--- title: CentOS Reviews meta\_title: 'CentOS Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta\_description: Filter 425 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how CentOS works for a business like yours. aggregate\_rating: rating\_value: 4.4 review\_count: 425 scale: '5' date\_modified: '2026-08-09' parent\_category: name: IT Infrastructure url: https://www.g2.com/categories/it-infrastructure --- # CentOS Reviews & Product Details CentOS is a community-driven, free software project that provides a robust and reliable Linux distribution, serving as a foundational platform for open-source communities, cloud providers, hosting services, and scientific data processing. Derived from Fedora Linux, CentOS Stream offers a continuously delivered distribution that tracks just ahead of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), with major releases every three years and each maintained for five years. This structure allows CentOS Stream to function as a production operating system, a development environment, or a preview of upcoming RHEL releases. Key Features and Functionality: - Continuous Delivery: CentOS Stream provides a rolling-release model, delivering updates that precede RHEL's official releases, ensuring users have access to the latest features and improvements. - Community Collaboration: The project fosters a collaborative environment where Special Interest Groups (SIGs) develop and package software tailored to specific needs, such as cloud infrastructure, storage solutions, and virtualization technologies. - Enterprise Compatibility: By closely tracking RHEL, CentOS Stream ensures compatibility and stability, making it suitable for enterprise deployments and development environments. Primary Value and User Solutions: CentOS Stream addresses the need for a stable yet forward-looking Linux distribution that bridges the gap between development and production environments. It offers a reliable platform for developers to test and deploy applications that will be compatible with future RHEL releases, thereby reducing the time and effort required for migration and ensuring smoother transitions. Additionally, the active community and SIGs provide specialized solutions and support, enhancing the overall ecosystem and catering to diverse user requirements. * * * Seller [CentOS](https://www.g2.com/sellers/centos) Discussions [CentOS Community](https://www.g2.com/products/centos/discuss) Solution Type Best-of-Breed Overview by Benn Solomon Show More ## Value at a Glance Averages based on real user reviews. ### Time to Implement 2 months ### Return on Investment 12 months [ View More Pricing Information ](https://www.g2.com/products/centos/pricing) ## Top-Rated Alternatives [ ![Ubuntu](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Ubuntu") Ubuntu 4.5/5(2,399) ](https://www.g2.com/products/ubuntu/reviews) [ ![Red Hat Enterprise Linux](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Red Hat Enterprise Linux") Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.6/5(977) ](https://www.g2.com/products/red-hat-enterprise-linux/reviews) [ ![Windows 7](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Windows 7") Windows 7 4.2/5(903) ](https://www.g2.com/products/windows-7/reviews) [ View All Alternatives ](https://www.g2.com/products/centos/competitors/alternatives) ## User Insights Average based on 425 real user reviews. Implementation Time 2 months Perceived Cost $$$$$ [Log in to unlock pricing and user insights](/login) ## CentOS Integrations (13) What do users say about integrations? Integration information sourced from real user reviews. [ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") ActiveDirectory Domain Controller for Windows 2016 ](https://www.g2.com/products/activedirectory-domain-controller-for-windows-2016/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") Apache Maven ](https://www.g2.com/products/apache-maven/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") Chrome OS ](https://www.g2.com/products/chrome-os/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") cPanel ](https://www.g2.com/products/cpanel/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") Fortinet IPS Rules for AWS Network Firewall ](https://www.g2.com/products/fortinet-ips-rules-for-aws-network-firewall/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") Kubernetes ](https://www.g2.com/products/kubernetes/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") Magento Open Source ](https://www.g2.com/products/magento-open-source/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") Make ](https://www.g2.com/products/integromat-by-celonis-make/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") MySQL ](https://www.g2.com/products/mysql/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") ownCloud ](https://www.g2.com/products/owncloud/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") Splunk Enterprise ](https://www.g2.com/products/splunk-enterprise/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") WordPress.org ](https://www.g2.com/products/wordpress-org/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") Zammad ](https://www.g2.com/products/zammad/reviews) Show More ![Prashant P.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Prashant P.") PP Prashant P. Google Workspace Administrator Information Technology and Services Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 11/18/2025 "Stable and dependable for server use" 4/5 What do you like best about CentOS? I like that CentOS is stable and reliable for long-term use. It doesn’t break after updates, and it runs smoothly even on older hardware. It’s easy to manage once you get used to it and works well for servers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about CentOS? The only downside is that updates and newer packages arrive slower compared to other distros. Sometimes I need to add extra repos to get recent software, which can be a bit inconvenient. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is CentOS solving and how is that benefiting you? it helps me run stable and secure server environments without licensing costs. It’s reliable for hosting apps, running backend services, and managing long-term workloads without unexpected issues. