Why are centrifugal compressors mainly used in smaller gas-turbine engines?

Centrifugal compressors are primarily utilized in smaller gas-turbine engines because they are relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture compared to axial-flow compressors.2

While axial-flow compressors are the standard for high-performance jet aircraft engines due to their superior efficiency and ability to handle higher pressure ratios, they are more complex to design and build. In contrast, centrifugal compressors are limited to lower pressure ratios and cannot match the high-efficiency levels of modern axial designs. Consequently, their use is largely restricted to small industrial units and portable applications where simplicity and cost-effectiveness are prioritized over the extreme performance requirements of large-scale aviation engines.123