Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs Windows Server comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Mar 14, 2022

We performed a comparison between Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Windows Server based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: Users of Red Hat Enterprise Linux feel that deploying it is relatively easy and straightforward. Reviewers write that Red Hat Enterprise Linux has features that speed up the ability of users to deploy it. Windows Server is viewed similarly.
  • Features: Red Hat Enterprise Linux users find it to be stable and point out that it has many valuable features, including its robust integration capabilities and its powerful security software. However, reviewers say that it could be much more user-friendly.

    Users of Windows Server 2016 feel that it is a very user-friendly solution. Furthermore, they note that its active              directory feature is highly valuable. They also note that it is highly scalable. However, many users feel that its                security capabilities could be greatly improved. They also feel that the graphical interface could be better.

  • Pricing: Users of both solutions note that they are expensive to use. However, users also note that a free version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux does exist.
  • Service and Support: Users of both solutions note that, for the most part, they are supported by excellent technological support teams.

Comparison of Results: Based on the parameters we compared, Red Hat Enterprise Linux seems to be a slightly superior solution. All other things being more or less equal, our reviewers found Windows Server 2016 rather expensive to purchase and not as secure as it should be.

To learn more, read our detailed Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs. Windows Server Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 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
"Copious documentation is probably the best feature of the solution.""For us, its security, management, stability, and hardening are most valuable.""It eases the burden by restricting the use of open-source Linux and preventing the development community from obtaining their own images. This is crucial for maintaining a secure supply chain and ensuring the lockdown of live Linux packages.""The most valuable features are ease of support and the ability to run a read-only course on the operating system.""The biggest benefit is from a security standpoint. As the product progresses and they come up with new versions, the new security features are addressing vulnerabilities. From that perspective, it has worked well.""Red Hat Enterprise Linux is easy to manage, update, and integrate. I also like Red Hat Enterprise Linux's built-in security features. You need to enable them by default or keep them enabled if you want your system to be secured. It protects most of the system components.""The solution's use of Kubernetes as an internal or core process on the system is brilliant.""LVM is a valuable feature."

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"The most valuable feature is this solution integrates very well with all Microsoft and all other mainstream software solutions and the design is very good. Windows has an option now allowing you to just install the Windows Core with the PowerShell without any graphical services running.""The product is reliable. It is powerful and we can make a lot of tools to work with it.""The most valuable feature of this solution is the ESRP that is used with the Windows Platform.""I like that it's a stable product. For me, it's working fine.""I like the views in the user interface.""The product integrates well with Sophos.""We use this solution for hosting applications on the server.""It is easy to use."

More Windows Server Pros →

Cons
"AIX will be out of support in the next few years, so that is a problem because a lot of the clinical apps use AIX.""Right now, we need to get memory and CPU via the console.""There should be more upgrades to the security features.""The labor required to maintain the on-premises storage systems has room for improvement.""I use Linux on Satellite with Ansible infrastructure. It would be great if there were a universal interface to control RHEL's policy from Satellite. It could be a dashboard showing which policies were enabled on what system and allow you to apply them from the dashboard.""The Cockpit interface needs improvement with more features. The information for implementing Red Hat Cluster could be also improved. And there could also be better performance monitoring.""As such, there are no specific features that we are looking for. We have frequent meetings with them. We have had some issues on the application side and the OS side for which we opened cases and discussed those concerns and questions in the meetings offered by Red Hat.""Red Hat Enterprise Linux's patching process needs improvement, particularly in achieving consistency. Currently, when you patch, you might not have control over the timing, leading to different software packages ending up at different patch levels. This lack of consistency can make it challenging to manage and control the various components effectively."

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"Sometimes the PowerShell has an overly complicated syntax.""The scalability could be improved a bit.""An improvement would be to have more dashboards.""They can simplify the utilization and control of the system when you have a lot of setups. They provided something called Windows Center or Control Center in version 2019. It's a free tool that comes with the Windows Server. You can install it on your desktop and use it. This tool simplifies the control and monitoring of all servers. If I have 200 servers, I don't need to log in to each one to configure it. I can manage them from this tool. However, this tool needs quite a lot of improvements. It's difficult to use, and they need to improve it.""The performance could be a bit better.""The integration and monitoring could be improved.""Resolving problems in the Windows environment should be improved.""The command-line interface should be improved."