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Our network of Icons are G2 members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions and commitment to helping others through their expertise.G2 Icon 11/21/2025 Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Sanooj M.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Sanooj M.") SM Sanooj M. Co-Founder, CEO Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 1/20/2026 "Robust, Reliable OS for Production Servers with Great Package Management" 4.5/5 What do you like best about CentOS? Robust and reliable OS for production servers with good package managers for diverse set of software requirements. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about CentOS? Currently the distribution is not getting updated as earlier. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is CentOS solving and how is that benefiting you? While running production servers of high availablility and heavy throughput nature, centos ensures to provide a robut OS that can act as a strong basement for the prodcut. Also its package manager is great for any kind of software requirements. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerSource: Organic ![Bhavesh P.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Bhavesh P.") BP Bhavesh P. Senior Engineer (CloudOps/DevOps) Computer Software Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 7/24/2025 ""CentOS: The Unsung Hero of Stable Enterprise Linux"" 4/5 What do you like best about CentOS? CentOS provides enterprise-level stability and performance without licensing fees. Its compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux makes it perfect for production environments. I like how predictable and secure it is—once set up, it just works, with minimal maintenance. It’s my go-to OS for servers due to its reliability and strong community support. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about CentOS? The main downside of CentOS is the sudden shift in its support model with the move to CentOS Stream, which created uncertainty for long-term users. It disrupted the trust many had in its stability for production use. Additionally, software packages are often older compared to other distributions, which can be limiting for newer tech stacks. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is CentOS solving and how is that benefiting you? CentOS helps us maintain stable and secure server environments without the cost of commercial licensing. It solves the problem of needing a reliable OS for running production workloads—web servers, databases, CI/CD pipelines—while keeping resource usage low. Its predictable update cycles and strong community support reduce downtime and simplify long-term system maintenance, ultimately saving us time and operational costs. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Our network of Icons are G2 members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions and commitment to helping others through their expertise.G2 IconValidated ReviewerSource: Organic ![JAVIER P.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "JAVIER P.") JP JAVIER P. Professor Associate Education Management Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 12/14/2025 "Solid for Servers, but with Limited Support" 3/5 What do you like best about CentOS? I like the solidity of CentOS and the collaborative community. I also appreciate that its initial setup is easy thanks to its GNOME base. Additionally, I use a very popular Linux stack, including LAMP, Apache, and MySQL, which I value a lot. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about CentOS? The main support stopped working and only the user community provides support, but it recommends switching to a different operating system. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is CentOS solving and how is that benefiting you? I use CentOS for server configuration and the management of computational resources such as RAM, CPU, and storage. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerSource: OrganicAI Translated ![Prashant J.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Prashant J.") PJ Prashant J. Software Development Engineer Information Technology and Services Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 12/9/2025 "Excellent Package Management and Integration Support" 4/5 What do you like best about CentOS? The package manager and dependency handler work well, and there is also support for various build tools. I am able to use it frequently to integrate multiple components. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about CentOS? Shipping packages is challenging, and at times, certain logs in the daemons unexpectedly stop working without any warning. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is CentOS solving and how is that benefiting you? This is an ultra low latency software development and trading suite. It is designed for those who require extremely fast performance in both software creation and trading activities. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Our network of Icons are G2 members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions and commitment to helping others through their expertise.G2 IconValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Information Technology and Services](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Information Technology and Services") AI Verified User in Information Technology and Services Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 2/20/2026 "CentOS is in EOL, New Installations at your own Risk" 1/5 What do you like best about CentOS? CentOS was Linux distro with focus on server environment Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about CentOS? Centos was in EOL since 2024 so it's not a good idea proceed with new installation Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is CentOS solving and how is that benefiting you? Stable, light and easy to implent linux distro Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Tej D.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Tej D.") TD Tej D. Secretary Telecommunications Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 1/20/2026 "Open Source, Highly Stable OS with Great Community Support" 5/5 What do you like best about CentOS? Open source and highly stable product. Resources and packages are properly managed. Fast and great community support for this OS. