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IIS vs Windows Process Activation Services 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

IIS
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Application Server (4th)
Windows Process Activation ...
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
22nd
Average Rating
4.0
Reviews Sentiment
2.8
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of IIS is 12.5%, down from 13.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Process Activation Services is 0.8%, down from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Infrastructure
 

Featured Reviews

VikramSingh6 - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
it_user1226547 - PeerSpot reviewer
Central console enables us to see all of the activated and deactivated computers but it has poor alerts and frustrating technical support
The solution needs to allow for other company product licenses to be included if possible. The solution needs to include other Microsoft products, like Exchange, SharePoint, etc. Right now, it's only for Windows and Office. The solution needs to be made web-based. Right now, we have to install some tools and to use these tools we have to log into a specific server. If that server has an issue we cannot manage it. The solution needs to be able to be managed from any machine. Alerting capabilities should be improved. If a license expires or there is a breach, or something is non-compliant, the solution should send out alerts.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's very easy to publish."
"It helps scan and mitigates our vulnerabilities using the best protocols to secure our environment."
"IIS works natively with Windows Server without any issues in publishing certificates."
"The product's most valuable features are performance and security."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is easy to use and easy to understand."
"IIS is useful for the deployment of web applications...Its stability is good."
"The tool is very easy to use and efficient."
"The solution is very simple to use and easy to deploy."
"The most valuable aspect of the solution is the central console, that allows you to see all of the activated and deactivated computers."
 

Cons

"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."
"The solution's stability needs improvement."
"The product could be more compatible with Linux and macOS, particularly when applying user configuration policies."
"Compared to Linux, the solution’s Windows patching is slower. I would like to improve it."
"The solution's black box is not fast."
"I would like to see NLB features in IIS."
"Having no support for other than a Microsoft environment and programming languages limits the usage of IIS in many cases."
"The stability of the solution needs improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution provides multiple licensing options."
"I give the price of the solution a five out of ten."
"There is an annual license to use this solution and the price could be better."
"There is no license needed to use the solution."
"It is licensed with your Windows installation which makes it relatively cheap if you already have a Windows Server sitting around."
"I didn't need to get an additional license for the solution since it was included in my server."
"The cost for IIS is already included in Windows services. We don't have to pay anything extra."
"The solution’s pricing is yearly. The pricing is affordable and not high."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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,...
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.
Ask a question
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Also Known As

Windows Server IIS
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Erste Bank Group, NJVC, Samsung Electronics, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Tata Steel Europe, Urban Software Institute
Bank Alfalah Ltd., Harris Farm Markets, The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, John Keells Holdings, Green Prefab, 343 Industries, SM Prime, Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd.
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, F5, Apache and others in Application Infrastructure. Updated: March 2025.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.