IBM WebSphere Application Server vs Oracle SOA Suite comparison

IBM and Oracle are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. IBM is ranked #3 with an average rating of 7.8, while Oracle is ranked #9 with an average rating of 7.0. IBM holds a 11.8% mindshare in AIS, compared to Oracle’s 3.9% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Oracle users who would recommend it.

IBM WebSphere Application S...

Read 31 IBM WebSphere Application Server reviews

2,009 Views
1,041 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Oracle SOA Suite

Read 65 Oracle SOA Suite reviews

934 Views
453 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

IBM WebSphere Application S...

Oracle SOA Suite

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

Oracle SOA Suite and IBM WebSphere Application Server are leading solutions in the enterprise middleware category. Oracle SOA Suite has an edge due to its extensive integration capabilities, although both products offer distinct strengths across various metrics.

Features: Oracle SOA Suite provides extensive connectivity, integration capabilities, and supports both BPEL and Enterprise Service Bus functionalities. Its real-time business insights and a wide range of adapters aid cloud solution integration. IBM WebSphere Application Server is recognized for strong support of Java Enterprise Edition standards, high stability, and integration with legacy systems, along with excellent scalability and security features.

Room for Improvement: Oracle SOA Suite users face performance, resource consumption, and complexity of tools like JDeveloper. It also needs better integration with Enterprise Manager and enhanced microservices support. IBM WebSphere Application Server is seen as cumbersome, with complex licensing and setup. Lighter options and better cost management are requested, along with simplifying integration and security aspects, as it's resource-intensive.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Oracle SOA Suite primarily operates on-premises, often requiring significant community engagement for support. IBM WebSphere provides flexible on-premises and hybrid cloud options. Both have similar customer service ratings, though Oracle's support channels can be challenging to navigate. IBM users call for quicker, simplified responses to technical issues.

Pricing and ROI: Oracle SOA Suite features complex, expensive licensing, often bundled with other Oracle products to manage costs, necessitating careful planning for ROI. IBM WebSphere is costly as well, with prohibitive licensing for smaller businesses. Both solutions offer robust features that can justify the investment, but IBM users often negotiate for discounts.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. Oracle SOA Suite Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. Oracle SOA Suite

June 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 856,873 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

IBM WebSphere Application S...

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

3rd

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Server (4th)

Oracle SOA Suite

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

9th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

SOA Governance (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of IBM WebSphere Application Server is 11.8%, up from 10.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle SOA Suite is 3.9%, down from 4.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

BharathirajaSukumar

Senior Lead Analyst at Radial

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.

Read full review

MANOHAR SADDALA

IT Specialist at Eagle Hills

Enables seamless integration with multiple systems

I would rate the scalability a seven out of ten. It's not much more dynamic, not as dynamic as you may think, like seeing it in the cloud. In order to use it, you need to have the download servers and then scale up your systems. Oracle SOA Suites serves as a middle layer between applications. For example, let's say you have SAP, and we have Salesforce or Oracle ERP system. Users connect to those systems and perform certain activities or transactions on the applications. Now, if any data needs to be synchronized or any integration needs to happen between these applications, we use the Oracle SOA Suite. It acts as the bridge between the applications, not between the users. It's like having endpoints between the applications. Currently, we have 20 endpoints; 20 systems are connected to it, which is great. Oracle SOA Suite is being used daily. We are using it to its maximum potential.

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

"WebSphere Application Server's best features include the data subscription and connection viewer."

"The solution has good performance."

"The integration between IBM tools and applications is very well executed."

"The solution is robust. The connection management and the scalability, which IBM provides to the Stack, are also valuable."

"IBM WAS is extremely scalable. It is easy to add additional servers and to divide the load over servers in all kinds of ways."

"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."

"Network Deployment is the most useful feature for scalability. It has many features within the standard WebSphere Application Server edition."

"It does integrate well with the Tivoli Federated Identity Management system."

More IBM WebSphere Application Server pros

"In case there is something that doesn't work out of the box, you have the flexibility to customize it."

"The stability of the solution is the most valuable feature."

"The product provides transparency in finances."

"Middleware jobs developing for EC, ERP, and shipping systems become easier."

"Valuable features include web service development and cloud connectivity."

"The new product has come out with SOA Cloud Service and Integration Analytics as well, which gives more options for clients to pick their point of requirements."

