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IBM WebSphere Application Server vs Oracle WebLogic Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM WebSphere Application S...
Ranking in Application Server
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
Application Infrastructure (5th)
Oracle WebLogic Server
Ranking in Application Server
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
33
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Application Server category, the mindshare of IBM WebSphere Application Server is 12.0%, up from 11.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle WebLogic Server is 26.0%, up from 26.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Server
 

Featured Reviews

Saleem Shar - PeerSpot reviewer
Compatible, stable, and scalable
IBM WebSphere Application Server is one of the best servers due to its stability and paid license. I have never encountered any issues when installing and deploying applications, as it never goes down. Currently, there are two versions of WebSphere Application Server: the old version, known as WebSphere Application ND, and the newer version, Liberty, which is Docker-based. I have experience with both and have never encountered any issues. I believe that WebSphere Application Server is a great feature.
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 only reason why we're currently using WebSphere is that the integration of the authentication with Azure is very quick. WebSphere has something that can immediately connect with Azure Active Directory."
"The solution is robust. The connection management and the scalability, which IBM provides to the Stack, are also valuable."
"The VPN service is quite useful."
"The solution is very stable and robust."
"It has good stability of the application server in the long term compared to other solutions."
"IBM WebSphere Application Server is one of the best servers due to its stability and paid license."
"We needed this type of integration and WebShepere is the best tool for it."
"The scalability of the product is quite good."
"The product is flexible and allows us to leverage deployments."
"Oracle WebLogic Server is more secure and has full functionalities that can be used for big applications."
"We can manage every application by creating a managed server and a cluster."
"In WebLogic, the most useful feature is the UI administration console from where we can configure everything, such as security access, and we can start and stop it graphically. That's the best feature of WebLogic Server."
"WebLogic is reliable, and it's easy to use for development."
"I recommend the product because the installation is easy, it provides a secure environment, and it's easy to manage. The solution provides easy monitoring. Accessing all the logs is easy, and deploying application versions is smooth."
"Helps in efficient load distribution"
"Oracle WebLogic Server has a bunch of ready features that are easy to use and understand."
 

Cons

"Based on the field and based on the build that was provided, we've noticed a lot of constraints in terms of the performance now."
"While WebSphere mostly supports IBM HTTP Server (IHS) as the web server plugin, I think it would be beneficial if it also supported Apache and NGINX web servers. That would give customers more flexibility in their choices."
"I think that this is a good product but I think that the cloud environment could be improved. I think that the future is in the utilization of the product in a product as a service way which is something that is lacking at this moment."
"The solution consumes hardware."
"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."
"The solution could improve the integration."
"IBM needs to pay attention to market changes more quickly. We now have Java 9 and very soon Java EE8. We do not want to wait for two or three years after their release until they are supported by the new version."
"They should make the solution more lightweight and not bundle everything into a single product."
"Oracle's support team fails to understand the real problem of the customer, which is why they take time to resolve issues."
"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."
"There are always ways to improve. But it's getting better every time, with every new release, and every new patch, it's getting better."
"Having clearer mechanisms to directly map a database-level connection problem to the corresponding WebLogic thread would greatly enhance the administrator's convenience."
"The cost could always be lower."
"The error handling area in Oracle WebLogic Server is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The integration could be improved."
"Its pricing should be better. We are analyzing other options, such as JBoss, because of the cost of WebLogic."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It costs more than some of the others, but, you get what you pay for."
"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."
"It is very expensive."
"WebSphere Application Server is expensive, so it may not be a good option for small companies."
"I don't remember the price, but there are no additional costs."
"The licensing policy is based on the PVU base."
"Fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"The solution's licensing is high-priced."
"The solution’s pricing is affordable."
"The tool's pricing is yearly."
"The licensing of the product is expensive"
"The licensing fees are annual and depend on the model."
"In our country, this is an expensive product."
"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
32%
Computer Software Company
13%
Insurance Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
20%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

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 Application Server edition.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM WebSphere Application Server?
The product is expensive. I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.
What needs improvement with IBM WebSphere Application Server?
I think in some moments, the security was a little bit more complex to configure when it was delegated to other systems, making it an area where improvements are required.
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 yourself. Oracle's support team fails to understand the real problem of the cus...
What is your primary use case for Oracle WebLogic Server?
I use the solution in my company since few customers use WebLogic applications and also since they have a few number of applications deployed on it.
 

Also Known As

WebSphere Application Server
WebLogic Application Server
 

Learn More

 

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
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 IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. Oracle WebLogic Server and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.