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Apache Web Server vs IIS vs NGINX Plus 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 May 2025, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of Apache Web Server is 10.8%, up from 10.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IIS is 12.0%, down from 13.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NGINX Plus is 10.8%, down from 11.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Infrastructure
 

Featured Reviews

Sakthivel Veeramuthu - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to optimize for high performance and handle heavy traffic
Most of the features I liked were related to the performance during peak hours. Because I needed to optimize the Apache web server to run it as a high performer during my customers' usage, then I needed to reduce my Apache web server resource usage for that. So that part of the thing is what I was more interested in doing. So, I mainly liked the performance and security.
DanielWildermuth - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides integration with Eggplant but problems with stability
We use Windows Server only for Eggplant Manager. Otherwise, I'm not using it   At the moment, we have big problems with stability, and I'm not very happy at the moment. So, the stability could be improved. I have been using it for a few years.  The initial setup is complex.  We have an…
Ritesh-Bakhru - PeerSpot reviewer
Quick installation and very easy to manage while doing orchestration or automation
NGINX cannot be a replacement for your traditional load balancer with what we use in the network today. However, with applications going toward microservices, NGINX is definitely a way forward. F5 has many traditional load balancing features, so they still need to bring some of those features to NGINX. NGINX is a very basic load balancer and cannot do as many customizations as F5. I think F5 is trying to implement those features in NGINX so they can improve the balancing on NGINX, but I think that will take some time. With the traditional F5 set up, the same OS can do load balancing, firewalls, and even policy enforcement. If we are able to bring some of those capabilities to NGINX, I think it would become a versatile solution and usage would definitely increase.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The control panel is very easy to navigate. It's similar to most hosting platforms, so it's user-friendly. Once you get used to it, managing your hosting becomes easy, too."
"The product's initial setup phase is straightforward."
"Apache Web Server can be used as a proxy server"
"Most of the features I liked were related to the performance during peak hours."
"The most significant advantage is the ability to swiftly enable HTTPS services when my DNS is configured correctly."
"Its community is its most valuable feature. Solving problems is easier on Apache because so many people know this product."
"The best thing about Apache is that it is open-source, so implementing my platform on-premises is less expansive than other solutions."
"It is more secure to use Apache and you will have fewer problems than other web services."
"It is a scalable solution."
"The solution is simple and very easy to manage compared to Linux."
"We use the solution for our customer's web applications."
"The tool is very easy to use and efficient."
"The most valuable feature of IIS is it does not consume a lot of resources. It does not consume a lot of resources, such as memory."
"What I like the most is that it is easy to use."
"The graphical user interface makes it easy for users to configure the sites."
"The product is stable."
"The overall product rating is ten out of ten."
"Nginx is simple to configure, very stable in a highly utilized environment and very modular, allowing DevOps to create it's own modules for interactive use with Nginx."
"NGINX Plus' most valuable feature is the ingress controller."
"Its versatility and capabilities make it invaluable for implementing patches and fixes when necessary."
"The best solution, by far, for web traffic control for things in production and just around the house."
"Valuable features include authentication, caching, reverse proxy routing, and load balancing."
"Nginx is extremely efficient in terms of the connection rate to the CPU cycles ratio, and in terms of the bandwidth to CPU cycles."
"-"
 

