Apache Web Server vs IIS comparison

Apache and Microsoft are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. Apache is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.8, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3. Apache holds a 10.5% mindshare in AIS, compared to Microsoft’s 12.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Apache users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 89% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Apache Web Server

Read 23 Apache Web Server reviews

1,904 Views
1,610 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IIS

Read 56 IIS reviews

2,756 Views
2,058 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

Apache Web Server

IIS

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

IIS and Apache Web Server compete in the web server category. Apache seems to have the upper hand due to its open-source nature and cross-platform compatibility.

Features: IIS integrates seamlessly with Windows and offers robust security with application pools and process isolation. It is easy to use for Microsoft ecosystem users and provides performance benefits when hosting applications. Apache, known for stability and flexibility, is the most widely used web server worldwide. It is open-source, supports multiple operating systems, and efficiently handles extensive client requests.

Room for Improvement: IIS faces compatibility issues outside Microsoft environments and can be challenging to scale. Troubleshooting is not intuitive for unfamiliar users. Apache requires detailed command-line configuration, which can be daunting for less experienced users. It lacks support for the .NET framework and structured customer support outside certain areas.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IIS is often deployed on-premises or in hybrid cloud setups, benefitting from Microsoft's support ecosystem, although initial support levels may vary. Apache's deployment is versatile but often relies on community support due to its open-source nature, making official support less straightforward.

Pricing and ROI: IIS incurs costs from Windows Server licenses, making it economically viable for organizations already using Microsoft products, with users reporting strong ROI from integration benefits. Apache, being free, offers significant cost savings, though ROI varies greatly depending on implementation and hardware expenses.

To learn more, read our detailed Apache Web Server vs. IIS Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server vs. IIS

April 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Apache Web Server

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IIS

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Server (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of Apache Web Server is 10.5%, up from 10.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IIS is 12.5%, down from 13.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

Saurav Kumar

Senior security architecture at National Payment Corporation Of India

Offers security features that are reliable

When it comes to Apache Web Server, I don't have any suggestions for improvement because we use it in the UAT environment. For production, my company mainly uses NGINX. There is no direct package provided by the product if I want to use WAF. In NGINX, NGINX Plus has the signature update capability, but in Apache, the same feature is not available, making it an area where improvements are required. If WAF can be introduced in Apache Web Server, it would be a good improvement so that its users can implement either the WAF module or ModSecurity, as they choose. For NGINX, I think it has NGINX Management Suite, which is GUI-based and allows you to manage your configuration via the user interface, but Apache fails to offer such capabilities to users. Apache Web Server should provide users with the same capabilities offered under NGINX Management Suite with the help of a simple GUI so that our company doesn't have to do anything on the terminal while directly getting to use the user interface, which can help us with the configuration part.

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DanielWildermuth

Testtool expert at Helvetia Versicherungen

Provides integration with Eggplant but problems with stability

We use Windows Server only for Eggplant Manager. Otherwise, I'm not using it At the moment, we have big problems with stability, and I'm not very happy at the moment. So, the stability could be improved. I have been using it for a few years. The initial setup is complex. We have an…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The solution offers good security."

"The product's initial setup phase is straightforward."

"The product is very cheap and stable."

"Its community is its most valuable feature. Solving problems is easier on Apache because so many people know this product."

"Apache Web Server can be used as a proxy server"

"The control panel is very easy to navigate. It's similar to most hosting platforms, so it's user-friendly. Once you get used to it, managing your hosting becomes easy, too."

"Apache Web Server is free of cost."

"It is more secure to use Apache and you will have fewer problems than other web services."

More Apache Web Server pros

"The solution is very stable. The solution is very simple and easy to use."

"The tool shows us the operating systems where our servers and applications are running."

"It's good and offers good usability."

"We use the solution for our customer's web applications."

"The most valuable feature of IIS is the database it provides."

"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten...Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten."

"It's very easy to publish."

"IIS works natively with Windows Server without any issues in publishing certificates."

More IIS pros

Cons

"It would be great if technical support for Apache were available in Iran. It is a very important need."

"The GUI for the less experienced users needs some improvement. For some companies, it is hard to configure it if they have not had any experience."

"So far, for us, everything is okay."

"Lacks integration with some cloud solutions."

"The interface has room for improvement."

