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Head-to-head · Server Operating System

AlmaLinux OS vs CentOS Stream

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score AlmaLinux OS #3 in Server Operating System 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit AlmaLinux OS
CentOS Stream #7 in Server Operating System 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit CentOS Stream

AlmaLinux OS leads on 0 checks, CentOS Stream on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreAlmaLinux OS · 9.2/10
  • Free planboth

AlmaLinux OS scores higher on our rubric for server operating system: 9.2 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #7.

AlmaLinux OS is the better fit for RHEL-compatible enterprise servers without license fees. CentOS Stream is the better fit for RHEL-adjacent systems tracking upstream development.

  • AlmaLinux OS fits best

    RHEL-compatible enterprise servers without license fees

  • CentOS Stream fits best

    RHEL-adjacent systems tracking upstream development

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Side by side

Feature AlmaLinux OS 9.2/10 Visit ↗ CentOS Stream 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.8
Ranking #3 in Server Operating System #7 in Server Operating System
Best for RHEL-compatible enterprise servers without license fees RHEL-adjacent systems tracking upstream development
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Self-hosted, Cloud
Platforms Linux, Windows Linux
Support Docs, Community Community, Docs
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features AlmaLinux OS 0/4 · CentOS Stream 0/4
Long-term support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Live kernel patching Not checked yet Not checked yet
Container tooling Not checked yet Not checked yet
Commercial support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
License model Not checked yet Not checked yet
Architecture support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Management interface Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • About 10 years of support for each major version
  • Official images cover cloud providers, containers, WSL and live media
  • ELevate supports migrations between major versions of RHEL-derived distributions
  • Free, community-driven Linux distribution with DNF and RPM package management
  • Installation media, cloud and container images, and Vagrant boxes
  • CentOS Stream 10 supports x86_64_v3, ARMv8.0-A, POWER9, and z14
Cons
  • Minor versions reach end of life when the next minor version is released
  • Support channels are documentation and community
  • Cloud-provider infrastructure may still incur charges
  • Updates arrive ahead of RHEL, which may not suit conservative production systems
  • CentOS Stream 10 has a roughly five-year lifecycle, maintained until 2030
  • Support channels are community and documentation
Our verdict

AlmaLinux OS is a free, open-source Linux distribution for servers, workstations, virtual machines, cloud deployments and containers. Maintained by its community and nonprofit foundation, it aims for compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise…

Read the review →

CentOS Stream is a free, community-driven Linux distribution positioned between Fedora Linux and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Built by RHEL engineers, it is the major-version branch from which RHEL minor versions are created. It is…

Read the review →
  1. AlmaLinux OSServer Operating System 9.2Free plan
  2. CentOS StreamServer Operating System 8.8Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • AlmaLinux OS — where it wins

    • About 10 years of support for each major version
    • Official images cover cloud providers, containers, WSL and live media
    • ELevate supports migrations between major versions of RHEL-derived distributions

    Where it doesn't

    • Minor versions reach end of life when the next minor version is released
    • Support channels are documentation and community
    • Cloud-provider infrastructure may still incur charges

  • CentOS Stream — where it wins

    • Free, community-driven Linux distribution with DNF and RPM package management
    • Installation media, cloud and container images, and Vagrant boxes
    • CentOS Stream 10 supports x86_64_v3, ARMv8.0-A, POWER9, and z14

    Where it doesn't

    • Updates arrive ahead of RHEL, which may not suit conservative production systems
    • CentOS Stream 10 has a roughly five-year lifecycle, maintained until 2030
    • Support channels are community and documentation

More comparisons

All server operating system comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update