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IBM WebSphere Application Server vs JBoss vs Oracle WebLogic Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Application Server category, the mindshare of IBM WebSphere Application Server is 12.7%, up from 11.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of JBoss is 17.7%, up from 17.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle WebLogic Server is 25.1%, down from 26.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Server
 

Featured Reviews

BharathirajaSukumar - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient load balancing and the clustering, achieved by using the deployment manager, is valuable
I believe that the system is already good. However, for improvement or enhancement, it is user-friendly, but it could offer better choices on the front end for different aspects or options. Sometimes, I have to search extensively for features, as there are no upfront tabs. There is a lack of visible, easy, user-friendly, and straightforward options for the number of features.
Srinadh  Puli - PeerSpot reviewer
Automation aids installation while management consolidation needs improvement
We are currently using Ansible for Jira installations and all the management tasks. We perform some tasks manually, however, Ansible helps in automating some of these processes I find JBoss to be lightweight and easier to manage compared to WebSphere. It allows for simple modification of…
Saikat Nag - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers efficient load distribution with a scope of high scalability
Our organization configures Oracle WebLogic Server in such a way that a load balancer becomes available. The network requests are segregated to the Oracle WebLogic Server as the managing server and different nodes are configured. Using the product as a load balancer helps automate request transfer from one non-functional node to another functional node. Due to Oracle WebLogic Server, the endpoints remain unaffected whenever a node goes down. The clustering feature enhances our organization's performance and reliability. In our organization, the health of the Oracle WebLogic Server environment is maintained and managed using Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM). I would definitely recommend others to use Oracle WebLogic Server. Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The thing about WebSphere, as opposed to other ones that I am aware of such as JBoss and Liberty, is that WebSphere has the most comprehensive scaffolding available to it."
"Ease of administration: It has an Integrated Solutions Console, what we call the administrative console, with very detailed configurations and Help pages for each configurable item."
"IBM WebSphere Application Server is easy to use."
"IBM WebSphere Application Server is one of the best servers due to its stability and paid license."
"As compared to other applications, it has tremendous support. We have built internal capability so that we use it extensively internally. It is also easier to use with the outside data. You can write in ESQL, Java, or any other technology that you want to use for development. So, it is a lot more flexible in the language that it supports."
"Security: It is compatible with the latest Java 8 security features, supports FIPS 140-2 and NIST SP 800-53 with strong ciphers and cryptography keys, and supports TLS 1.2 completely. Also, configuring client and server certificates is relatively easy."
"The product offers good performance."
"This solution is easy to use with a GUI that is intuitive and very helpful."
"It is a Java-based product, so it is pretty straightforward. It is pretty easy from a developer's perspective. It is also pretty reliable and scalable."
"The high availability is great."
"JBoss's configuration is straightforward and easy."
"The solution is easy to use."
"We use JBoss mainly for application deployments and application servers."
"The stability is good. I would rate it a nine out of ten."
"The solution's support is very good for repairing components."
"The greatest benefit of JBoss is that it was procured by IBM, thereby offering exceptional support for our banking operations."
"It is quite robust in comparison to other application servers."
"We can manage every application by creating a managed server and a cluster."
"It's a very stable solution."
"WebLogic is reliable, and it's easy to use for development."
"We have some hosted servers as well as some of our own. It performs well."
"The product is flexible and allows us to leverage deployments."
"It has helped us to have different clusters within different servers, which allows us to identify hacker attacks."
"Another valuable feature is the ability to automate tasks through scripts, making our environment highly efficient."
 

