Azul Zulu vs Windows Server AppFabric comparison

Azul Systems and Microsoft are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. Azul Systems is ranked #11, while Microsoft is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.7. Azul Systems holds a 3.7% mindshare in AIS, compared to Microsoft’s 2.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Azul Systems users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Azul Zulu

Read 2 Azul Zulu reviews

711 Views
675 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Windows Server AppFabric

Read 5 Windows Server AppFabric reviews

558 Views
552 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Azul Zulu

Windows Server AppFabric

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Azul Zulu and Windows Server AppFabric based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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

To learn more, read our detailed Application Infrastructure Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

January 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 881,082 peers since 2012

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

Azul Zulu

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

11th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

AI Customer Experience Personalization (21st), AI Content Creation (58th)

Windows Server AppFabric

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

13th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

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 Azul Zulu is 3.7%, down from 5.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server AppFabric is 2.2%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Azul Zulu	3.7%
Windows Server AppFabric	2.2%
Other	94.1%

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

BasilJiji

System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

Standardized our Java estate and have reduced licensing costs while maintaining strong support

Azul Zulu's ability to allow us to standardize our Java estate on a single and well-supported platform stands out as one of its best features. This standardization simplifies our compliance audits and ensures all our applications receive timely security updates.Azul Zulu positively impacts our organization by providing a platform that allows us to standardize Java on a well-supported platform. Without the high cost associated with other proprietary vendors, Azul Zulu provides an excellent platform for running our applications.

Read full review

Dennis Ndegwa

Senior System Administrator at Kentainers

Improved on-premise performance has supported faster, secure apps and clearer server monitoring

One thing I appreciate most about Windows Server AppFabric is because it's widely used; it's easier to get solutions online from other communities when I am stuck. Because it is widely used, it's easier to get solutions and also easier to work with. Especially after I found 2019, I have worked with 2019 and I appreciate it. It's easier to get solutions. After implementing Windows Server AppFabric, I can say I love the speed. The functionality and speed are good. Earlier, when they added more people, I could see some lagging. But now, I have no issue even if I double the users, even if I add 30% of users or any applications, it will still be fast. It increased the speed and also security. I've noticed the new one I have is good and secure. I love the security. The monitoring capabilities of Windows Server AppFabric help me improve service visibility and troubleshooting. In a day, I have to go through a lot of the logs and also the utilization. There, I see the CPU. I have to do the utilization, and I can see what is utilizing the most. By doing this, I can be able to tell what, in case I need to do an upgrade, what I might need to provide the upgrade or maybe increase in users that will not affect the operations.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We achieved specific outcomes from using Azul Zulu by reducing our Java licensing and support costs by approximately 70% when compared to our previous Oracle contract."

"The product's deployment phase was very easy."

"The ability to seamlessly deploy, image, and patch without causing downtime is extremely helpful and user-friendly."

"The most valuable feature is AppFabric's hosting solution, which is what we need for running workflows."

"It is very usable and easy to understand. Antivirus and VPN are the main features being used now. It allows my clients to access the network from home, which was very crucial because of the pandemic."

"After implementing Windows Server AppFabric, I can say I love the speed."

Cons

"Improvements for Azul Zulu could include more automated tools for unused code visibility integrated directly into the standard portal to help further optimize our cloud footprints."

"The product is unable to connect with different cloud services."

"The most important issue I've found is the blue screen errors, particularly when customers use external displays with a P-type cable."

"Microsoft will stop supporting the product next year, and we can't run unsupported programs in our systems."

"Its price and licensing policy can be improved. It could be a little cheaper. Licensing is sometimes confusing. There are so many different options. It is difficult to find out what to buy or what to choose for my necessity."

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"It is expensive, and its licensing is a bit confusing."

"The product is affordable, in my opinion."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Application Infrastructure solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

30%

Retailer

18%

Computer Software Company

11%

Real Estate/Law Firm

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Azul Zulu?

Improvements for Azul Zulu could include more automated tools for unused code visibility integrated directly into the standard portal to help further optimize our cloud footprints. The other core J...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Azul Zulu?

Azul Zulu serves as our primary Java runtime, providing a stable, 100% open-source, and certified solution for our production microservices. We utilize it to ensure cross-platform compatibility acr...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Azul Zulu?

My advice for others looking into using Azul Zulu is to perform a pilot migration with one non-critical application first. You will likely find that it is truly a drop-in replacement, which will gi...

See all answers

What do you like most about Windows Server AppFabric?

The product's deployment phase was very easy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Windows Server AppFabric?

I am overall satisfied with the licensing cost of Windows Server AppFabric. It's a reasonable price because I run multiple servers, so we bought the bulk one. I can say the price was fair.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Windows Server AppFabric?

I do not utilize Windows Server AppFabric's workflow management for now because that's a project that we might be looking at in the coming year, in the first or second quarter.

See all answers

Comparisons

Azul Zing vs Azul Zulu

Compared 38% of the time

Apache Web Server vs Azul Zulu

Compared 12% of the time

WebLogic Suite vs Azul Zulu

Compared 11% of the time

Oracle Hotspot vs Azul Zulu

Compared 11% of the time

Atos DirX Directory vs Azul Zulu

Compared 7% of the time

More Azul Zulu Competitors

InterSystems Ensemble vs Windows Server AppFabric

Compared 38% of the time

IIS vs Windows Server AppFabric

Compared 34% of the time

Apache Web Server vs Windows Server AppFabric

Compared 28% of the time

More Windows Server AppFabric Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

January 2026

Download Azul Zulu product report

Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

January 2026

Download Windows Server AppFabric product report

Overview

Zulu is a 100% open source certified build of OpenJDK, running on Linux, Windows, and OS X. Zulu complies with the Java SE standard for Java SE 8, 7, and 6. Free to download and use, Zulu is available on Azure, AWS, Canonical’s Charm Store and the Docker hub. Zulu Enterprise subscriptions deliver 24 x 7 x 365 access to Azul’s Support team.

Azul Systems

Windows Server AppFabric extends Windows Server to provide enhanced hosting, management, and caching capabilities for Web applications and middle-tier services. The AppFabric hosting features add service management extensions to Internet Information Services (IIS), Windows Process Activation Service (WAS), and the .NET Framework 4. This includes Hosting Services and Hosting Administration tools that make it easier to deploy, configure, and manage Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) based services. The AppFabric caching features add a distributed, in-memory object cache to Windows Server that makes it easier to scale out high-performance .NET applications, especially ASP.NET applications.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Microsoft, Kyocera, OKI, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, Voya Financial

OSIsoft

Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

January 2026

Download Free Report

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, IBM, F5 and others in Application Infrastructure. Updated: January 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our list of best Application Infrastructure vendors.

We monitor all Application Infrastructure reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.