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CentOS Linux vs. CloudLinux OS vs. Microsoft Windows

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    CentOS Linux

    Score8.9 out of 10
    N/ACentOS Linux is a Linux distribution is an enterprise OS platform compatible with its source RedHat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Its end of life was announced for December 2021.N/A

    CloudLinux OS

    Score9.2 out of 10
    N/ACloudLinux is an operating system (OS) that is commercially supported and interchangeable with the most popular RPM-based distribution on the market, from the company of the same name in Palo Alto. The vendor states its CloudLinux OS+ version was developed with shared hosting in mind, to give shared hosting providers what they need: advanced automation, deep-look performance analytics, and centralized monitoring tools. Intended for use by hosting firms, CloudLinux OS+ is designed to make life…

    $7

    per month per server

    Microsoft Windows

    Score8.2 out of 10
    N/AWindows is an operating system with editions to support business workstations.N/A
    Pricing
    CentOS LinuxCloudLinux OSMicrosoft Windows
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    CloudLinux OS Solo
    $7
    per month per server
    CloudLinux OS Shared
    $14
    per month per server
    CloudLinux OS Shared Pro
    $18
    per month per server
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    CentOS LinuxCloudLinux OSMicrosoft Windows
    Free Trial
    NoNoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Discounts available for multiple server.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    CentOS LinuxCloudLinux OSMicrosoft Windows
    Considered Multiple Products
    Open Source
    No answer on this topic
    CloudLinux
    No answer on this topic
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft Windows
    Because of its compatibility with third-party software requirements.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    73%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    90%
    Would buy again
    9 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    11 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    80%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    82%
    Happy with the feature set
    9 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    90%
    Happy with the feature set
    9 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    8 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    80%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    4 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    10 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    CentOS LinuxCloudLinux OSMicrosoft Windows
    Small Businesses
    Debian OS
    Score8.3 out of 10
    CentOS Linux
    Score8.9 out of 10
    CentOS Linux
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    IBM AIX
    Score9.4 out of 10
    IBM AIX
    Score9.4 out of 10
    IBM AIX
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    Score9.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    CentOS LinuxCloudLinux OSMicrosoft Windows
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (22 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.2
    (10 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.5
    (7 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.6
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    CentOS LinuxCloudLinux OSMicrosoft Windows
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Open Source
    In any role where you need raw server power, CentOS Linux is extremely well suited. It is extremely stable, and in my experience, probably the most stable of the Linux distros available. It has a very wide base of support from 3rd party sources for additional functionality that do not come already in the CentOS Linux distribution itself. It is not as appropriate for situations that are customer facing or end user facing. For those, I recommend Ubuntu Linux. But for everything server & compute related, I recommend CentOS Linux.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    CloudLinux
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    I think for every business in the world Microsoft Windows is a good use as standard OS system. It’s easy to use and a lot of other company's use it which make it very appealing for user to learn more about Microsoft Windows. The Office 365 suite is really good as a free feature and used a lot by every user of Microsoft Windows. If you got a designer business I would recommend other brands that are specialized in that kind of work. I feel Windows will come short on that end.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Open Source
    • First of all, CentOS is one of the most secure and stable OSes straits from the box.
    • High performance on the average hardware.
    • In most of my scenarios—easy and quick deployment.
    • Huge KB community that helps to build and support different services on CentOS.
    • Versions lifecycle.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    CloudLinux
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    • It is very easy to use, can be picked up by a novice in minutes.
    • It is aesthetically pleasing, and appears clean and modern.
    • Most programs that people use in their day to day run on windows natively.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Open Source
    • CentOS is not a great desktop platform. Although some would disagree with that statement, I think that CentOS is better suited to life as a server.
    • Since CentOS is community-supported some software vendors will not officially support it because it isn't Red Hat.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    CloudLinux
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    • Forced updates occasionally have bad timing when ignored for too long
    • Microsoft Edge Web Browser is a bit clunky
    • The 3D desktop still needs some improvement
    Read full review
    Usability
    Open Source
    It is a very typical server software, so you will have just the console. But it is still very easy to use, you can do anything from there and you have te built in manuals to review any information. For the other hand, if you need a graphical environment is not an issue, you can install any environment you what, Gnome, xfce, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    CloudLinux
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    It's easy to use, very straightforward, and user-friendly. It has improved over the years, but you still need to be careful not to shut it down improperly because that may lead to corruption and Windows being unable to boot. There is plenty of software available that covers most needs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Open Source
    Again, written documentation is excellent, even on the older versions. The support community is the best. It is comprehensive and I would say that it global because it transcends national boundaries. Also, you find all types of people using CentOS to do all sorts of things so you are bound to find someone to talk to if there are problems.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    CloudLinux
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    support remains spotty, researching online articles are a pain
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Open Source
    No answers on this topic
    CloudLinux
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    MDT helped deploy OS to users machines via PXE boot.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Open Source
    CentOS is based on RHEL, so it really came down to the costs when making the selection between our options. RHEL offered more support and features, but nothing that we specifically needed. CentOS is fully customizable, something Windows Server was also lacking in many ways. The stability and speed was unmatched in comparison to Windows, and we were not utilizing any Windows-specific software to require us to use the Microsoft alternative. My years of experience have also made it a breeze to set up and configure new CentOS instances, leading me to stay where I'm comfortable.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    CloudLinux
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Windows and macOS are both useful operating systems. There are businesses who much prefer macOS and some that prefer Windows. Businesses that revolve around industries such as game design, art design, graphic design may opt to use macOS due to its optimization with programs that revolve around these topics. Other businesses that are more focused towards Data or text processing may opt to use Windows due to its familiarity across the world and ease of access.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Open Source
    • CentOS's support of RPM packages makes it very easy to replicate RHEL servers for development or testing in cheap / free environments
    • CentOS's minimalistic desktop environment requires additional tweaking / packages if you want to have a usable desktop environment with the niceties of other modern distributions. As a result, if developers want to use CentOS, they'll need to spend more time customizing it than other distros.
    • CentOS's easy customization from the command line lends itself well to our virtualization infrastructure where setup can be easily scripted to modify CentOS's configuration files.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    CloudLinux
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    • Positively effects our easy of use of other programs
    • Take it for granted because it is so transparent in use
    • Definitely worth the price.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots