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IBM WebSphere Application Server vs JBoss vs Oracle WebLogic Server 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 June 2025, in the Application Server category, the mindshare of IBM WebSphere Application Server is 13.0%, up from 11.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of JBoss is 17.1%, down from 17.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle WebLogic Server is 23.2%, down from 26.3% 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.
Srinadh  Puli - PeerSpot reviewer
Automation aids installation while management consolidation needs improvement
We are currently using Ansible for Jira installations and all the management tasks. We perform some tasks manually, however, Ansible helps in automating some of these processes I find JBoss to be lightweight and easier to manage compared to WebSphere. It allows for simple modification of…
Saikat Nag - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers efficient load distribution with a scope of high scalability
Our organization configures Oracle WebLogic Server in such a way that a load balancer becomes available. The network requests are segregated to the Oracle WebLogic Server as the managing server and different nodes are configured. Using the product as a load balancer helps automate request transfer from one non-functional node to another functional node. Due to Oracle WebLogic Server, the endpoints remain unaffected whenever a node goes down. The clustering feature enhances our organization's performance and reliability. In our organization, the health of the Oracle WebLogic Server environment is maintained and managed using Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM). I would definitely recommend others to use Oracle WebLogic Server. Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Without the Admin Console it would be very hard to configure JVM settings, JDBC datasources, mail session settings, and security providers."
"WebSphere Application Server's best features include the data subscription and connection viewer."
"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 most valuable feature of this solution is Portal Virtualization."
"The most valuable features are its user-friendliness and reliability in terms of application hosting."
"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."
"Ease of administration: It has an Integrated Solutions Console, what we call the administrative console, with very detailed configurations and Help pages for each configurable item."
"The integration between IBM tools and applications is very well executed."
"We use JBoss mainly for application deployments and application servers."
"JBoss is a scalable tool."
"The most valuable thing about JBoss is how easy it is to install and manage it on-premise, making the process simple."
"It is a Java-based product, so it is pretty straightforward. It is pretty easy from a developer's perspective. It is also pretty reliable and scalable."
"There's good documentation and a pretty good community surrounding the product."
"The solution's support is very good for repairing components."
"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 high availability is great."
"Helps in efficient load distribution"
"We've got the support we require. If ever there is an issue, can just call on Oracle and they will assist us."
"What I like best about Oracle WebLogic Server is its integration with other software."
"It has helped us to have different clusters within different servers, which allows us to identify hacker attacks."
"I recommend the product because the installation is easy, it provides a secure environment, and it's easy to manage. The solution provides easy monitoring. Accessing all the logs is easy, and deploying application versions is smooth."
"We have some hosted servers as well as some of our own. It performs well."
"It has good integration with security features, including OWASP."
"Oracle WebLogic Server is more secure and has full functionalities that can be used for big applications."
 

Cons

"In the next release of this solution, I would like to see support for the Arabic language."
"The solution could improve the integration."
"The current trend is to move to Liberty because of the portability of its cloud and its Kubernetes, which containerize the application."
"They should make the solution more lightweight and not bundle everything into a single product."
"I find the server okay, however, using the Maker instance, the Moving instance, and the Change instance is a little bit complicated without WebSphere knowledge."
"The solution consumes hardware."
"Some things are very difficult to do, so the interface and usage could be more intuitive for those."
"The availability of the solution needs improvement."
"JBoss is not as reliable and stable as WebLogic."
"The price could be improved. Customers don't want to buy the license easily."
"The solution's pricing could be improved because it is not cheap."
"They are trying to make it less heavyweight since app servers often deliver a lot of functionality. Still, if we aren't leveraging them, they can be too much for certain use cases."
"In general, the support of the ERPC would be really good due to the fact that, so far, I have not seen it."
"The solution's documentation could be better."
"The stability of the solution could improve with Microsoft Windows."
"I would like to see improved booting of applications altogether on one page to manage all data instances from one location, similar to an AWS console."
"Configuration can be a significant challenge, demanding a deep understanding and expertise."
"This is a complex application."
"There are always ways to improve. But it's getting better every time, with every new release, and every new patch, it's getting better."
"Licensing fees need improvement."
"The quarterly updates can sometimes lead to instability depending on the configuration of systems."
"I've had issues with some of the tracking features tracking and have had to go back to several generations of code to fix problems where things were touched."
"Pricing for Oracle WebLogic Server and other Oracle products has room for improvement because the pricing model isn't easy to understand. I'd like to see lower pricing from Oracle WebLogic Server. That's the main issue with the solution."
"They should improve the solution's garbage collection feature."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing policy is based on the PVU base."
"The licensing cost is 1,000 of euros for a 30-year table."
"It is very expensive."
"There is an Eclipse Plugin provided by IBM, so no need to buy IBM Rational Application Developer or Rational Software Architect tools."
"If your application is just a web app that does not need to scale big, you can obtain a single core license of WAS Express edition, which has almost the same features with limited processing cores. If you manage a very big application farm (i.e. need to run 10 or more WAS servers) it is better to get IBM WAS Hypervisor Edition."
"The pricing is a little expensive."
"It costs more than some of the others, but, you get what you pay for."
"The price of this product is higher than that of competitors."
"Despite the price increase after being acquired by IBM, JBoss still maintains its competitiveness. The package provided is more geared towards cloud-based deployments, whereas our setup is more traditional, which makes it slightly more expensive for us. As most vendors are transitioning towards cloud-centric solutions, companies like ours need to adapt accordingly."
"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."
"JBoss is an expensive solution."
"We pay for a maintenance license, but it is not expensive."
"It is an open-source solution."
"There is no licensing cost. The solution is free to use."
"The pricing of JBoss is more reasonable than that of WebLogic."
"Since the solution is freeware, our customers don't need to pay any licensing fees."
"The tool's pricing is yearly."
"I would not compare WebSphere and WebLogic because both servers are really good. The only difference is that Weblogic is lighter and consumes less memory."
"The licensing of the product is expensive"
"The solution’s pricing is affordable."
"My company uses a licensed version of the product, so we get Oracle's support."
"As Oracle WebLogic Server is a product from Oracle, it is bound to be an expensive solution. My company needs to make annual payments towards the licensing costs attached to the product."
"The solution's licensing is high-priced."
"In our country, this is an expensive product."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
32%
Computer Software Company
14%
Insurance Company
7%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
29%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
20%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
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...
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?
JBoss is the cheaper option out of the three when compared to WebSphere and WebLogic. Though I haven't done a detaile...
What needs improvement with JBoss?
They are trying to make it less heavyweight since app servers often deliver a lot of functionality. Still, if we aren...
What needs improvement with Oracle WebLogic Server?
There is an option to use the WebLogic console as a service, but the WebLogic scripting tool can be used for the admi...
What is your primary use case for Oracle WebLogic Server?
I primarily work from an infrastructure point of view with Oracle WebLogic Server ( /products/oracle-weblogic-server-...
 

Also Known As

WebSphere Application Server
No data available
WebLogic Application Server
 

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
Colab Consulting Pty. Ltd., Infosys Ltd., Sascar, Banca Transilvania, UL, Center for Railway Information Systems, SPAR Austria Group, Reliance Commercial Finance, Industrial Bank of Korea, Al Jaber Group, Safe Water Kenya, Chhattisgarh Infotech and Biotech Promotion Society
Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle, Apache, Red Hat and others in Application Server. Updated: June 2025.
856,807 professionals have used our research since 2012.