Comparison

AlmaLinux vs Rocky Linux

AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux both appeared in 2021 to replace CentOS as free, RHEL-compatible operating systems. For almost every server they behave the same. The differences are in governance, compatibility approach and ecosystem.

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Quick verdict

Which should you choose?

Choose AlmaLinux if…

you run cPanel or CloudLinux (CloudLinux founded AlmaLinux and converts from it easily), or you like its foundation-led model and fast releases.

Choose Rocky Linux if…

you want a project focused on staying bug-for-bug close to RHEL, or your software vendor certifies Rocky specifically.

Side by side

AlmaLinux vs Rocky Linux at a glance.

	AlmaLinux	Rocky Linux
Started	2021, by the CloudLinux team	2021, by CentOS co-founder Gregory Kurtzer
Governance	AlmaLinux OS Foundation (non-profit)	Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation
Compatibility aim	ABI-compatible with RHEL	As close to bug-for-bug with RHEL as possible
Support per major version	About 10 years	About 10 years
cPanel support	Yes	Yes
CentOS migration tool	ELevate / almalinux-deploy	migrate2rocky
Cost	Free	Free

Features and licensing change; check the vendor’s current pages before buying. We keep up with them on every server we manage.

What really matters

The differences you’ll notice.

After Red Hat’s 2023 source changeWhen Red Hat limited public access to RHEL sources in 2023, AlmaLinux moved to ABI compatibility (apps built for RHEL run unchanged), while Rocky kept working to match RHEL as closely as possible. In practice, both run RHEL software.

EcosystemBoth are supported by major control panels, cloud marketplaces and tools. AlmaLinux is especially common on cPanel/CloudLinux hosting servers.

Switching laterBecause both follow RHEL, moving between them later is possible with conversion scripts.

Switching between themFrom CentOS, both offer in-place conversion tools. We snapshot the server, run the conversion, then check every service. Heavily customised servers are often better rebuilt and migrated with zero downtime.

FAQ

AlmaLinux vs Rocky Linux: questions.

Not in practice. Both use the same RHEL-based packages and kernel.

Both are widely used; AlmaLinux is especially common on hosting servers with cPanel and CloudLinux.

Yes, with conversion scripts, after a full snapshot.

CentOS Stream is a rolling preview of the next RHEL release, not a stable rebuild, so most production servers moved to AlmaLinux or Rocky instead.

We manage them