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 8.7, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.1. Apache holds a 10.3% 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 22 Apache Web Server reviews

2,577 Views
2,192 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IIS

Read 55 IIS reviews

4,009 Views
3,066 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

Apache Web Server

IIS

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Apache Web Server and IIS based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Application Infrastructure solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Apache Web Server vs. IIS Report (Updated: October 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server vs. IIS

October 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Apache Web Server

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IIS

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Server (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of Apache Web Server is 10.3%, up from 9.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IIS is 12.5%, down from 14.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

VishalSingh

Consulting & Solutions, BA/BD in Enterprise IT on Open Source, Red Hat & EDB at KEEN AND ABLE COMPUTERS PVT LTD

Not only does it allow the creation of in-house application servers and websites but also acts as a proxy server for specific use cases

The initial setup of Apache Web Server is extremely straightforward. The solution's deployment process can be completed in a few minutes. The deployment process depends on how the application is designed. For example, if you are designing an application that only renders static web pages, then the design will be unique. If there is a digital library of books and people are reading books in such a library, then mostly a server like Apache Web Server will host the content of the books on the application server and since everybody is trying to use the library, some of the users will be concurrently reading the same book, in that case a caching server is needed to help in load balancing. For the aforementioned example on libraries, the Apache Web Server can be used for the FTP to allow users to download or upload files and perform session tracking.

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VikramSingh6

Operations Executive at Quess

A simple and easy-to-use solution but not recommended for public apps

I would rate the overall solution a six out of ten. We have around five to six developers and engineers for the solution’s deployment and maintenance. You can use the solution if your website is not too big or complicated. However, if it is big and complicated, then you need to use Apache or Red Hat. This tool can be used for internal purposes. But if you plan to host a public app, then I wouldn’t recommend the tool.

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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 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."

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

"The most significant advantage is the ability to swiftly enable HTTPS services when my DNS is configured correctly."

"The solution's most valuable feature is reporting."

"The solution offers good security."

"It's reliable, configurable and generally secure."

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

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

More Apache Web Server pros

"The product is easy to use."

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

"The product is stable."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is easy to use and easy to understand."

"It is a lightweight web host that is easy to configure for simple webpages."

"This is definitely a stable solution."

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

"The interface, simplicity, and ease of management are all good features that make this user-friendly."

More IIS pros

Cons

"Lacks integration with some cloud solutions."

"A monitoring interface would be great for this product. The monitoring dashboards for Apache's models are not included in the basic installation. You can install the basic monitoring model, then connect this model to another monitoring system."

"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."

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

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

"In future releases, I would like to see better server optimization."

"By optimizing the infrastructure to allow the webserver to directly handle queries from memory—particularly by prioritizing the storage of queries in memory and processing them through the web server interface—I could potentially cut down the required instances from five hundred to two hundred."

"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

"Sometimes, we encounter difficult issues, and getting support from Microsoft to resolve those issues is not easy."

"We'd like future versions to be more stable."

"The tool needs to improve its performance."

"IIS could improve by Microsoft Windows improving the update services. We would like to be able to update all systems that are connected. The WSA service has to be in good order to accomplish this."

"It lacks a few performance improvement tools."

"IIS needs to improve its security. Its support needs to be faster and clear. The tool's licensing could be cheaper as well."

"The solution is slow and could have better performance."

"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."

More IIS cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"It is an open-source solution."

"There is no licensing cost for the product."

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

"I think it's part of the Windows Server, so you won't have any other costs to add in order to use the IIS service."

"We purchased a Microsoft Windows license and the license for IIS came in the package."

"They offer a one-time payment model for the product license, and we pay annually for support."

"I was using the trial version of IIS inside my virtual machines."

"It is licensed with your Windows installation which makes it relatively cheap if you already have a Windows Server sitting around."

"There is an annual license to use this solution and the price could be better."

"The price is good."

"The licensing cost is dependent on the usage."

More IIS pricing and cost advice

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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Application Infrastructure solutions are best for your needs.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

University

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

14%

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.

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

The price of the product is an area handled by the procurement team in my company.

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What needs improvement with Apache Web Server?

There isn't a dedicated customer support available for Apache Web Server.

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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?

They offer a one-time payment model for the product license, and we pay annually for support. I rate the pricing an eight out of ten.

See all answers

Comparisons

NGINX Plus vs Apache Web Server

Compared 27% of the time

Microsoft .NET Framework vs Apache Web Server

Compared 6% of the time

IBM WebSphere Application Server vs Apache Web Server

Compared 6% of the time

Zend PHP Engine vs Apache Web Server

Compared 6% 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 32% of the time

Oracle WebLogic Server vs IIS

Compared 15% of the time

Tomcat vs IIS

Compared 13% of the time

JBoss vs IIS

Compared 7% of the time

Microsoft .NET Framework vs IIS

Compared 5% of the time

More IIS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server

November 2024

Download Apache Web Server product report

Buyer's Guide

IIS

November 2024

Download IIS product report

Also Known As

Apache HTTP Server

Windows Server IIS

Learn More

Apache

Microsoft

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.

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.

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

October 2024

Free Report: Apache Web Server vs. IIS

Find out what your peers are saying about Apache Web Server vs. IIS and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.

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