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IBM WebSphere Application Server vs IIS vs Tomcat 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 Server category, the mindshare of IBM WebSphere Application Server is 12.8%, up from 11.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IIS is 7.1%, up from 6.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tomcat is 19.9%, down from 20.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Server
 

Featured Reviews

BharathirajaSukumar - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient load balancing and the clustering, achieved by using the deployment manager, is valuable
I believe that the system is already good. However, for improvement or enhancement, it is user-friendly, but it could offer better choices on the front end for different aspects or options. Sometimes, I have to search extensively for features, as there are no upfront tabs. There is a lack of visible, easy, user-friendly, and straightforward options for the number of features.
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…
Erick  Karanja - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers high availability, straightforward deployment and easy to use
Tomcat could be a little bit more innovative. Tomcat could come up with a framework that's more lightweight and purely targeted at Java applications. Some other solutions are doing better right now, maybe because they have come up with MicroProfile, which I think is moving forward. It may actually beat Tomcat because of the lightweight nature of the framework, the MicroProfile. They're coming up with new solutions. So, for the future of Tomcat and to maintain the market share they might be looking for, they need to come up with initiatives to ensure that several of us have a lightweight framework to deploy applications on.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"One of the most valuable features might be the stability of the IBM WebSphere Application Server."
"The product offers good performance."
"IBM WebSphere Application Server is one of the best servers due to its stability and paid license."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is Portal Virtualization."
"We needed this type of integration and WebShepere is the best tool for it."
"IBM WebSphere Application Server is easy to use."
"The scalability of the product is quite good."
"IBM WAS is the backbone for our enterprise content management suite which delivers the primary processes for our customers. Without a good application server, it would be hard to provide a secure layer of midddleware upon which the other applications run. IBM WAS improves the stability of the entire solution and provides a high quality platform for running web-based solutions."
"IIS has a very simple and user-friendly interface, which helps a lot in effective and efficient management."
"It helps scan and mitigates our vulnerabilities using the best protocols to secure our environment."
"The solution is highly reliable."
"This is definitely a stable solution."
"The tool shows us the operating systems where our servers and applications are running."
"The product is easy to configure."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten...Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten."
"It is an easy-to-use and secure program."
"Tomcat is secure, reliable, and stable."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is that it supports Java Enterprise."
"The solution has very robust functionality."
"Tomcat is a simple, light environment, whereas the full Red Hat Fuse solution is heavier."
"The solution is scalable."
"Our company doesn't face any stability issues while using Tomcat."
"We chose to use Tomcat because it's perfect compared to other containers that we have tested."
"Tomcat is easy to handle, its installation process does not take much time, and its server speed is also very good compared to other servers."
 