Cons

"Its stability could be better."
"Things change very fast. We're always on the lookout for better approaches and tools. If the solution falls behind, we may have to switch."
"By optimizing the infrastructure to allow the webserver to directly handle queries from memory—particularly by prioritizing the storage of queries in memory and processing them through the web server interface—I could potentially cut down the required instances from five hundred to two hundred."
"There is a security-related problem that depends on the web server's configuration."
"The interface has room for improvement."
"There isn't a dedicated customer support available"
"It would be great if technical support for Apache were available in Iran. It is a very important need."
"The major issue occurs with ports. So, I would like to see easier port management."
"Performance-wise, certain improvements in IIS are needed...IIS is not scalable. Its scalability is less."
"The documentation is not very detailed. They need to improve it and add to it. They should ensure there are lots of visuals to help users better understand the solution."
"The level of technical support the solution offers could be improved."
"The platform's stability could be better."
"The only issue I've encountered is with certificates not working fine sometimes. It's influenced by the server's service performance."
"The customer service and support team can be improved."
"Occasionally, we encounter performance issues with IIS where it becomes unresponsive and requires a solution restart."
"The product could be more compatible with Linux and macOS, particularly when applying user configuration policies."
"Initially, I experienced hiccups whenever I installed the application."
"Make modules easier to enable or disable. The beauty and ugly side of the NGINX modules is you have to know how to compile the module. For beginners or non-very technical aspirant(s) going for NGINX, they have to learn how to compile the modules.​"
"They should do in the open source version of what they did to Advanced HTTP, TCP, and UDP load balancing."
"I would suggest adding GUI-based configuration panels to NGINX Plus to simplify setup and management tasks."
"The user interface could be improved."
"The biggest room for improvement would be to allow NGINX Core machines to cluster for memory zones in some way with a plug and play module. ​"
"NGINX is a very basic load balancer and cannot do as many customizations as F5."
"Initially, I experienced hiccups whenever I installed the application. As with any application, there were initial issues, however, after receiving support, everything was rectified."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is no licensing cost for the product."
"It is a free-of-cost solution."
"The apache software is free, open-source."
"It is an open-source solution."
"I give the price of the solution a five out of ten."
"They offer a one-time payment model for the product license, and we pay annually for support."
"The price is good."
"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."
"The yearly licensing cost is very high. The solution is very expensive."
"We pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution."
"This solution comes included with Windows Server."
"I use the solution's community edition which is free of cost."
"It's an open source solution, so it's free."
"​NGINX Plus is worth it, if you need it. If you do not need the features or support, the free and open source package is more than capable. ​"
"Nginx is free. I don't have experience with the Plus version."
"You pay for each feature that you want."
"HAProxy is cheaper than NGINX."
"I am not so happy with their pricing policy, but this is not the worse thing in my life. I can tolerate it."
"The solution is free, but you can spend a lot of money with a complex solution."
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Comparison Review

it_user240036 - PeerSpot reviewer
Apr 10, 2016
Apache vs. Nginx
Originally posted https://zitseng.com/archives/10435 Apache or Nginx. This is a question that many website administrators have considered. It’s a question that I’ve also considered several times, and again just the past week. Apache is the most popular web server on the Internet. Nginx, on the…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
17%
University
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Apache Web Server?
The product's initial setup phase is straightforward.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Apache Web Server?
Apache Web Server is a free product, with no associated setup costs or licensing fees.
What needs improvement with Apache Web Server?
There is no need for substantial improvements as we have a dedicated team managing the server, ensuring everything ru...
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 architectur...
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 a...
What do you like most about NGINX Plus?
It performs very well. That's one of the primary reasons we use NGINX.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NGINX Plus?
My use case involves using the free and open-source version of NGINX, making it cost-effective as I haven't incurred ...
What needs improvement with NGINX Plus?
One area of improvement could be that NGINX could provide a means to generate self-signed SSL certificates. This woul...
 

Also Known As

Apache HTTP Server
Windows Server IIS
NGINX
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Cisco, Intuit, General Electric, Adobe, VMware, PayPal, HP, EMC, eBay, Apple, SAP, Qualcomm, SanDisk, Allstate, FedEx
Erste Bank Group, NJVC, Samsung Electronics, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Tata Steel Europe, Urban Software Institute
Locaweb, AppNexus, Wix, Reliam, Montana Interactive, MuleSoft, Warpwire, Discovery Education, InkaBinka, WordPress.com, Gogo, GOV.UK, NASA
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, F5, Apache and others in Application Infrastructure. Updated: May 2025.
851,174 professionals have used our research since 2012.