Microsoft Windows vs. Ubuntu

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Windows
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Windows is an operating system with editions to support business workstations.N/A
Ubuntu
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Ubuntu Linux is a Linux-based operating system for personal computers, tablets and smartphones. There is also a Server version which is used on physical or virtual servers in the data center.N/A
Pricing
Microsoft WindowsUbuntu
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft WindowsUbuntu
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft WindowsUbuntu
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Windows
Chose Microsoft Windows
We selected Microsoft Windows because of the user friendly nature of it and a big factor is that other user never used macOS or Ubuntu so the productivity will decrease a lot because you have to explain a whole new OS. I always only recommend macOS or Ubuntu if you are a …
Chose Microsoft Windows
It's very different if we compare it with a Linux distribution. It's not free, and many apps you can get are paid (Office 365, for example). But also, you pay for a widely known product and a product that nearly every employee knows how to use. Linux is used more by sysadmins …
Chose Microsoft Windows
Because of its compatibility with third-party software requirements.
Ubuntu
Chose Ubuntu
Ubuntu Linux has the best packages useful to develop projects that require high data processing and agility
Best Alternatives
Microsoft WindowsUbuntu
Small Businesses
Ubuntu
Ubuntu
Score 8.7 out of 10
Android
Android
Score 8.6 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.3 out of 10
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.3 out of 10
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft WindowsUbuntu
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(10 ratings)
9.2
(47 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
6.0
(2 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(7 ratings)
9.5
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(1 ratings)
8.6
(6 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft WindowsUbuntu
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
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Canonical Ltd
If somebody whishes to be an IT professional, learning the basics of Linux is amust. Ubuntu [Linux] is one of the most beginner-friendly, widely supported, easy-to-use-relative-to-the-fact-that-its-still-linux OS on the market. As somebody who learned the basics of UNIX/LINUX on Ubuntu, it was a very good experience. It is customizable, has a lot of improvements over the years, and live up to be a viable alternative to any modern OS in 2021 as well.
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Pros
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.
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Canonical Ltd
  • PACKAGE MANAGEMENT. You can update everything - OS installed software, you name it with either a few clicks in a GUI or a single command.
  • No bloatware.
  • No need for antivirus software.
  • Certainly the price is right.
  • My 83 year old grandmother has been using it - and because of this I rarely need to provide tech support. But I still visit my grandmother.
  • You can choose from a variety of user interfaces or rock it in the terminal.
  • Generally speaking, Ubuntu is as polished an OS as any you might pay for.
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Cons
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
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Canonical Ltd
  • The repository system could be a little better, as some of the software needed is not easily available there.
  • Ubuntu sometimes does not play nicely or easily with some modern firmwares.
  • Some people report slow responses with newer versions of Ubuntu, although we have not experienced any.
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Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Canonical Ltd
While it works, we're finding that SNAP is getting more and more annoying, so we're probably going to migrate to Debian.
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Usability
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.
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Canonical Ltd
I gave it 10 out of 10 because it allows me to do the work I need on a server, such as running a website and database, and making developments. In addition, thanks to its easy and useful interface during installation, it can be easily installed. In addition, thanks to its easily accessible documents, when a problem occurs, it can be solved easily and quickly.
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Support Rating
Microsoft
support remains spotty, researching online articles are a pain
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Canonical Ltd
We did not use the managed commercial support, but instead relied on community forums and official documentation. Ubuntu is very well documented across both instructional documentation from the developers themselves as well as informal support forums [ServerFault, YCombinator, Reddit]. It's easy enough to find an answer to any question you may have
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Implementation Rating
Microsoft
MDT helped deploy OS to users machines via PXE boot.
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Canonical Ltd
It was all pretty much automatic for our use cases. It integrates nicely with Laravel Forge, which is our primary use case.
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Alternatives Considered
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.
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Canonical Ltd
Windows 10: Expensive, with more security problems, more difficult to keep updated and less variety of free / open source applications. Its use encourages bad information security practices. OpenSuse Linux: A different distribution at source (Suse Linux), use of rpm packages (with fewer repositories and incompatible with Ubuntu Linux dpkg packages), and whose main objective is to be a "testing ground" for its paid version / professional, SUSE enterprise Linux.
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Return on Investment
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.
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Canonical Ltd
  • Systems administration with Ubuntu is easy with little deep knowledge about it. Docs and community publications are great resources for any task you need to perform on any Ubuntu server and the organization can save several salaries of specialized sys admins in favor of more active roles.
  • Having been an Ubuntu user for many years personally, setting up new Ubuntu servers on my organization came with zero cost for me. I just deployed one instance from my hosting/cloud provider and started working right after it was running, no need to ask support or hire new staff for these tasks.
  • Replacing paid options with Ubuntu have also saved thousands of dollars on Windows Server licenses. I've migrated Windows/SQL Server based systems to Ubuntu/MySQL/PostgreSQL several times during my career and saved about USD 5000/year in licenses to many of them.
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ScreenShots