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about CentOS? Packages are being OLD and outdated. Upgrading to a newer version is very difficult. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is CentOS solving and how is that benefiting you? the os is fast and stable os. great and strong security and high performance. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Our network of Icons are G2 members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions and commitment to helping others through their expertise.G2 IconValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Internet](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Internet") AI Verified User in Internet Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4/2/2026 "CentOS: easy to use, clear, and simple to maintain" 5/5 What do you like best about CentOS? CentOS is an easy-to-use and very clear operating system. Additionally, it is easy to maintain. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about CentOS? To be honest, I haven't found anything specific that I don't like. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is CentOS solving and how is that benefiting you? It is a business-type platform, free and open-source. It helps solve licensing costs and provides stability. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More 4/4/2026 Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 inviteAI Translated LS Leo S. Technical Lead Information Technology and Services Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 10/6/2025 "Very stable. Free OS but powerfull." 5/5 What do you like best about CentOS? It's powerful. Very stable. It's easy to deploy. Very low maintenance required. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about CentOS? It's similar to Red Hat but different from Ubuntu which we used before. So there is a bit of learning needed. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is CentOS solving and how is that benefiting you? It is replacing our Windows Server OS. We migrated a lot of production server VMs to CentOS. We don't need to worry about the issues that Windows Server had anymore. It's much smaller, more secure, more stable, less efforts need for patching, and less resources is needed for running. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Zafar U.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Zafar U.") ZU Zafar U. VP Information Security Broadcast Media Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 12/11/2025 "Unmatched Stability Makes CentOS a Top Choice" 5/5 What do you like best about CentOS? CentOS has always stood out for its rock-solid stability Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about CentOS? When Red Hat transitioned from CentOS 8 to CentOS Stream, it encouraged teams to rethink their platform strategy and explore newer, more future-focused options. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is CentOS solving and how is that benefiting you? Removes the burden of licensing costs in enterprise setups Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ## Questions about CentOS? Ask real users or explore answers from the community Get practical answers, real workflows, and honest pros and cons from the G2 community or share your insights. [ Ask about CentOS ](https://www.g2.com/products/centos/discussions/new) ![Aditya J.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Aditya J.") AJ Aditya Joshi • Last activity over 4 years ago how can I install and use CentOS 1 Upvote 1 [ Join the conversation ](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-can-i-install-and-use-centos) ![Ahmed S.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Ahmed S.") AS Ahmed Shehata • Last activity over 4 years ago How to install package? 1 Upvote 1 [ Join the conversation ](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-to-install-package) [ View all Discussions ](https://www.g2.com/products/centos/discuss) ## Pricing Insights Averages based on real user reviews. ### Time to Implement 2 months ### Return on Investment 12 months ### Average Discount 12% [ View More Pricing Information ](https://www.g2.com/products/centos/pricing) CentOS Comparisons ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/small_square/small_square_3f5575e82b67a95d23834e8db8dabb67/oracle-linux.png "Product Avatar Image") Oracle Linux 4.4/5(349) [ Compare Now ](https://www.g2.com/compare/centos-vs-oracle-linux) ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/small_square/small_square_46bd9233d89c58c6dbdf99f99bd301dc/ubuntu.png "Product Avatar Image") Ubuntu 4.5/5(2,399) [ Compare Now ](https://www.g2.com/compare/centos-vs-ubuntu) ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/small_square/small_square_3146bdd0defa39278b58727400f0a807/linux-mint.jpg "Product Avatar Image") Linux Mint 4.5/5(190) [ Compare Now ](https://www.g2.com/compare/centos-vs-linux-mint) ##### ##### CentOS Features Memory Management - Operating System RAM management Device Management - Operating System I/O management Backup and Recovery - Operating System Data backup Error Detection - Operating System System operations monitoring [ View More Features ](https://www.g2.com/products/centos/features) ##### Categories on G2 [AWS Marketplace](https://www.g2.com/categories/aws-marketplace)[Operating System](https://www.g2.com/categories/operating-system) ##### Explore More [Best ERP solution for growing software firm](https://www.g2.com/discussions/best-erp-solution-for-growing-software-firm)[Top tools for identifying and securing digital assets](https://www.g2.com/discussions/top-tools-for-identifying-and-securing-digital-assets)[Where to find the best VoIP service for ecommerce business](https://www.g2.com/discussions/where-to-find-the-best-voip-service-for-ecommerce-business) [Which Quote-to-Cash software enables accurate revenue recognition and ASC 606 compliance for a finance team that cannot afford to get deferred revenue reporting wrong?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/which-quote-to-cash-software-enables-accurate-revenue-recognition-and-asc-606-compliance-for-a-finance-team-that-cannot-afford-to-get-deferred-revenue-reporting-wrong)[Top-rated ASM tools for continuous security scanning](https://www.g2.com/discussions/top-rated-asm-tools-for-continuous-security-scanning)[Pros and Cons Details](https://www.g2.com/products/centos/reviews?qs=pros-and-cons) [Show MoreShow Less](javascript:void(0);)