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IBM WebSphere Application Server vs Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 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

IBM WebSphere Application S...
Ranking in Application Server
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.4
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
Application Infrastructure (3rd)
Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Ap...
Ranking in Application Server
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.2
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Application Server category, the mindshare of IBM WebSphere Application Server is 9.6%, down from 12.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) is 14.1%, down from 18.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Server Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP)14.1%
IBM WebSphere Application Server9.6%
Other76.3%
Application Server
 

Featured Reviews

CF
Senior Manager, MW & DB Automation at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Has worked seamlessly in complex clustered environments and supports long-term development efforts
IBM WebSphere Application Server is currently at version 9.0.5.23. In recent months, they released fix 23, as they periodically release fixes. Previously, they frequently increased versions, but now they maintain 9.0.5 with different releases. It's based on Java J2EE 7 and Java SDK 1.8. Oracle announced that 2030 will be the last year when Java SDK 1.8 will be supported. Oracle currently deploys Java 2.x in parallel, with the latest being version 25. The future of IBM WebSphere Application Server remains uncertain since it's based on Java 1.8 and Java 7. I haven't found any white papers or official documentation from IBM outlining their trajectory post-2030.
reviewer2788512 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Software Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Rapid deployments have streamlined containerized web apps but support response still needs improvement
The best features Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) offers are its integration into AWS services, which is very helpful in containerization and application of Kubernetes specifically, and its user interface is very easy to use; we can deploy WAR files within stipulated time and also schedule deployments at a particular time, and it is easy to run the pipelines and integrate it with Jenkins. The most valuable feature for my team is containerization and Jenkins integration because Jenkins integration helps us eradicate code smells and build pipeline reports, and it also supports continuous CI/CD pipelining, while this orchestration aids in a microservice architecture where we will be using different types for it. Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) has positively impacted my organization by helping in quickly making web Spring Boot applications and Java-based applications, and it is very easy to adapt and learn, plus it is open source with nominal and affordable subscription plans.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"IBM WebSphere Application Server is the best in terms of scalability and performance, as well as the support for managing distributed transactions."
"The integration between IBM tools and applications is very well executed."
"It has good stability of the application server in the long term compared to other solutions."
"The solution is robust. The connection management and the scalability, which IBM provides to the Stack, are also valuable."
"What's most valuable in IBM WebSphere Application Server is its resilience. When you use the solution, you know that after the communication has been done, there will be no doubt that the data has reached its destination."
"The VPN service is quite useful."
"The integration between IBM tools and applications is very well executed, and the support from IBM is quite good, providing a solid support structure."
"The only reason why we're currently using WebSphere is that the integration of the authentication with Azure is very quick. WebSphere has something that can immediately connect with Azure Active Directory."
"There's good documentation and a pretty good community surrounding the product."
"Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) is very easy to use."
"Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) has positively impacted my organization by minimizing the downtime of applications, which gives me respect from users."
"The most valuable feature is the UI."
"Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) has saved a lot of time in rapid deployment of applications, and for an existing migration project which was stipulated for a timeline of six months, it just took around two and a half months, specifically 80 days, achieving the target of completing within three months, along with the payment subscription being very nominal and affordable."
"We can deploy the applications on the JBoss server, so it is easy to manage. It's also easy to add new certificates to the config."
"The solution is easy to use."
"JBoss's configuration is straightforward and easy."
 

Cons

"WebSphere is very cumbersome and not user-friendly. It used to have its own JVM, which presented challenges such as different architecture and memory leaks."
"The solution could improve the integration."
"The future of IBM WebSphere Application Server remains uncertain since it's based on Java 1.8 and Java 7."
"Sometimes, I feel WebSphere runs a bit slow. It might be loading unnecessary libraries, impacting its performance compared to other application servers."
"IBM needs to pay attention to market changes more quickly. We now have Java 9 and very soon Java EE8. We do not want to wait for two or three years after their release until they are supported by the new version."
"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."
"It should be able to serve more concurrent requests like Oracle. Oracle has more powerful stability, availability, and real-time serving."
"The solution consumes hardware."
"The product could be cheaper."
"It can have automation features. Everybody is focused right now on automation. In terms of saving cost, automation is always the first thing that comes to light."
"The solution's documentation could be better."
"The stability of the solution could improve with Microsoft Windows."
"There is not much ability inside of the solution. The world is going beyond different micro and data-type things like Microsoft Office, so we are not seeing much ability within the solution."
"Making it lighter and more modular would probably be beneficial."
"The login process could be improved."
"The solution's pricing could be improved because it is not cheap."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"IBM WAS base is part of the deal when you purchase IBM FileNet P8 Content Engine."
"We pay around $200,000 annually."
"When you purchase Maximo, you get WebSphere for free."
"My company is on a perpetual or permanent license agreement with IBM WebSphere Application Server. There's also a pay-per-use option, but customers rarely choose that option. Most of the customers are on the perpetual license deal that's all-inclusive. As the license cost is quite expensive, I'm rating it two out of five."
"The licensing cost is 1,000 of euros for a 30-year table."
"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."
"It's expensive."
"We used to pay about $100,000-$120,000 US or somewhere around there. That was a bit cost-prohibitive for us to continue."
"JBoss is an expensive solution."
"It is an open-source solution."
"I rate the product price as eight on a scale, where one means it is a very cheap solution, and ten points mean that it is a very expensive tool."
"There is no licensing cost. The solution is free to use."
"Since the solution is freeware, our customers don't need to pay any licensing fees."
"The solution is cost-efficient compared to other products. Pricing is rated an eight out of ten."
"We pay for a maintenance license, but it is not expensive."
"The pricing of JBoss is more reasonable than that of WebLogic."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
34%
Computer Software Company
9%
Insurance Company
7%
Government
6%
Financial Services Firm
29%
Government
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Insurance Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise23
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise20
 

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 Application Server edition.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM WebSphere Application Server?
At Royal Bank, which is a major IBM customer with mainframes and numerous IBM products, they have a specific agreement regarding pricing. The pricing structure for large enterprise customers differ...
What needs improvement with IBM WebSphere Application Server?
IBM WebSphere Application Server is currently at version 9.0.5.23. In recent months, they released fix 23, as they periodically release fixes. Previously, they frequently increased versions, but no...
What do you like most about JBoss?
The product's initial setup phase is easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for JBoss?
My advice is to carefully review the licensing options before setting up JBoss. While using the free version WildFly, most companies go for the paid Red Hat JBoss version, which comes with extra fe...
What needs improvement with JBoss?
I cannot speak to how Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) can be improved.
 

Also Known As

WebSphere Application Server
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
Tata Sky, Nissan, Swedish Board of Agriculture, Novamedia, American Product Distributors, Advanced Micro Devices, Emirates Group, E*TRADE
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,425 professionals have used our research since 2012.