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Apache Web Server vs NGINX Plus comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 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

Apache Web Server
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
4th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NGINX Plus
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
3rd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) (10th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of Apache Web Server is 7.0%, down from 11.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NGINX Plus is 7.9%, down from 9.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Infrastructure Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
NGINX Plus7.9%
Apache Web Server7.0%
Other85.1%
Application Infrastructure
 

Featured Reviews

Dimitrios Zigkos - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise Architect at Smals vzw
Faced limitations with integration and long-term adaptability but benefited from a lightweight architecture for standalone applications
I find valuable and beneficial the independence that comes with Apache Web Server. You can build a small project using a simple application server without bothering too much about how to manage it. The compatibility with multiple operating systems has helped my operations since most of the time we use Linux. Some systems rely on Windows, but they are few; in the past, Windows was the dominant operating system for mainstream PCs and infrastructure, but not for business. All the companies I worked for had 90% Linux and maybe up to 10% Windows. The initial setup of Apache Web Server was straightforward and okay.
Nadeem-Inamdar - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Information Security Engineer at a tech company with 10,001+ employees
Advanced policies and web firewall have strengthened application protection and reduced attack traffic
There were some vulnerabilities in F5. They tried to fix it, but the fixes were not available at the time because they were zero days, so they attempted to fix it, but their support was not proper. Their support should be improved because sometimes features which we need for customization take time, and they are sometimes feasible and sometimes not feasible by the team, so their support and the engineering team should improve their product. I would like to see more features regarding customization which should be built into the application, and the tool optimization should be good, and the dashboard should be more crisp and clear.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The best thing about Apache is that it is open-source, so implementing my platform on-premises is less expansive than other solutions."
"The solution's most valuable feature is reporting."
"Apache is a powerful tool with which you can make it do just about anything you need."
"Apache Web Server is free of cost."
"The open-source nature is one of its most significant advantages."
"I find valuable and beneficial the independence that comes with Apache Web Server; you can build a small project using a simple application server without bothering too much about how to manage it."
"Apache Web Server is freeware with no setup or licensing costs, yet it efficiently and stably runs our web applications in the cloud, including Java-based ones with Apache Tomcat and SSL for secure connectivity, providing substantial cost-savings for our organization."
"The solution offers good security."
"NGINX has created a resilient infrastructure for us which has reduced our downtimes."
"When you use NGINX, you have more options and power."
"NGINX provides a cost advantage, value addition, and effective support."
"The best solution, by far, for web traffic control for things in production and just around the house."
"Recently, we’ve needed to deploy sites over a number of servers to balance the load, which was not only painless but also super valuable."
"When I worked in a security research center, we tested NGINX to support DoS and DDoS attacks, and its results were great."
"The product is resilient."
"I find the solution’s community support and documentation most valuable. Compared to HAProxy, have found a lot of documentation and community support on Quora. If you would be asking me as a developer whether to choose this product, I would recommend this since it has good community support, documentation, and signature updates. The configuration of HAProxy is also very tedious. However, NGINX’s configuration is very simple."
 

Cons

"With Apache, you can't update the system. There is a big gap between models. I don't like this."
"Apache Server and the Nginx also do not require any licenses, and I think because of this that the support is not so good for us."
"A monitoring interface would be great for this product. The monitoring dashboards for Apache's models are not included in the basic installation. You can install the basic monitoring model, then connect this model to another monitoring system."
"I want the user interface to be more user-friendly."
"In future releases, I would like to see better server optimization."
"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."
"Adding a reverse proxy to Apache Web Server would be a significant improvement."
"There isn't a dedicated customer support available"
"One area of improvement could be that NGINX could provide a means to generate self-signed SSL certificates."
"It would be good if NGINX provided a graphical user interface."
"NGINX is not cost-effective, especially for few applications, and is considered higher-priced."
"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. ​"
"They tried to fix it, but the fixes were not available at the time because they were zero days, so they attempted to fix it, but their support was not proper."
"The center management system could be improved."
"There is room for improvement in the pricing model."
"Compared to other similar solutions on the market, I think it's over-priced."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an open-source solution."
"It is a free-of-cost solution."
"There is no licensing cost for the product."
"The apache software is free, open-source."
"Compared to other similar solutions on the market, I think it's over-priced."
"The solution is free, but you can spend a lot of money with a complex solution."
"HAProxy is cheaper than NGINX."
"There's an open-source version of NGINX that is free."
"I am not so happy with their pricing policy, but this is not the worse thing in my life. I can tolerate it."
"Nginx is free. I don't have experience with the Plus version."
"The list price of NGINX Plus is close to $5,500."
"I use the solution's community edition which is free of cost."
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911,994 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user240036 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior IT Architect at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
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
Construction Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Construction Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise11
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise11
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Apache Web Server?
There are no fees associated with the usage of Apache Web Server in my projects. If you want to have support, then there is some cost, but today I do not know how many companies pay for that servic...
What needs improvement with Apache Web Server?
I would like to see improvements in the functionality and core of Apache Web Server, focusing on building an infrastructure that can be resilient and robust enough to handle resource shortages, and...
What is your primary use case for Apache Web Server?
I am currently working with Apache Web Server in my projects because I'm an architect. Some years ago, it was the application server and the web server; it was Apache Daemon and Apache, the web ser...
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 needs improvement with NGINX Plus?
There were some vulnerabilities in F5. They tried to fix it, but the fixes were not available at the time because they were zero days, so they attempted to fix it, but their support was not proper....
 

Also Known As

Apache HTTP Server
NGINX, F5 NGINX Plus
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Cisco, Intuit, General Electric, Adobe, VMware, PayPal, HP, EMC, eBay, Apple, SAP, Qualcomm, SanDisk, Allstate, FedEx
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 Apache Web Server vs. NGINX Plus and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
911,994 professionals have used our research since 2012.