Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

IBM WebSphere Application Server vs Oracle Application Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 2, 2025

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

IBM WebSphere Application S...
Ranking in Application Server
5th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
Application Infrastructure (5th)
Oracle Application Server
Ranking in Application Server
7th
Average Rating
6.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.3
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Application Server category, the mindshare of IBM WebSphere Application Server is 12.4%, up from 11.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Application Server is 4.9%, down from 5.2% 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.
SK
Quick deployment and easy implementation with complex logic challenges
We use Oracle Application Server for a loan management system. We created it for a client; it is a low-code platform. Everything is purchased in Oracle Cloud, and we use it to develop and deploy applications The product offers easy implementation, which is a benefit. It saves development time…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product offers good performance."
"The performance is good."
"We needed this type of integration and WebShepere is the best tool for it."
"One of the most valuable features might be the stability of the IBM WebSphere Application Server."
"High availability, alert management, and deployments are the most valuable features for us. We have the ND version so we can do deployments."
"IBM WebSphere Application Server is easy to use."
"Starting with version 8, WAS provides a special folder called monitor deployment. Once you put the .war or .ear file in there, it is deployed automatically without human intervention. This greatly helps us in our continuous integration server. Once the deployment binary is ready, we write a script to copy it to that folder and then, voila! The application is up and running and accessible from its context root."
"It has good stability of the application server in the long term compared to other solutions."
"The product offers easy implementation, which is a benefit. It saves development time compared to normal development processes."
 

Cons

"I find the server okay, however, using the Maker instance, the Moving instance, and the Change instance is a little bit complicated without WebSphere knowledge."
"The availability of the solution needs improvement."
"It should be able to serve more concurrent requests like Oracle. Oracle has more powerful stability, availability, and real-time serving."
"They should make the solution more lightweight and not bundle everything into a single product."
"Installing or configuring a WAS server instance as a Windows Service causes a lot of problems, especially when the server needs credentials to stop."
"The footprint could be reduced so that we can use a smaller virtual machine to run the application. We could also use more scripts. I would like this solution to be more script oriented, rather than GUI oriented."
"Some things are very difficult to do, so the interface and usage could be more intuitive for those."
"The licensing could be improved, and I would like it to give the longevity of the lifespan of the visions. In the next release, I would like to be able to download and extract the files so that I can just use my application server."
"If you have complex business logic, there is no option to build that complex logic inside the platform."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It costs more than some of the others, but, you get what you pay for."
"When you purchase Maximo, you get WebSphere for free."
"The price of this product is higher than that of competitors."
"IBM WAS base is part of the deal when you purchase IBM FileNet P8 Content Engine."
"It is very expensive."
"The licensing policy is based on the PVU base."
"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."
"It's expensive."
Information not available
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Application Server solutions are best for your needs.
839,422 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
30%
Computer Software Company
14%
Insurance Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Government
13%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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 Application Server edition.
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 bit complicated without WebSphere knowledge.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Application Server?
The pricing model is costly. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate it around four to five. Compared to other solutions like Mendix, Oracle Application Server is more expensive.
What needs improvement with Oracle Application Server?
If you have complex business logic, there is no option to build that complex logic inside the platform. You have to use third-party tools. If Oracle could provide an inbuilt feature for complex log...
What is your primary use case for Oracle Application Server?
We use Oracle Application Server for a loan management system. We created it for a client; it is a low-code platform. Everything is purchased in Oracle Cloud, and we use it to develop and deploy ap...
 

Also Known As

WebSphere Application Server
No data available
 

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
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Distribution
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. Oracle Application Server and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
839,422 professionals have used our research since 2012.