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CentOS vs Windows 10 comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 7, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

CentOS
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
69
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Windows 10
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.3
Number of Reviews
277
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of CentOS is 4.8%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows 10 is 2.7%, down from 4.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Mahender Nirwan - PeerSpot reviewer
In-depth documentation available and command-line utility works well
One issue I recently faced, but I think it was due to my IT support guys, was that when the server storage gets full, the service crashes. It's very difficult to regain access and stability in that situation. That could be improved. So, the stability might be improved. But I don't think it's a CentOS-level issue. The system administrators need to come up with a solution for that, but I don't think it's CentOS's fault. I haven't done any research [R&D] on this issue. There's one thing for sure. We recently migrated from CentOS 7 to CentOS 9, and it was a bit difficult. For example, updating Windows is simple; you just download it, and it takes about 15-20 minutes. But that's not the case with migrating from CentOS 7 to 9. We had to back up the entire server, launch a new server, and then restore the backup to the new server. We couldn't directly migrate. I think that was a bit of a problem. The setup and updates are not that new in CentOS.
Deboprio Dutta - PeerSpot reviewer
Improved security features with gaming enhancements while supporting various features
I understand that Windows 11 supports quite a bit of additional features for people who are, for example, into high-end gaming and the features that support that kind of utility. It's not personally much of a thing for me, however, I've heard about differences between the two operating system versions. To the best of my knowledge, I think Windows 11 brings some AI features for Microsoft Copilot, which probably weren't as integrated into the previous version. There are the occasional bugs and issues that pop up, yet none are significant enough for me to consider a major update. Overall, it's a smooth experience.

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 is performance."
"The most valuable feature of CentOS is the speed and it is very easy to use."
"Offers useful information and has good compatibility."
"It has minimal updates compared to other distributions."
"The scalability of CentOS is good. We can deploy the operating system in many hardware, laptops, and servers."
"The product is based on Red Hat and very stable."
"The community and knowledge base are very robust."
"A valuable features of CentOS is that it's quite stable and doesn't crash often. It's also quite intuitive."
"The most valuable feature is how friendly the interface is. I expect that we will soon go up to Windows 11 because it's already available."
"It's easy to use and the performance is good."
"The installation is very easy and takes approximately 30 minutes."
"The solution is scalable. If an organization needs to expand it out, they shouldn't run into issues doing so."
"It is compatible with most of the applications I use like Office."
"It is easy to use."
"I recommend Windows 10 for beginners."
"The initial setup was fairly straightforward. It took just about a day."
 

Cons

"The main issue is the End of Support. For that reason, we will switch to another operating system."
"The solution could be more scalable."
"CentOS should extend the support of the solution. The solution is set to have no update support in 2023."
"The solution might be discontinued but I hope that IBM will continue to develop it and improve on the functionally and features."
"The price of CentOS could improve."
"CentOS is very close to the end of life."
"As an open-source solution, there isn't much technical support."
"Updates are going to a streaming version."
"Windows 10 could improve its security and they have not added anything extra to the solution from the previous versions."
"I would like to see an easier licensing system."
"The stability could be improved."
"The solution could always be more secure, even though I am quite happy with its level of security at the moment."
"The pricing could always be lower."
"So it would be nice to have the option to switch between this design and the previous one. Working with Windows 7, I preferred to use commands or applications like in the old version."
"The solution could offer better integration capabilities."
"The product must reduce the number of updates."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is open-source and does not have any costs or licensing fees."
"It's freeware, so we can use it without worrying about licensing."
"It is open-source, which means it is a free product. It has a one-time deployment cost."
"This is an open source solution."
"This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs involved."
"I use the free version."
"We use the free, open-source solution because we cannot afford the price for Linux."
"CentOS is cheaper compared to Windows."
"There is a one-time license purchase for Windows 10."
"The price strategy is fine and there are no additional costs involved."
"There is a license required for this solution."
"Windows 10 came preinstalled on my laptop, I am not sure the price."
"When we purchase a new machine, it comes with it, and we don't pay separately for the license."
"I do not have to pay for the license, it was included in the initial cost."
"There is an annual license and the price of the solution is a little expensive and could be reduced."
"There is a license required for this solution."
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Comparison Review

it_user281973 - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 24, 2017
It's improved our company's system environments that run Oracle databases.
Red Hat is mission critical to our environment Red Hat has improved the mission critical environments running Oracle databases, while CentOS has improved our web environment and MySQL. Oracle and SAP Environment and all HPC environments. 10 years No issues Very stable i don´t find any problem…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
University
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which would you choose - RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) or CentOS?
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 fe...
What do you like most about CentOS?
CentOS is very easy to use, and all the commands are user-friendly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CentOS?
CentOS is a free product with free updates. There are third-party companies available for support, but they charge varying amounts for their services.
What needs improvement with Windows 10?
The only annoyance is the frequent updates that come almost every month or couple of months. A couple of updates could enhance the experience overall.
What is your primary use case for Windows 10?
I use Windows 10 ( /products/windows-10-reviews ) as my main operating system for daily business. It is part of a couple of different systems that I use, including Linux.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about CentOS vs. Windows 10 and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
857,688 professionals have used our research since 2012.