Cons

"In spite of the solution's robustness, it is expensive and a bit difficult to support."
"It should be able to serve more concurrent requests like Oracle. Oracle has more powerful stability, availability, and real-time serving."
"Sometimes, I feel WebSphere runs a bit slow. It might be loading unnecessary libraries, impacting its performance compared to other application servers."
"When compared with WebLogic, Weblogic is lighter and consumes less memory."
"The solution could improve the integration."
"In the next release of this solution, I would like to see support for the Arabic language."
"IBM WebSphere Application Server hasn't changed much. It's still a heavyweight for any company compared to what you get. Unless your code base is deeply linked with it, I don't think it's a great idea to go with this solution. The current trend is toward modularity and containerization, and given the product's requirements, containerization will be difficult. There is a memory requirement as well."
"WebSphere is very cumbersome and not user-friendly."
"JBoss is not as reliable and stable as WebLogic."
"The solution's pricing could be improved because it is not cheap."
"Having the support combined with Red Hat support would be an improvement."
"They are trying to make it less heavyweight since app servers often deliver a lot of functionality. Still, if we aren't leveraging them, they can be too much for certain use cases."
"The solution's documentation could be better."
"Scalability is a concern because it is not online, which limits online processes. This aspect can be improved."
"It would be great if the product came with a feature where the remarks made on the board can be saved on an individual's laptop to make it more user-friendly."
"The solution could improve by providing more integration."
"There's a bug related to the managed services."
"Its pricing should be better. We are analyzing other options, such as JBoss, because of the cost of WebLogic."
"The pricing is a little bit higher compared to other products."
"In terms of what could be improved, maybe something related to the processes automation or starting and stopping the processes, because often WebLogic comes with something called Node Manager. Node Manager needs to be configured and administrated manually."
"The tool's implementation should be easier. The product is also expensive."
"In the future, I would like to see better support for the REST interface."
"I can't point to anything missing."
"I've had issues with some of the tracking features tracking and have had to go back to several generations of code to fix problems where things were touched."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"My company is on a perpetual or permanent license agreement with IBM WebSphere Application Server. There's also a pay-per-use option, but customers rarely choose that option. Most of the customers are on the perpetual license deal that's all-inclusive. As the license cost is quite expensive, I'm rating it two out of five."
"IBM WAS base is part of the deal when you purchase IBM FileNet P8 Content Engine."
"When you purchase Maximo, you get WebSphere for free."
"The price of IBM WebSphere Application Server could be less expensive and there is an annual license required for this solution."
"There is an Eclipse Plugin provided by IBM, so no need to buy IBM Rational Application Developer or Rational Software Architect tools."
"We used to pay about $100,000-$120,000 US or somewhere around there. That was a bit cost-prohibitive for us to continue."
"The pricing is a little expensive."
"I don't remember the price, but there are no additional costs."
"Since the solution is freeware, our customers don't need to pay any licensing fees."
"There is no licensing cost. The solution is free to use."
"The solution is cost-efficient compared to other products. Pricing is rated an eight out of ten."
"Despite the price increase after being acquired by IBM, JBoss still maintains its competitiveness. The package provided is more geared towards cloud-based deployments, whereas our setup is more traditional, which makes it slightly more expensive for us. As most vendors are transitioning towards cloud-centric solutions, companies like ours need to adapt accordingly."
"The pricing of JBoss is more reasonable than that of WebLogic."
"We pay for a maintenance license, but it is not expensive."
"JBoss is an expensive solution."
"I rate the product price as eight on a scale, where one means it is a very cheap solution, and ten points mean that it is a very expensive tool."
"My company uses a licensed version of the product, so we get Oracle's support."
"It is expensive."
"Pricing for Oracle WebLogic Server is expensive."
"Fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"In our country, this is an expensive product."
"The solution’s pricing is affordable."
"The solution's licensing is high-priced."
"As Oracle WebLogic Server is a product from Oracle, it is bound to be an expensive solution. My company needs to make annual payments towards the licensing costs attached to the product."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
31%
Computer Software Company
14%
Insurance Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
26%
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
19%
Government
12%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM WebSphere Application Server?
Network Deployment is the most useful feature for scalability. It has many features within the standard WebSphere App...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM WebSphere Application Server?
In Korea, when you buy IBM iOS, the WebSphere base version is included with iOS. That means no additional cost.
What needs improvement with IBM WebSphere Application Server?
I find the server okay, however, using the Maker instance, the Moving instance, and the Change instance is a little b...
What do you like most about JBoss?
The product's initial setup phase is easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for JBoss?
JBoss is the cheaper option out of the three when compared to WebSphere and WebLogic. Though I haven't done a detaile...
What needs improvement with JBoss?
They are trying to make it less heavyweight since app servers often deliver a lot of functionality. Still, if we aren...
What needs improvement with Oracle WebLogic Server?
Sometimes, some issues don't get fixed by Oracle's technical support team, and you need to invest time to fix them by...
What is your primary use case for Oracle WebLogic Server?
When we implemented Oracle Libre Suite, there is middleware, which is normally Oracle WebLogic. Many customers in Pak...
 

Also Known As

WebSphere Application Server
No data available
WebLogic Application Server
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

TalkTalk, Property management group, E.SUN Bank, Ohio National Financial Services, Aviarc, Cincom Systems, FJA-US, D+H, Staples, Michigan Municipal League
Tata Sky, Nissan, Swedish Board of Agriculture, Novamedia, American Product Distributors, Advanced Micro Devices, Emirates Group, E*TRADE
Colab Consulting Pty. Ltd., Infosys Ltd., Sascar, Banca Transilvania, UL, Center for Railway Information Systems, SPAR Austria Group, Reliance Commercial Finance, Industrial Bank of Korea, Al Jaber Group, Safe Water Kenya, Chhattisgarh Infotech and Biotech Promotion Society
Find out what your peers are saying about Apache, Oracle, Red Hat and others in Application Server. Updated: March 2025.
849,190 professionals have used our research since 2012.