IIS vs Tomcat comparison

Microsoft and Apache are both solutions in the Application Server category. Microsoft is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.3, while Apache is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.8. Microsoft holds a 6.8% mindshare in AppS, compared to Apache’s 19.9% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Apache users who would recommend it.

IIS

Read 56 IIS reviews

1,545 Views
1,163 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

Tomcat

Read 51 Tomcat reviews

4,306 Views
3,427 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

IIS

Tomcat

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 2, 2025

IIS and Tomcat compete in the web server and application server category. IIS seems to have the upper hand in environments that require seamless integration with Windows, while Tomcat stands out in cross-platform flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

Features: IIS offers seamless compatibility with Microsoft applications, robust security features, and high performance. In contrast, Tomcat is lightweight, open-source, and excels in cross-platform capabilities, providing easy configuration for Java applications.

Room for Improvement: IIS struggles with compatibility beyond Microsoft platforms and has complex advanced configurations. Tomcat faces challenges with performance in handling static content and scalability for high-traffic applications, along with documentation complexity.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IIS is integrated with Windows Server, providing straightforward on-premises deployment and decent technical support. Tomcat's deployment is flexible across platforms, yet support mainly relies on its strong open-source community.

Pricing and ROI: IIS is bundled with Windows Server, offering cost benefits to Microsoft users but can be expensive with additional licensing. Tomcat is free and open-source, providing a low-cost solution for Java applications, though enterprise support may lead to additional expenses.

To learn more, read our detailed IIS vs. Tomcat Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IIS vs. Tomcat

March 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

IIS

Ranking in Application Server

4th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Infrastructure (1st)

Tomcat

Ranking in Application Server

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Application Server category, the mindshare of IIS is 6.8%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tomcat is 19.9%, down from 20.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Server

Featured Reviews

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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Erick Karanja

Technical Lead at Cellulant Kenya

Offers high availability, straightforward deployment and easy to use

Tomcat could be a little bit more innovative. Tomcat could come up with a framework that's more lightweight and purely targeted at Java applications. Some other solutions are doing better right now, maybe because they have come up with MicroProfile, which I think is moving forward. It may actually beat Tomcat because of the lightweight nature of the framework, the MicroProfile. They're coming up with new solutions. So, for the future of Tomcat and to maintain the market share they might be looking for, they need to come up with initiatives to ensure that several of us have a lightweight framework to deploy applications on.

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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

"IIS's most valuable feature is user-friendliness."

"The product's most valuable features are performance and security."

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

"The initial setup is simple."

"It has an intuitive user interface and provides a lot of options for building reports."

"The product is stable."

"All the features of Microsoft IIS are valuable."

"The solution has been reliable."

More IIS pros

"The product's initial setup phase was simple."

"The deployment process is very fast."

"I love Tomcat for its scalability, reliability, availability, and steadiness."

"The product is easy to use."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is that it supports Java Enterprise."

"The solution is readily available and open-source."

"It is a robust solution."

"The solution is convenient. It is a comfortable and easy-to-use solution for my use cases."

More Tomcat pros

Cons

"The tool needs to improve its performance."

"The platform's stability could be better."

"In the next release, I would like to see better integration between the cloud environment and the on-premises environment."

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

"The product could be more compatible with Linux and macOS, particularly when applying user configuration policies."

"The solution's scalability needs improvement."

"The solution should improve the cluster environment and load balancing."

"The solution's black box is not fast."

More IIS cons

"Technical support is limited."

"Tomcat's performance is less than other solutions like IBM WebSphere or JBoss."

"Resource configuration like JNDI and queue configuration, similar to other servers, should be provided from the admin console for Tomcat."

"I would personally like it if the admin console would show more information specifically about memory being used."

"Security integration in Tomcat is complicated. We need to use another tool to solve the security issues."

"I have no recommendations for improvements."

"The product's pricing needs improvement."

"Performance optimization is an area of concern in Tomcat that should be made better."

More Tomcat cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution provides multiple licensing options."

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

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

"There is no license required for the product as it is role-based. Whenever you go for a Windows platform server, the role has to be installed directly from the server manager. There is no additional cost that has to be paid for that. It is free to use."

"We pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution."

"Users can get a subscription-based license or a perpetual license for IIS."

"IIS comes along with an OS license from Microsoft. Others can opt for a perpetual-based licensing model to be able to use the system."

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

More IIS pricing and cost advice

"Tomcat's pricing is very cheap."

"We are using the open-source version."

"I rate the product's price an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is a high price, and ten is a low price."

"Tomcat is open-source and free to use."

"If it is a community version of the solution, no payment is required. However, if it is a Linux version, we must buy the solution from JBoss."

"I give the pricing an eight out of ten."

"The solution is free."

"The price of the solution is good."

More Tomcat pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Educational Organization

47%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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,...

See all answers

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

What do you like most about Tomcat?

Tomcat's ease of use has positively impacted project timelines. Tomcat already has high availability – it doesn't go down so often and doesn't require a lot of maintenance. As long as your applicat...

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What needs improvement with Tomcat?

Resource configuration like JNDI and queue configuration, similar to other servers, should be provided from the admin console for Tomcat. Currently, it is done manually. The server config file must...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Tomcat?

I am using the solution at running level three. It is for running web applications.

See all answers

Comparisons

NGINX Plus vs IIS

Compared 29% of the time

Apache Web Server vs IIS

Compared 23% of the time

Oracle WebLogic Server vs IIS

Compared 16% of the time

JBoss vs IIS

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft .NET Framework vs IIS

Compared 5% of the time

More IIS Competitors

Oracle WebLogic Server vs Tomcat

Compared 31% of the time

JBoss vs Tomcat

Compared 24% of the time

IBM WebSphere Application Server vs Tomcat

Compared 21% of the time

Caucho Resin vs Tomcat

Compared 4% of the time

Oracle GlassFish vs Tomcat

Compared 3% of the time

More Tomcat Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IIS

March 2025

Download IIS product report

Buyer's Guide

Tomcat

March 2025

Download Tomcat product report

Also Known As

Windows Server IIS

No data available

Overview

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

Tomcat is a reliable and efficient web server, popular for hosting and running Java-based applications. It is praised for its scalability, compatibility with different operating systems and development frameworks, and its ability to handle heavy workloads.

Users appreciate Tomcat's ease of use, robust performance, reliable server functionality, seamless integration with various platforms, extensive documentation, and strong community support.

Apache

Sample Customers

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

1. Adobe Systems 2. Amazon 3. Apple 4. AT&T 5. Bank of America 6. Boeing 7. Cisco Systems 8. Citigroup 9. Dell 10. eBay 11. Facebook 12. General Electric 13. Google 14. Hewlett-Packard 15. IBM 16. Intel 17. JPMorgan Chase 18. Microsoft 19. Netflix 20. Oracle 21. PayPal 22. Salesforce 23. Samsung 24. Sony 25. Target 26. Twitter 27. Uber 28. Verizon 29. Visa 30. Volkswagen 31. Walmart 32. Yahoo

Buyer's Guide

IIS vs. Tomcat

March 2025

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