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Compare CentOS and Kali Linux

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At a Glance
CentOS
CentOS
Star Rating
(389)4.5 out of 5
Market Segments
Mid-Market (38.2% of reviews)
Information
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
Learn more about CentOS
Kali Linux
Kali Linux
Star Rating
(165)4.6 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (58.4% of reviews)
Information
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
Learn more about Kali Linux
AI Generated Summary
AI-generated. Powered by real user reviews.
  • Users report that CentOS excels in its stability and long-term support, making it a preferred choice for enterprise environments, while Kali Linux is often highlighted for its cutting-edge tools tailored for penetration testing and security assessments.
  • Reviewers mention that CentOS has a strong community backing and extensive documentation, which aids in ease of setup and administration, whereas users on G2 note that Kali Linux, while powerful, may require a steeper learning curve for those unfamiliar with security tools.
  • G2 users indicate that CentOS's memory management is robust, allowing for efficient resource allocation in server environments, while users report that Kali Linux's RAM management is optimized for running multiple security tools simultaneously, which can be resource-intensive.
  • Reviewers say that CentOS provides reliable backup and recovery options, which are crucial for business continuity, while users mention that Kali Linux focuses more on real-time data analysis and monitoring rather than traditional backup solutions.
  • Users say that CentOS's quality of support is generally rated lower than that of Kali Linux, which has a more engaged community of security professionals who actively contribute to forums and provide assistance.
  • Reviewers mention that while both products have a high rating for meeting requirements, Kali Linux shines in product direction with a score of 9.4, reflecting its commitment to evolving with the latest security trends, compared to CentOS's score of 8.4.
Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
CentOS
No pricing available
Kali Linux
No pricing available
Free Trial
CentOS
No trial information available
Kali Linux
No trial information available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
9.1
313
9.1
125
Ease of Use
8.5
313
8.3
130
Ease of Setup
8.5
191
8.5
55
Ease of Admin
8.5
188
8.9
38
Quality of Support
8.1
259
8.3
124
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
8.8
147
8.9
36
Product Direction (% positive)
8.4
293
9.4
120
Features by Category
Not enough data
Not enough data
Memory Management - Operating System
Not enough data
8.9
6
Device Management - Operating System
Not enough data
8.3
6
Backup and Recovery - Operating System
Not enough data
8.9
6
Error Detection - Operating System
Not enough data
9.4
6
Not enough data
Not enough data
Agentic AI - AWS Marketplace
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
CentOS
CentOS
Kali Linux
Kali Linux
CentOS and Kali Linux are categorized as Operating System
Unique Categories
CentOS
CentOS is categorized as AWS Marketplace
Kali Linux
Kali Linux has no unique categories
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
CentOS
CentOS
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
31.2%
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
38.2%
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
30.6%
Kali Linux
Kali Linux
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
58.4%
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
28.0%
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
13.7%
Reviewers' Industry
CentOS
CentOS
Information Technology and Services
30.4%
Computer Software
15.6%
Computer & Network Security
5.9%
Telecommunications
4.0%
Internet
3.5%
Other
40.6%
Kali Linux
Kali Linux
Computer & Network Security
26.1%
Information Technology and Services
24.2%
Computer Software
15.5%
Computer Networking
4.3%
Higher Education
3.1%
Other
26.7%
Most Helpful Reviews
CentOS
CentOS
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Juan Fernando V.
JV
Juan Fernando V.
Verified User in Information Technology and Services

CentOS is like that girl at school who was not pretty, it was quiet but did well academically without being a nerd. In the niche of those installer YUM as we have: Fedora, Oracle Linux and clear to Red Hat Enterprise Linux or RHEL. All are good choices but...

Most Helpful Critical Review
Verified User in Information Technology and Services
GI
Verified User in Religious Institutions

The clunky desktop packages (no fault of centos really, but)

Kali Linux
Kali Linux
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Vishnu C.
VC
Vishnu C.
Verified User in Computer & Network Security

The Kaliinux is preinstalled with all hacking tools a penetration tester needs. Then the best thing its free and open-source and easy to use even with minimum configurations. The community support is very helpful we will get all support from the community...

Most Helpful Critical Review
Verified User
G
Verified User in Computer & Network Security

day to day work capability, default desktop environment(xfce) for me, should have selection for different environments!

Alternatives
CentOS
CentOS Alternatives
Ubuntu
Ubuntu
Add Ubuntu
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Add Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Windows 7
Windows 7
Add Windows 7
macOS Sierra
macOS Sierra
Add macOS Sierra
Kali Linux
Kali Linux Alternatives
Parrot Security OS
Parrot Security OS
Add Parrot Security OS
BlackArch
BlackArch
Add BlackArch
Ubuntu
Ubuntu
Add Ubuntu
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Add Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Discussions
CentOS
CentOS Discussions
how to improve the customization of repositories?
1 comment
AM
use a command like this: tcpdump -c 12 -i enp0s3 | grep "string search" You capture the traffic according to the filter set example: http, wget...Read more
How can I acheive client isolation ?
1 comment
Robert R.
RR
When I was learning about client isolation I found this web article very helpful. I hope it will help you. ...Read more
Where did you go to learn how to use CentOS?
1 comment
arun kumar g.
AG
At my first job organization. Some learning forums like stackexchange, tldp, the Linux Foundation etc..., Read more
Kali Linux
Kali Linux Discussions
GRE Classes In Pune
4 comments
Younus R.
YR
Graduate Record Examination, popularly known as GRE has been the most used scorecard by many graduate schools around the United States and other renowned...Read more
Perusing Software Training Will Help In Career Building ?
3 comments
Younus R.
YR
Software testing is in high demand and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. The demand for software testers is expected to grow significantly...Read more
Why is Kali Linux illegal?
3 comments
BS
Kali Linux itself is not illegal. It is an open-source operating system developed and maintained by Offensive Security, and it is widely used for security...Read more