Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

IBM WebSphere Application Server vs Oracle WebLogic Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 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)
Oracle WebLogic Server
Ranking in Application Server
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
36
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 Oracle WebLogic Server is 13.5%, down from 25.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Server Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Oracle WebLogic Server13.5%
IBM WebSphere Application Server9.6%
Other76.9%
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.
Thomas Waltair - PeerSpot reviewer
Regional Head And Director Product Development at Neptune Software Group
Stable and scalable enterprise deployment with Cloud-Native support
Oracle WebLogic Server helps with my deployment strategy in both monolithic as well as Cloud-Native ways. I think it is useful; this Cloud-Native support helps with deployment in both on-prem and cloud. For container deployment, we are not very rich. We are in the process of moving our business logic to containerization. But in terms of this being a big product, a core banking system, I prefer on-prem rather than cloud. The use cases and the scrum help me a lot in an iterative, incremental manner. I would recommend this product; it is an enterprise, large volume, and of course, it is worth it to deploy. I am providing this review with a rating of 9.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has good stability of the application server in the long term compared to other solutions."
"IBM WebSphere Application Server is easy to use."
"The thing about WebSphere, as opposed to other ones that I am aware of such as JBoss and Liberty, is that WebSphere has the most comprehensive scaffolding available to it."
"Network Deployment is the most useful feature for scalability. It has many features within the standard WebSphere Application Server edition."
"As compared to other applications, it has tremendous support. We have built internal capability so that we use it extensively internally. It is also easier to use with the outside data. You can write in ESQL, Java, or any other technology that you want to use for development. So, it is a lot more flexible in the language that it supports."
"IBM WebSphere Application Server is the ultimate product; there is nothing superior to IBM WebSphere Application Server, and while there are other options such as Tomcat, JBoss, and Oracle's solution, IBM WebSphere Application Server stands above them all."
"WebSphere Application Server's best features include the data subscription and connection viewer."
"We needed this type of integration and WebShepere is the best tool for it."
"I would rate Oracle WebLogic Server nine out of ten, possibly even ten points."
"It is efficient, not redundant, usable, scalable, and meant for enterprise applications."
"The possibility of having several servers running, so we do not lose the service."
"It has good integration with security features, including OWASP."
"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."
"It's a very stable solution."
"The tool's technical support is very good."
"It has helped us to have different clusters within different servers, which allows us to identify hacker attacks."
 

Cons

"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 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."
"The installation has room for improvement."
"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."
"The security could be better."
"Sometimes, I feel WebSphere runs a bit slow. It might be loading unnecessary libraries, impacting its performance compared to other application servers."
"The availability of the solution needs improvement."
"WebSphere is very cumbersome and not user-friendly."
"The error handling area in Oracle WebLogic Server is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"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."
"Having clearer mechanisms to directly map a database-level connection problem to the corresponding WebLogic thread would greatly enhance the administrator's convenience."
"The pricing is a little bit higher compared to other products."
"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."
"The administration is hard, and it is more complex to use than others."
"There's a bug related to the managed services."
"Managing and monitoring the WebLogic server environment has been challenging because most monitoring tools don't support it."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is an Eclipse Plugin provided by IBM, so no need to buy IBM Rational Application Developer or Rational Software Architect tools."
"WebSphere Application Server is expensive, so it may not be a good option for small companies."
"IBM WAS base is part of the deal when you purchase IBM FileNet P8 Content Engine."
"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."
"The pricing is a little expensive."
"The solution is quite expensive."
"When you purchase Maximo, you get WebSphere for free."
"It is expensive."
"My company uses a licensed version of the product, so we get Oracle's support."
"The tool's pricing is yearly."
"The solution's licensing is high-priced."
"The licensing fees are annual and depend on the model."
"Its high expense is a significant drawback"
"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"
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Application Server solutions are best for your needs.
880,435 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
35%
Computer Software Company
9%
Insurance Company
7%
Government
6%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Government
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

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 Business15
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise17
 

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 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 administration of the domain without the console. This is important for some cases d...
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-reviews ). I am involved in the installation, base installation of the product, ...
 

Also Known As

WebSphere Application Server
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
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 IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. Oracle WebLogic Server and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
880,435 professionals have used our research since 2012.