"We were able to scale out using multiple application and web servers balanced by hardware load balancers and Weblogic clustering."

"What I like best about Oracle SOA Suite is Oracle support. I also like the tool features, especially the integration feature."

More Oracle SOA Suite pros

Cons

"The availability of the solution needs improvement."

"In spite of the solution's robustness, it is expensive and a bit difficult to support."

"Sometimes, I feel WebSphere runs a bit slow. It might be loading unnecessary libraries, impacting its performance compared to other application servers."

"I think in some moments, the security was a little bit more complex to configure when it was delegated to other systems, making it an area where improvements are required."

"The business logic side of it is sort of missing in the sense that if I want to track and measure velocity, it is not really available. You have to buy another application and embark on a separate implementation. Instead of having different licensing, IBM DataPower should be integrated with WebSphere. It will allow us to build the business layer and rules a lot more efficiently, rather than developing rules within the application. It would be good if we can set up the business layer through parametrization rather than development. IBM DataPower has the business rule and the controls, and if it can be integrated, it would be fantastic. It will help the application in working better in terms of security features and business logic. If you're going to use it for open banking, you will be able to monitor velocity on the total pricing."

"The footprint could be reduced so that we can use a smaller virtual machine to run the application. We could also use more scripts. I would like this solution to be more script oriented, rather than GUI oriented."

"It should be able to serve more concurrent requests like Oracle. Oracle has more powerful stability, availability, and real-time serving."

"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."

More IBM WebSphere Application Server cons

"I want to see easier integration connections with other cloud-based tools."

"If the disk space expansion can be made more flexible, not requiring a database restart, it would be a major benefit."

"An area for improvement in Oracle SOA Suite is the cost. It could be lower."

"The web services need to be more robust."

"Another area of improvement is performance. Because with multiple solutions connecting to the SOA platform, the performance of the SOA platform can be affected in time. So, that could be one area that could be improved with the SOA."

"Its function options can be improved."

"The deployment could be made easier by including add-ons like Hudson and Maven."

"The installation and adjustment process seems too complex."

More Oracle SOA Suite cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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 price of this product is higher than that of competitors."

"It's expensive."

"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."

"We used to pay about $100,000-$120,000 US or somewhere around there. That was a bit cost-prohibitive for us to continue."

"When you purchase Maximo, you get WebSphere for free."

More IBM WebSphere Application Server pricing and cost advice

"Oracle SOA Suite is an expensive solution."

"Based on my knowledge, Oracle SOA Suite doesn't have user-based licensing. It has a system-based licensing model, so you pay for whole systems. Oracle SOA Suite is an expensive solution, so it's a four out of ten for me."

"This product is WebLogic based, hence it can be both resource hungry as well as expensive from a licensing point of view."

"Oracle pricing is expensive. Support is based on your license. AWS is much better than Oracle in this regard."

"The pricing is not very high as compared to its competitors."

"It is necessary to evaluate the requirement regarding the platform usage and what the main operation area of the platform will be."

"The product is moderately priced."

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

856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

33%

Computer Software Company

13%

Insurance Company

Government

Computer Software Company

19%

Financial Services Firm

16%

Government

Manufacturing Company

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 Application Server edition.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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 bit complicated without WebSphere knowledge.

See all answers

What do you like most about Oracle SOA Suite?

The solution's XSLT or XSL Transformation feature was very useful.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle SOA Suite?

Oracle SOA Suite is an expensive solution.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Oracle SOA Suite?

The solution’s initial setup is complex and could be improved. A big challenge for Oracle SOA Suite is that you don't get too many technical resources.

See all answers

Comparisons

JBoss Enterprise Application Platform vs IBM WebSphere Application Server

Compared 26% of the time

JBoss vs IBM WebSphere Application Server

Compared 23% of the time

Tomcat vs IBM WebSphere Application Server

Compared 17% of the time

Oracle WebLogic Server vs IBM WebSphere Application Server

Compared 8% of the time

IBM DataPower Gateway vs IBM WebSphere Application Server

Compared 6% of the time

More IBM WebSphere Application Server Competitors

WebLogic Suite vs Oracle SOA Suite

Compared 44% of the time

Mule ESB vs Oracle SOA Suite

Compared 18% of the time

Apache Web Server vs Oracle SOA Suite

Compared 14% of the time

TIBCO ActiveMatrix vs Oracle SOA Suite

Compared 10% of the time

IBM DataPower Gateway vs Oracle SOA Suite

Compared 7% of the time

More Oracle SOA Suite Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM WebSphere Application Server

