Apache Web Server vs NGINX Plus vs Zend PHP Engine comparison

Apache and F5 are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. Apache is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.8, while F5 is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.3. Apache holds a 10.8% mindshare in AIS, compared to F5’s 10.8% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Apache users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of F5 users who would recommend it.

Apache Web Server

Read 23 Apache Web Server reviews

1,798 Views
1,524 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

NGINX Plus

Read 31 NGINX Plus reviews

1,956 Views
1,647 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Zend PHP Engine

Read 11 Zend PHP Engine reviews

485 Views
196 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Apache Web Server

NGINX Plus

Zend PHP Engine

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Apache Web Server, NGINX Plus, and Zend PHP Engine based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, F5, Apache and others in Application Infrastructure.

To learn more, read our detailed Application Infrastructure Report (Updated: May 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

May 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:

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 NGINX Plus is 10.8%, down from 11.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zend PHP Engine is 1.7%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

Sakthivel Veeramuthu

Technology Lead at Infosys

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.

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Ritesh-Bakhru

Major Account Manager at Check Point Software

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.

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SatyendraGupta

External Consultant (Digital Tool Developer and Intervention Specialist) at IQVIA

The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature

The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature. A general scripting language should be further developed and should be embedded into it. I have been Zend PHP Engine for nine years. Multiple people are using the solution. Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.…

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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

"Most of the features I liked were related to the performance during peak hours."

"Apache has proven to be incredibly reliable, and everything has operated smoothly without encountering any issues."

"The most significant advantage is the ability to swiftly enable HTTPS services when my DNS is configured correctly."

"It's very stable, and it hosts one of the biggest of many biggest web applications in the world."

"It is more secure to use Apache and you will have fewer problems than other web services."

"Its community is its most valuable feature. Solving problems is easier on Apache because so many people know this product."

"Apache Web Server can be used as a proxy server"

"The solution's most valuable feature is reporting."

More Apache Web Server pros

"The primary valuable feature of NGINX for me is its ability to provide a reverse proxy."

"Its versatility and capabilities make it invaluable for implementing patches and fixes when necessary."

"NGINX provides a cost advantage, value addition, and effective support."

"With NGINX, I appreciate its ability to route traffic geographically."

"This solution has everything."

"The product is lightweight and fast."

"NGINX Plus also has NGINX App Protect. It's a separate module, which is inspired by the F5 apps."

"The web proxy and the database proxy are excellent."

More NGINX Plus pros

"The cache modules that Zend provides have been able to optimize and accelerate the loading of the pages when there was exponential growth in data volume and quantity of requests. At the same time, the monitoring console allowed us to have a real-time understanding of the resources and to make decisions when they were at the limit."

"Zend Engine is the core of PHP. It makes PHP fast, efficient, and basically, the language of choice for web applications."

"The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the speed at which it compiles and sends the dynamic cache."

"We have not encountered issues with scalability as long as we effectively use caching to optimize performance of our web applications as well as a proper use of database connectivity."

"Scaling up is an important factor for large projects, and with PHP 7 and its performance improvements, this becomes even easier."

"The solution's initial setup process is easy."

"The Zend Framework provides an easy, open source way to produce coding based on the needs of our customers."

More Zend PHP Engine pros

Cons

"Adding a reverse proxy to Apache Web Server would be a significant improvement."

"The GUI for the less experienced users needs some improvement. For some companies, it is hard to configure it if they have not had any experience."

"It would be great if technical support for Apache were available in Iran. It is a very important need."

"The interface has room for improvement."

"In future releases, I would like to see better server optimization."

"The product's initial setup process could be easier for users."

"There is a security-related problem that depends on the web server's configuration."

"I want the user interface to be more user-friendly."

More Apache Web Server cons

"They should do in the open source version of what they did to Advanced HTTP, TCP, and UDP load balancing."

"Initially, I experienced hiccups whenever I installed the application."

"Improvement needed in NGINX Plus could focus on optimizing memory usage for users."

"I would like to see the Grafana integration in NGINX which is already present in HAProxy. Grafana integration will help the solution visualize all the data analytics on the dashboard which is currently not present."

"It would be good if NGINX provided a graphical user interface."

"NGINX is a very basic load balancer and cannot do as many customizations as F5."

"The scaling should be built into the software rather than configured from an outside source."

"The solution's GUI is an area with certain shortcomings that need improvement."

More NGINX Plus cons

"The solution can be quicker."

