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Microsoft Windows vs. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Microsoft Windows

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/AWindows is an operating system with editions to support business workstations.N/A

    Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

    Score9.3 out of 10
    N/ARed Hat Enterprise Linux is a Linux distribution mainly used in commercial data centers.N/A
    Pricing
    Microsoft WindowsRed Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Microsoft WindowsRed Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    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 WindowsRed Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft Windows
    Windows runs literally every piece of software I need to work. Installations are usually quick and uncomplicated, and configuration is usually quite simple, rarely requiring finding config files and editing them manually.

    I chose Windows only because I had no other choice, …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Windows
    Windows is fundamentally different from Linux, each shines in their own spots and has cons as well.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Windows
    Because of its compatibility with third-party software requirements.
    Incentivized
    Red Hat
    Chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    RHEL provides more support and has a bigger community, RHEL is a more mature product and has Fedora and Centos as upstream products to help make it more stable.
    Incentivized
    Chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    Windows 11 has more stability and great functionality compared to older windows versions, and the gap between windows and Linux has shortened. You can pick from different OS’s to build enterprise level software on nowadays. But Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is still among the …
    Incentivized
    Chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    I much prefer Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) over Windows. There is way more customization and flexibility, and being able to use Linux as the OS over Windows gives additional flexibility for various use cases. I prefer the intuitive use cases of Mac, but the lack of …
    Incentivized
    Chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    Easy to customize. Open source
    Incentivized
    Chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    supporting case, patching and updates solution
    Incentivized
    Chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    We also still have older Unix systems like Solaris. But Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is much easier to use.
    Incentivized
    Chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    RHEL is the most reliable and what our organization prefers
    Incentivized
    Chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    Dependable product and easy access to support.
    Incentivized
    Chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    Me are migrating to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) from AIX
    Incentivized
    Chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    RHEL is easier to use and more configurable.
    Incentivized
    Chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    They work well together and we use both of them.
    Incentivized
    Chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    We selected RHEL because it is a supported platform from our ISVs, because of the Enterprise-level support, and because of the long history of Open Source involved and community contributions.
    Incentivized
    Chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    RHEL provides the customization and open source that we need to keep our end users on the bleeding edge.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    90%
    Would buy again
    9 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    209 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    80%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    99%
    Delivers good value for the price
    184 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    90%
    Happy with the feature set
    9 Answers
    98%
    Happy with the feature set
    205 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    80%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    4 Answers
    98%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    138 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    98%
    Implementation went as expected
    179 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    Microsoft WindowsRed Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    Small Businesses
    CentOS Linux
    Score8.6 out of 10
    CentOS Linux
    Score8.6 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    IBM AIX
    Score9.3 out of 10
    IBM AIX
    Score9.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    Score9.3 out of 10
    Ubuntu
    Score8.6 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Microsoft WindowsRed Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.5
    (7 ratings)
    9.3
    (109 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    7.5
    (4 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.5
    (7 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft WindowsRed Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Red Hat
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is well suited for cloud environments, fast deployments and to run non-intensive apps/tools (with low memory and low cpu consumption).Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) might not be suited for really huge databases and intensive CPU processing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Red Hat
    • Virtualization, like the operating system level task. I see this product is very good and it blends very well with the middleware components like all the JBoss and other things. And other than that, either you install it or a virtual machine or physical servers, it works seamlessly anywhere. And if you want to go further, like Red Hat OpenShift or those things also work very nice with it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Red Hat
    • In the LEAP process. The upgrading process, which I'm hearing, like I said it before, prior that I was on rail seven, eight, and nine. Trying to get all of that to rail nine and stay current. The LEAP process from seven to eight is a little bit less than desired. I've talked to some people that from once you get on eight from eight to nine to nine to 10 is a breeze. So I'm looking forward to that.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Red Hat
    We find RHEL to be a superior OS with stable operations and long life. It is also easier to use and fix then most other OS's.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Red Hat
    The Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) distro is the simplest enterprise version of Red Hat that is enterprise supported and when you deploy as many VMs as we do, it is vital to have that enterprise support. On top of the enterprise support, having access to a commercially supported backbone for updates and upgrades is a huge plus.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Red Hat
    Product support and regular patches.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Red Hat
    As with any OS enhanced testing will need to be done prior to application integration.
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    Microsoft
    support remains spotty, researching online articles are a pain
    Incentivized
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    Red Hat
    Red Hat support has really come a long way in the last 10 years, The general support is great, and the specialized product support teams are extremely knowledgeable about their specific products. Response time is good and you never need to escalate.
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    Microsoft
    MDT helped deploy OS to users machines via PXE boot.
    Incentivized
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    Red Hat
    Don't be afraid of it, its easy to install and configure for the tasks needed.
    Incentivized
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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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Red Hat
    So we in our company have used Ubuntu as well. Sometimes we have to use that because a certain application installer requires that we use that operating system, but we really don't prefer it just because it doesn't come with the same Add-on features that make Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) really great, like Red Hat Insights or Red Hat satellite, things like that. They come package with it. So that would be the main one. I've also used things like FreeBSD, but I think that's just too old at this point to care.
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Red Hat
    Operational ease of use backed by support
    Incentivized
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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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Red Hat
    • RHEL provides a good base OS and additional tool sets for various deployments.
    • We are able to use Satellite to manage hundreds of OS's behind our corporate firewall. No other OS provides the level that RHEL does.
    • It is a known good quantity. Their support for the OS is amazing.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots