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IBM WebSphere Application Server vs Oracle SOA Suite comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 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 Infrastructure
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.4
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
Application Server (5th)
Oracle SOA Suite
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
66
Ranking in other categories
SOA Governance (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2025, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of IBM WebSphere Application Server is 8.9%, down from 10.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle SOA Suite is 3.5%, down from 4.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Infrastructure Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM WebSphere Application Server8.9%
Oracle SOA Suite3.5%
Other87.6%
Application Infrastructure
 

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.
Debjit Ghosh - PeerSpot reviewer
Has enabled complex data flow management but faces limitations with modern integration needs
There are areas of Oracle SOA Suite I would like to see improved or enhanced in the future, particularly regarding its adapter capabilities. The popularity of Oracle Integration Cloud nowadays arises from its larger set of adapter capabilities, including numerous application adapters. In contrast, Oracle SOA Suite provides a limited number of adapters. I would like to see more REST-based features added to Oracle SOA Suite, currently lacking, along with an enhancement of file size or payload capability, as the existing limitation is a 10 MB payload size. Additionally, Oracle SOA Suite licensing cost tends to be higher, adhering to a fixed pricing model rather than a pay-per-use basis, which might not be suitable for smaller organizations.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product offers good performance."
"It has good stability of the application server in the long term compared to other solutions."
"The integration between IBM tools and applications is very well executed."
"One of the most valuable features might be the stability of the IBM WebSphere Application Server."
"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 WebSphere Application Server is the best in terms of scalability and performance, as well as the support for managing distributed transactions."
"I find IBM support to be very nice."
"The VPN service is quite useful."
"The most valuable features for us are the APIs, which we commonly use, as well as the scheduling capabilities and file transfers."
"The integration capabilities of Oracle SOA Suite in connecting disparate systems within the organization are excellent."
"Valuable features include web service development and cloud connectivity."
"Enables our Product Manager to post products to different outside EC platforms with only one interface and one process."
"The most valuable feature of the facility, as the partner link, is to try to use third-party services and logic in your own vehicle to orchestrate the information."
"This is one of the critical products for my company and we use it extensively. We currently use each and every feature of Oracle SOA."
"The most valuable feature of Oracle SOA Suite is all the platform's capabilities."
"The Oracle SOA Suite has many useful features, and different organizations may place different emphases on the importance of each feature. Certain features are particularly important to the organization, such as the ability to access databases and transform messages, as well as the use of proxy services to secure web services with usernames and passwords. These features can be critical for enabling effective integration and data exchange between systems and applications."
 

Cons

"The current trend is to move to Liberty because of the portability of its cloud and its Kubernetes, which containerize the application."
"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."
"When we run into memory or locking issues, we resort to using third-party tools. However, it would be preferable to have native tools for debugging this type of problem."
"The licensing could be improved, and I would like it to give the longevity of the lifespan of the visions. In the next release, I would like to be able to download and extract the files so that I can just use my application server."
"When compared with WebLogic, Weblogic is lighter and consumes less memory."
"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."
"I think that this is a good product but I think that the cloud environment could be improved. I think that the future is in the utilization of the product in a product as a service way which is something that is lacking at this moment."
"Installing or configuring a WAS server instance as a Windows Service causes a lot of problems, especially when the server needs credentials to stop."
"An important area that can be improved is the product's data monitoring. When we use the solution for interfacing or end-to-end data monitoring, we want to know exactly where the data is going and exactly where it is failing, or where there is an issue."
"The deployment could be made easier by including add-ons like Hudson and Maven."
"It's also not developer-friendly."
"The installation and adjustment process seems too complex."
"The solution’s initial setup is complex and could be improved."
"The web services need to be more robust."
"If the disk space expansion can be made more flexible, not requiring a database restart, it would be a major benefit."
"I want to see easier integration connections with other cloud-based tools."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We used to pay about $100,000-$120,000 US or somewhere around there. That was a bit cost-prohibitive for us to continue."
"IBM WAS base is part of the deal when you purchase IBM FileNet P8 Content Engine."
"There is an Eclipse Plugin provided by IBM, so no need to buy IBM Rational Application Developer or Rational Software Architect tools."
"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."
"It's expensive."
"The pricing is a little expensive."
"The price of this product is higher than that of competitors."
"WebSphere Application Server is expensive, so it may not be a good option for small companies."
"The pricing is not very high as compared to its competitors."
"Oracle pricing is expensive. Support is based on your license. AWS is much better than Oracle in this regard."
"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."
"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."
"Oracle SOA Suite is an expensive solution."
"This product is WebLogic based, hence it can be both resource hungry as well as expensive from a licensing point of view."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
34%
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
7%
Insurance Company
6%
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Government
9%
Performing Arts
7%
 

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 Business13
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise41
 

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?
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 bit complicated without WebSphere knowledge.
What do you like most about Oracle SOA Suite?
The solution's XSLT or XSL Transformation feature was very useful.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle SOA Suite?
The setup cost of Oracle SOA Suite is relatively high since various components, including database licenses, WebLogic licenses, VM costs, and SOA licenses based on enterprise and Oracle negotiation...
What needs improvement with Oracle SOA Suite?
There are areas of Oracle SOA Suite I would like to see improved or enhanced in the future, particularly regarding its adapter capabilities. The popularity of Oracle Integration Cloud nowadays aris...
 

Also Known As

WebSphere Application Server
SOA Suite
 

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
7-Eleven, Arcor SAIC, Banca Transilvania, Eaton Corporation, Emdeon, Ferrovial, Griffith University, National Instruments, Pella Corporation, Vodafone Group Plc,
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. Oracle SOA Suite and other solutions. Updated: November 2025.
873,209 professionals have used our research since 2012.