AlmaLinux vs Oracle Linux - Detailed Comparison

Oracle Linux and AlmaLinux are both RHEL-compatible and both free to download. This page lists what each vendor documents about itself and does not compare the two beyond that.

AlmaLinux

• Owner: the AlmaLinux OS Foundation, a US 501(c)(6) non-profit (AlmaLinux FAQ).
• Cost: the FAQ states that AlmaLinux OS will be free and open at all times.
• Compatibility goal: ABI compatibility with RHEL since July 2023 (AlmaLinux FAQ).
• Support dates for versions 9 and 10 are on the Version Timeline.

Oracle Linux

• Owner: Oracle.
• Cost: Oracle’s FAQ describes Oracle Linux as free to download, use, distribute and update.
• Support tiers: Oracle documents Premier Plus, Premier and Basic Support, available for ten years from the release date of a major version. Extended Support requires an underlying Premier Support contract.
• Live kernel patching: Ksplice is documented for customers who have Premier Support and for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
• Kernels: Oracle documents two kernels. The Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK) is the default, and a kernel compiled from the RHEL source code (RHCK) is also included for strict RHEL kernel compatibility. Oracle states that switching kernels changes only the kernel and that user space stays compatible with RHEL.

Reading the two together

If you want one vendor for the operating system, a paid support tier or Ksplice, those are things Oracle documents for Oracle Linux. If you want a system owned by a foundation with a published free-and-open commitment, that is what the AlmaLinux FAQ states. This page does not compare package contents, performance or support quality.

To move a system to AlmaLinux see Online migration; keep a snapshot of the source system and read Migration rollback first.

Sources: Oracle’s Linux support pages, FAQ and Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel documentation, and the AlmaLinux FAQ. Verify support terms on Oracle’s site before relying on them.