passwords in a flat file. We want that locked down more strongly than what is there currently with SELinux."
"The initial setup is pretty straightforward but can be tedious at times because of the compliance things that we have to implement."
"The support can be lackluster sometimes, especially in our disconnected space where we have specific requirements."
"I agree that, when first downloading it, it makes sense that I have to provide my information. But when I want to update, it shouldn't be necessary. Sometimes, I'm just doing a proof of concept and once I'm finished, the server is gone... If Red Hat would remove that requirement, that would be great."
"The price is something that can be improved, as they are still being undercut."
"Although the price is reasonable, there is room for improvement in order to stand out from other open-source solutions."
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, openSUSE Leap and SUSE Linux Enterprise, whereas Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is most compared with Ubuntu Linux, Windows Server, SUSE Linux Enterprise, Windows 10 and Oracle Linux. See our CentOS vs. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) report.
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