More Windows Server Cons →

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 →

  • "Microsoft is relatively inexpensive compared to other database platforms."
  • "This is not an expensive product."
  • "It is an expensive product."
  • "In our case, we primarily use Microsoft, so the cost is a lot less. But some of our customers have spent approximately $12,000 a year on the operating system license."
  • "The license model needs improvement."
  • "Our current license is an enterprise license agreement which gives you a whole lot of possibility, especially when you go through an R&D process. For example, you can provision everything, spread the service use over six months, and then wrap it up. It gives you a lot of flexibility."
  • "The Windows Server standard edition is affordable."
  • "We pay yearly for a license. If you ask any vendor they will tell you that it could be cheaper."
  • More Windows Server Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Comparison Review
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    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:My company has acquired five to ten licenses from Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).
    Top Answer:The tool is easy to access and manage. You don't have to take any backups.
    Top Answer:Windows Server needs to improve its speed and stability.
    Top Answer:I use the solution to manage file servers.
    Ranking
    Views
    59,469
    Comparisons
    18,108
    Reviews
    145
    Average Words per Review
    793
    Rating
    8.8
    Views
    20,000
    Comparisons
    15,247
    Reviews
    27
    Average Words per Review
    285
    Rating
    8.0
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux, RHEL
    Learn More
    Overview

    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.

    Windows Server is a versatile solution for various tasks, including domain control, virtualization, hosting applications, databases, managing user accounts in Active Directory, file sharing, and remote server access. It is also used for endpoint security, running ERP systems, and supporting business applications such as SAP and Microsoft Dynamics. 

    The solution is user-friendly and easy to configure and install, with technical support available. Windows Server is widely used and trusted. It has helped organizations by offering a domain controller and domain service, allowing them to sell products with Microsoft and keep processes running 24/7 without downtime.

    Reviews from Real Users

    There are a number of characteristics that make Windows Server an extremely effective solution. Two major ones are its inherent flexibility and its user-friendly nature.

    PeerSpot user Antonio D., a sales manager at INFOSEC, takes note of Windows Server 2016’s flexibility when he writes, “The product is a good operating system. The features fit our needs very well. For example, with Windows Server, you can use a machine for printing, accessing the internet, or using some applications. You can do it all with one server. You don't need several servers. One is enough.”

    Himanshu T., a system administrator and DevOps engineer at a tech-services company, takes note of the various way in which Windows Server 2016 is easy to use when he writes, “This solution is very user friendly, easy to use for any system administrator, simple to deploy applications, has a wide range of applications available, great UI, and takes less technical skills to operate than some other competitors. Additionally, the active directory has great functionality; if we want to integrate any assets, then we can easily do it.”

    Sample Customers
    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
    Rakuten, Rackspace, Tyco
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm27%
    Government14%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company14%
    Manufacturing Company10%
    Government9%
    Financial Services Firm9%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm15%
    Computer Software Company13%
    Comms Service Provider12%
    Manufacturing Company10%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company12%
    Government11%
    Educational Organization10%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business22%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise66%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise67%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business39%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise42%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business24%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise57%
    Buyer's Guide
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs. Windows Server
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs. Windows Server and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is ranked 1st in Operating Systems (OS) for Business with 167 reviews while Windows Server is ranked 5th in Operating Systems (OS) for Business with 179 reviews. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is rated 8.8, while Windows Server is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) writes "Highly stable, good knowledge base, and reasonable price". 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". Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is most compared with Ubuntu Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise, CentOS, Windows 10 and Rocky Linux, whereas Windows Server is most compared with Ubuntu Linux, Windows 10, Oracle Linux, CentOS and Windows 11. See our Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs. Windows Server 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.