June 2025

Download IBM WebSphere Application Server product report

Buyer's Guide

Oracle SOA Suite

May 2025

Download Oracle SOA Suite product report

Also Known As

WebSphere Application Server

SOA Suite

Overview

IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) is a middleware platform developed by IBM. It provides a range of services and tools to help organizations develop, deploy, and manage Java-based applications. WAS is part of IBM's WebSphere product family and provides a secure, scalable, and highly available platform for developing and running web-based applications. WAS provides a secure, scalable, and highly available platform, making it an attractive solution for organizations looking to develop and deploy enterprise-grade applications.

IBM WebSphere Application Server Features

IBM WebSphere Application Server has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

Application deployment: IBM WAS enables organizations to deploy and manage applications in a secure and scalable environment.

Clustering: The clustering feature can help organizations ensure high availability and improve application performance.

Load balancing: The solution Includes load balancing capabilities to distribute application workloads and improve performance.

Security: IBM WAS offers a range of security features, including authentication, authorization, and encryption, to help organizations secure their applications and data.

Monitoring and management: The solution’s range of tools for monitoring and managing applications, including the IBM WebSphere Administrative Console allows organizations to optimize application performance and resolve issues easily.

Integration: IBM WAS integrates with a range of IBM and third-party products, including IBM WebSphere MQ, IBM DB2, and more, to provide a comprehensive platform for developing and running web-based applications.

IBM WebSphere Application Server Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing IBM WebSphere Application Server. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

Improved application performance: The IBM WAS platform offers a scalable and secure platform for deploying and managing applications, enabling organizations to improve application performance and reduce downtime.

High availability: IBM WAS provides clustering and load-balancing capabilities to help organizations ensure high availability.

Improved security: With a large range of security features, including authentication, authorization, and encryption, the solution helps organizations secure their applications and data.

Simplified management: IBM WAS is designed with a set of tools for monitoring and managing applications, enabling organizations to optimize performance and resolve issues efficiently.

Increased flexibility: The solution integrates with a range of IBM and third-party products, providing organizations with a flexible platform for developing and running web-based applications.

Improved developer productivity: It supports the latest Java EE specifications, allowing developers to use the latest technologies and development methodologies when building applications.

Better customer experience: Organizations can deliver faster and more reliable applications, improving the overall customer experience.

Scalability: IBM WAS provides a scalable and secure platform for deploying and managing applications, so organizations can quickly respond to changing business requirements.

Reviews from Real Users

IBM WebSphere Application Server is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are that it is stable, supports many languages, and is resilient.

Princewill O., Head Banking Application Customization and Reporting at a financial services firm, states, “[The solution is] very stable, supports many languages, and helpful for faster time to market.”

"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,” says Nicolae C., System and Solutions Architect at Seidor.

Another PeerSpot reviewer, an Enterprise Technical Leader at a tech services company mentions, “[It is an] enterprise-level product with extensive console capabilities, including the ability to control multiple JVM containers.”

IBM

Oracle SOA Suite is a comprehensive, standards-based software suite to build, deploy and manage integration following the concepts of service-oriented architecture (SOA). The components of the suite benefit from consistent tooling, a single deployment and management model, end-to-end security and unified metadata management. Oracle SOA Suite helps businesses lower costs by allowing maximum re-use of existing IT investments and assets, regardless of the environment (OS, application server, etc.) they run in, or the technology they were built upon. Its easy-to-use, re-use focused, unified application development tooling and end-to-end lifecycle management support further reduces development and maintenance cost and complexity.

For more information on Oracle SOA Suite, visit Oracle.com

Oracle

Sample Customers

TalkTalk, Property management group, E.SUN Bank, Ohio National Financial Services, Aviarc, Cincom Systems, FJA-US, D+H, Staples, Michigan Municipal League

7-Eleven, Arcor SAIC, Banca Transilvania, Eaton Corporation, Emdeon, Ferrovial, Griffith University, National Instruments, Pella Corporation, Vodafone Group Plc,

Buyer's Guide

IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. Oracle SOA Suite

June 2025

Free Report: IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. Oracle SOA Suite

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. Oracle SOA Suite and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. Oracle SOA Suite report.

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.