"Its object oriented programming language needs improvement."

"Although it offers a complete environment to develop and deploy PHP applications, it has some limitations. For example, when the volume of data increased exponentially, I had problems scaling the system."

"Integrating AI tools would make PHP more competitive, as other tools already have AI features."

"SQL queries have always been an issue with PHP, especially if you use large tables, which require caution from the side of the developer."

"Zend PHP Engine needs to improve the loading time of its libraries and make it faster."

"Integration of MVC with ORM tools for PHP is okay, but lacking a short list of decent ORM tools for PHP to choose from; there is ample room for improvement in both areas."

"The process of installing and configuring the product is a bit complex and could be improved."

More Zend PHP Engine cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is no licensing cost for the product."

"The apache software is free, open-source."

"It is a free-of-cost solution."

"It is an open-source solution."

"NGINX is a free tool in Brazil. There are some companies which do support it."

"The solution is free, but you can spend a lot of money with a complex solution."

"I am not so happy with their pricing policy, but this is not the worse thing in my life. I can tolerate it."

"Compared to other similar solutions on the market, I think it's over-priced."

"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. "

"I use the solution's community edition which is free of cost."

"The list price of NGINX Plus is close to $5,500."

"It's an open source solution, so it's free."

More NGINX Plus pricing and cost advice

"No problem with pricing and licensing, as tools are open source. You have to consider training cost, mindset setup cost, as part of the TCO."

"The solution is open source and you just pay for the server cost."

"The Zend PHP engine is open source technology, so there's no need for us to worry about licensing or other costs."

"Zend PHP Engine is not an expensive solution."

"Its pricing depends on the number of users."

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Comparison Review

it_user240036

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…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

17%

University

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

18%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

14%

University

10%

Construction Company

10%

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.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

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What do you like most about NGINX Plus?

It performs very well. That's one of the primary reasons we use NGINX.

See all answers

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 ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Zend PHP Engine?

The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zend PHP Engine?

PHP is an open-source solution.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Zend PHP Engine?

Integrating AI tools would make PHP more competitive, as other tools already have AI features.

See all answers

Comparisons

IIS vs Apache Web Server

Compared 41% of the time

Microsoft .NET Framework vs Apache Web Server

Compared 9% of the time

IBM WebSphere Application Server vs Apache Web Server

Compared 7% of the time

Oracle SOA Suite vs Apache Web Server

Compared 5% of the time

JBoss Enterprise Application Platform vs Apache Web Server

Compared 3% of the time

More Apache Web Server Competitors

IIS vs NGINX Plus

Compared 17% of the time

HAProxy vs NGINX Plus

Compared 15% of the time

NetScaler vs NGINX Plus

Compared 11% of the time

Kemp LoadMaster vs NGINX Plus

Compared 10% of the time

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs NGINX Plus

Compared 10% of the time

More NGINX Plus Competitors

No data available

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server

May 2025

Download Apache Web Server product report

Buyer's Guide

NGINX Plus

April 2025

Download NGINX Plus product report

Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

May 2025

Download Zend PHP Engine product report

Also Known As

Apache HTTP Server

NGINX

PHP Engine

Overview

The Apache HTTP Server Project was founded in 1995 by a group of webmasters, known as The Apache Group, with the aim of developing robust, richly-featured, freely-available and commercial-standard Web (HTTP) server source code. The result was Apache Web Server or Apache HTTP Server, which is an open-source public-domain web server.

This collaborative project has been enhanced ever since with contributions from the core development team and other volunteers situated all over the globe. Also, hundreds of users of this open-source web server have contributed code, ideas, and documentation. The project falls under The Apache Software Foundation, which manages many open-source projects.

Apache

NGINX Plus is a versatile solution that offers load balancing, caching, proxying, and API deployment capabilities. It can be deployed on private or public clouds and is ideal for building CDN solutions. The solution can also be used to secure web applications and replace web services like Apache.

NGINX has helped organizations improve functioning, reduce downtimes, and offer a DevOps-friendly solution. Its community support and documentation are highly regarded, and its configuration is more straightforward, making it a recommended choice over HAProxy.

The Zend PHP Engine is designed to optimize PHP code and improve performance, making it a popular choice for web developers. It is easy to use, stable, does not require a lot of code, is open source, and only requires payment for server costs. The initial setup is straightforward, and there is no real need to set up the solution because it's built into the deployment.

Zend

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

Cisco

Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

May 2025

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