Cons

"While WebSphere mostly supports IBM HTTP Server (IHS) as the web server plugin, I think it would be beneficial if it also supported Apache and NGINX web servers. That would give customers more flexibility in their choices."
"The installation has room for improvement."
"IBM WebSphere Application Server hasn't changed much. It's still a heavyweight for any company compared to what you get. Unless your code base is deeply linked with it, I don't think it's a great idea to go with this solution. The current trend is toward modularity and containerization, and given the product's requirements, containerization will be difficult. There is a memory requirement as well."
"What could be improved in IBM WebSphere Application Server is its interconnection with other products, for example, Kafka. What I'd like to see in the next release of the solution is a better graphical user interface."
"The solution could improve the integration."
"The main issue we faced was its limited compatibility with non-Java technologies, which can result in difficulty detecting potential bugs and requiring additional integration efforts."
"In spite of the solution's robustness, it is expensive and a bit difficult to support."
"When compared with WebLogic, Weblogic is lighter and consumes less memory."
"Having no support for other than a Microsoft environment and programming languages limits the usage of IIS in many cases."
"If Microsoft IIS could work well with AppOptics or things like PHP, Python, and other custom languages that run on the webserver, it would be ideal. I think there are cases where people need to use Apache instead of IIS when IIS doesn't work well with other web languages."
"We'd like future versions to be more stable."
"The solution's pricing and stability need improvement."
"In the next release, the tool should be more easily integrated and configured with other provisions. The pricing should also be made cheaper since it's very expensive now."
"It lacks a few performance improvement tools."
"The solution's scalability needs improvement."
"The platform's stability could be better."
"Tomcat is a polished product that has been around for a long time. It should be simple and high-performing, with the ability to grow and maintain stability. The fewer features it has, the more stable it will be."
"It will be useful if a direct report concerning a particular server configuration or application usage is readily available in the dashboard."
"I would also like to see a dashboard with some integrations in order to see the logs and trace performance easier."
"Vulnerability is one of the areas that can be considered an issue in the solution."
"Tomcat needs to improve its stability."
"Tomcat is not user-friendly. I would also like to be able to have multiple applications run at the same time."
"The current procedure appears complex and could benefit from a more straightforward solution."
"It would be great if they offered more integration of monitoring tools."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of IBM WebSphere Application Server could be less expensive and there is an annual license required for this solution."
"The price of this product is higher than that of competitors."
"There is an Eclipse Plugin provided by IBM, so no need to buy IBM Rational Application Developer or Rational Software Architect tools."
"It costs more than some of the others, but, you get what you pay for."
"The pricing is a little expensive."
"Room for improvement would only be in the licensing. As with all IBM products the licensing can be complex and expensive. Bargain well and try to get as much discount as possible. Discounts of 85% are possible. Without the discount, I think the product is overrated."
"The licensing cost is 1,000 of euros for a 30-year table."
"It is very expensive."
"The licensing cost is dependent on the usage."
"The tool is included with Windows."
"There is no license required for the product as it is role-based. Whenever you go for a Windows platform server, the role has to be installed directly from the server manager. There is no additional cost that has to be paid for that. It is free to use."
"The price of Windows Server IIS is expensive. They have a large user base, and they charge a little bit too much."
"The price is good."
"We purchased a Microsoft Windows license and the license for IIS came in the package."
"I was using the trial version of IIS inside my virtual machines."
"I give the price of the solution a five out of ten."
"Tomcat is open-source and free to use."
"It is an expensive product."
"It's open-source. We don't pay for the license."
"It is an open-source tool and is free of cost."
"I rate the product's price an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is a high price, and ten is a low price."
"Tomcat is an open source solution."
"Tomcat is not costlier than other solutions."
"There are no additional costs apart from the standard license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
32%
Computer Software Company
13%
Insurance Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
Educational Organization
42%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM WebSphere Application Server?
Network Deployment is the most useful feature for scalability. It has many features within the standard WebSphere App...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM WebSphere Application Server?
In Korea, when you buy IBM iOS, the WebSphere base version is included with iOS. That means no additional cost.
What needs improvement with IBM WebSphere Application Server?
I find the server okay, however, using the Maker instance, the Moving instance, and the Change instance is a little b...
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 Tomcat?
Tomcat's ease of use has positively impacted project timelines. Tomcat already has high availability – it doesn't go ...
What needs improvement with Tomcat?
Resource configuration like JNDI and queue configuration, similar to other servers, should be provided from the admin...
What is your primary use case for Tomcat?
I am using the solution at running level three. It is for running web applications.
 

Also Known As

WebSphere Application Server
Windows Server IIS
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

TalkTalk, Property management group, E.SUN Bank, Ohio National Financial Services, Aviarc, Cincom Systems, FJA-US, D+H, Staples, Michigan Municipal League
Erste Bank Group, NJVC, Samsung Electronics, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Tata Steel Europe, Urban Software Institute
1. Adobe Systems 2. Amazon 3. Apple 4. AT&T 5. Bank of America 6. Boeing 7. Cisco Systems 8. Citigroup 9. Dell 10. eBay 11. Facebook 12. General Electric 13. Google 14. Hewlett-Packard 15. IBM 16. Intel 17. JPMorgan Chase 18. Microsoft 19. Netflix 20. Oracle 21. PayPal 22. Salesforce 23. Samsung 24. Sony 25. Target 26. Twitter 27. Uber 28. Verizon 29. Visa 30. Volkswagen 31. Walmart 32. Yahoo
Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle, Apache, Red Hat and others in Application Server. Updated: March 2025.
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