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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
4th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
Application Infrastructure (3rd)
Oracle WebLogic Server
Ranking in Application Server
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
35
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Application Server category, the mindshare of IBM WebSphere Application Server is 12.6%, up from 11.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle WebLogic Server is 21.2%, down from 26.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Server Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Oracle WebLogic Server21.2%
IBM WebSphere Application Server12.6%
Other66.2%
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.
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

"The integration between IBM tools and applications is very well executed, and the support from IBM is quite good, providing a solid support structure."
"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."
"IBM WebSphere Application Server is easy to use."
"It does integrate well with the Tivoli Federated Identity Management system."
"One of the most valuable features might be the stability of the IBM WebSphere Application Server."
"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 most valuable features are its user-friendliness and reliability in terms of application hosting."
"Oracle WebLogic Server is more secure and has full functionalities that can be used for big applications."
"What I like best about Oracle WebLogic Server is its integration with other software."
"Oracle WebLogic Server has a bunch of ready features that are easy to use and understand."
"The product's installation phase is easy."
"We've got the support we require. If ever there is an issue, can just call on Oracle and they will assist us."
"WebLogic is reliable, and it's easy to use for development."
"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."
"I would rate Oracle WebLogic Server nine out of ten, possibly even ten points."
 

Cons

"IBM WebSphere Application Server hasn't changed much. It's still a heavyweight for any company compared to what you get. Unless your code base is deeply linked with it, I don't think it's a great idea to go with this solution. The current trend is toward modularity and containerization, and given the product's requirements, containerization will be difficult. There is a memory requirement as well."
"Based on the field and based on the build that was provided, we've noticed a lot of constraints in terms of the performance now."
"WebSphere Application Server doesn't have an automated deployment option, forcing us to use third-party tools like Jenkins UCD and Palo Automated Deployment."
"Installing or configuring a WAS server instance as a Windows Service causes a lot of problems, especially when the server needs credentials to stop."
"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."
"The installation has room for improvement."
"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."
"The logs consultant, since it tends to be more in the server, we do need complete consult logs for a lot of different files."
"The pricing is a little bit higher compared to other products."
"I can't point to anything missing."
"The quarterly updates can sometimes lead to instability depending on the configuration of systems."
"Configuration can be a significant challenge, demanding a deep understanding and expertise."
"Managing and monitoring the WebLogic server environment has been challenging because most monitoring tools don't support it."
"Oracle's support team fails to understand the real problem of the customer, which is why they take time to resolve issues."
"This is a complex application."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"When you purchase Maximo, you get WebSphere for free."
"WebSphere Application Server is expensive, so it may not be a good option for small companies."
"There is an Eclipse Plugin provided by IBM, so no need to buy IBM Rational Application Developer or Rational Software Architect tools."
"The pricing is a little expensive."
"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."
"I don't remember the price, but there are no additional costs."
"It is very expensive."
"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."
"Pricing for Oracle WebLogic Server is expensive."
"The licensing of the product is expensive"
"The solution's licensing is high-priced."
"Fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"The licensing fees are annual and depend on the model."
"In our country, this is an expensive product."
"My company uses a licensed version of the product, so we get Oracle's support."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
33%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
7%
Insurance Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise23
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise5
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?
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 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: July 2025.
866,300 professionals have used our research since 2012.