"Its stability could be better."

"The major issue occurs with ports. So, I would like to see easier port management."

"For NGINX, I think it has NGINX Management Suite, which is GUI-based and allows you to manage your configuration via the user interface, but Apache fails to offer such capabilities to users."

More Apache Web Server cons

"The scalability depends on how you have set it up. If you're running IIS on a single server, it might not be as capable as if you are on many in a cluster or with load balancing and so on."

"The tool needs to improve its performance."

"The only issue I've encountered is with certificates not working fine sometimes."

"Sometimes if you are using IIS in large-scale scenarios, meaning that if you are deploying an application within IIS service and you are expecting a large number of users to use this application, you can sometimes find some problems, meaning that the service can shut down by itself unexpectedly if you don't configure your IIS with the correct configuration that can handle this number of users."

"IIS could improve the error logging. There are times we are not able to see the errors. More details would be helpful. Additionally, the configuring of the IIS should be allowed through coding instead of the classic view."

"The cost is a bit too high."

"The documentation is not very detailed. They need to improve it and add to it. They should ensure there are lots of visuals to help users better understand the solution."

"The solution's pricing and stability need improvement."

More IIS cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is a free-of-cost solution."

"There is no licensing cost for the product."

"It is an open-source solution."

"The apache software is free, open-source."

"This solution comes included with Windows Server."

"The solution provides multiple licensing options."

"There is no license needed to use the solution."

"IIS's pricing is reasonable."

"The solution’s pricing is yearly. The pricing is affordable and not high."

"IIS is expensive."

"The tool's pricing is on a yearly basis."

"IIS's pricing is not expensive."

More IIS pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

University

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Apache Web Server?

The product's initial setup phase is straightforward.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Apache Web Server?

Apache Web Server is a free product, with no associated setup costs or licensing fees.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Apache Web Server?

There is no need for substantial improvements as we have a dedicated team managing the server, ensuring everything runs smoothly.

See all answers

Which is better - IIS or NGINX Plus?

IIS is a flexible, secure, and manageable web server to host anything on the web. IIS’s scalable and open architecture can handle the most demanding tasks. From media streaming to web applications,...

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What do you like most about IIS?

The product is flexible.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IIS?

If you have a Windows license, there is no additional cost for IIS. However, you may need to pay for SSL publishing at times.

See all answers

Comparisons

NGINX Plus vs Apache Web Server

Compared 28% of the time

Microsoft .NET Framework vs Apache Web Server

Compared 8% of the time

Zend PHP Engine vs Apache Web Server

Compared 7% of the time

IBM WebSphere Application Server vs Apache Web Server

Compared 7% of the time

Oracle SOA Suite vs Apache Web Server

Compared 5% of the time

More Apache Web Server Competitors

NGINX Plus vs IIS

Compared 29% of the time

Oracle WebLogic Server vs IIS

Compared 16% of the time

Tomcat vs IIS

Compared 14% of the time

JBoss vs IIS

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft .NET Framework vs IIS

Compared 5% of the time

More IIS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server

April 2025

Download Apache Web Server product report

Buyer's Guide

IIS

April 2025

Download IIS product report

Also Known As

Apache HTTP Server

Windows Server IIS

Overview

The Apache HTTP Server Project was founded in 1995 by a group of webmasters, known as The Apache Group, with the aim of developing robust, richly-featured, freely-available and commercial-standard Web (HTTP) server source code. The result was Apache Web Server or Apache HTTP Server, which is an open-source public-domain web server.

This collaborative project has been enhanced ever since with contributions from the core development team and other volunteers situated all over the globe. Also, hundreds of users of this open-source web server have contributed code, ideas, and documentation. The project falls under The Apache Software Foundation, which manages many open-source projects.

Apache

Internet Information Services (IIS) provides a secure, easy-to-manage, modular and extensible platform for reliably hosting websites, services and applications. With IIS, you get choice and control without giving up reliability or security.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Cisco, Intuit, General Electric, Adobe, VMware, PayPal, HP, EMC, eBay, Apple, SAP, Qualcomm, SanDisk, Allstate, FedEx

Erste Bank Group, NJVC, Samsung Electronics, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Tata Steel Europe, Urban Software Institute

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server vs. IIS

April 2025

Free Report: Apache Web Server vs. IIS

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