Apache Web Server vs Zend PHP Engine comparison

Apache and Zend are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. Apache is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4, while Zend is ranked #15 with an average rating of 7.5. Apache holds a 11.3% mindshare in AIS, compared to Zend’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Apache users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Zend users who would recommend it.

Apache Web Server

Read 24 Apache Web Server reviews

1,574 Views
1,558 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Zend PHP Engine

Read 11 Zend PHP Engine reviews

496 Views
496 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Apache Web Server

Zend PHP Engine

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

Zend PHP Engine and Apache Web Server compete in the web development category. Zend PHP Engine is favored due to its specialized PHP processing abilities, making it superior in PHP application performance.

Features: Zend PHP Engine offers robust PHP optimization, efficient debugging tools, and real-time application monitoring. Apache Web Server provides extensive module support, customizability, and flexibility in hosting different content types.

Room for Improvement: Zend PHP Engine could improve in cost-effectiveness, compatibility with non-PHP technologies, and support for diverse web application needs. Apache Web Server can enhance user interface design, scalability for larger enterprises, and simplified configuration processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zend PHP Engine features a straightforward installation with specialized PHP support, enhancing the developer experience. Apache Web Server offers ample online documentation and community support, mainly focusing on server configuration and management.

Pricing and ROI: Zend PHP Engine requires a higher initial investment due to its specialized features, potentially delivering higher ROI for PHP-centric applications through enhanced efficiency. In contrast, Apache Web Server's open-source nature offers cost benefits but might require additional investments for customization depending on module needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Apache Web Server vs. Zend PHP Engine Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server vs. Zend PHP Engine

December 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

Apache Web Server

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

5th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Zend PHP Engine

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

15th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of Apache Web Server is 11.3%, up from 10.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zend PHP Engine is 1.7%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Apache Web Server	11.3%
Zend PHP Engine	1.7%
Other	87.0%

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

Dimitrios Zigkos

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.

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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

"The product's initial setup phase is straightforward."

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

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

"Apache Web Server effectively runs any web application, including Java-based applications, and includes Apache Tomcat server, which is crucial."

"The product is very cheap and stable."

"It is scalable."

"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 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."

More Apache Web Server pros

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

"Faster web app implementation, when PHP dev is required by customers."

"It offers good support for various types of classes, along with many open source libraries that we can readily utilize in our application development process. This gives us a lot of options when it comes to custom development solutions, without having to worry about licensing or other programming-related issues."

"This solution is really easy for me to use."

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

"Zend PHP Engine is more secure than any other framework, and I usually prefer Zend PHP Engine for big applications."

"Zend Engine gives the flexibility to use external modules to easily expand the functionalities you need for your web project."

"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

"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 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 fast enough in edge cases without crashing under too much traffic during spikes."

"So far, for us, everything is okay."

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

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

"For NGINX, I think it has NGINX Management Suite, which is GUI-based and allows you to manage your configuration via the user interface, but Apache fails to offer such capabilities to users."

"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."

"There isn't a dedicated customer support available"

More Apache Web Server cons

"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."

"The solution can be quicker."

"In terms of improvement, it doesn't support concurrent processing. When we want to process anything on a concurrent basis, we have to divide it into a number of things, like a queue, or we have to run it using Cron jobs. We would like to have the capability to run any thread or process in parallel."

"The biggest problem with PHP is you have to write lot of conditions or have to use a framework."

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

"Its object oriented programming language needs improvement."

More Zend PHP Engine cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an open-source solution."

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

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

"There is no licensing cost for the product."

"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."

"Its pricing depends on the number of users."

"Zend PHP Engine is not an expensive solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	11

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Large Enterprise	2

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?

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...

See all answers

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...

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 33% of the time

NGINX Plus vs Apache Web Server

Compared 25% of the time

Magic xpa Application Platform vs Apache Web Server

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft .NET Framework vs Apache Web Server

Compared 5% of the time

SAP NetWeaver Business Rules Management vs Apache Web Server

Compared 2% of the time

More Apache Web Server Competitors

NGINX Plus vs Zend PHP Engine

Compared 56% of the time

More Zend PHP Engine Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server

January 2026

Download Apache Web Server product report

Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

January 2026

Download Zend PHP Engine product report

Also Known As

Apache HTTP Server

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

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

Cisco

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server vs. Zend PHP Engine

December 2025

Free Report: Apache Web Server vs. Zend PHP Engine

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