IIS vs Zend PHP Engine comparison

Microsoft and Zend are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3, while Zend is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.0. Microsoft holds a 12.0% mindshare in AIS, compared to Zend’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Zend users who would recommend it.

IIS

Read 56 IIS reviews

2,756 Views
2,058 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

Zend PHP Engine

Read 11 Zend PHP Engine reviews

503 Views
210 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IIS

Zend PHP Engine

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

Zend PHP Engine and IIS are competing in the web server technology category. Zend PHP Engine has the upper hand in offering flexibility and developer-centric features, while IIS may be superior for businesses reliant on Microsoft technologies.

Features: Zend PHP Engine provides compatibility and performance enhancements in PHP development, seamless PHP execution, and an extensive library of extensions. IIS stands out with strong integration within Windows Server, native support for multiple languages, and exceptional management capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Zend PHP Engine could refine its centralized support options and improve documentation. IIS could enhance flexibility beyond Windows environments and streamline the complexity in non-Windows server integration. Both technologies could advance user interfaces for better user experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IIS benefits from streamlined deployment within the Windows ecosystem, supported by extensive documentation. Zend PHP Engine offers straightforward deployment processes and ample community resources but lacks the centralized support infrastructure provided by Microsoft.

Pricing and ROI: Zend PHP Engine's open-source model results in lower setup costs, promoting a favorable ROI for PHP-focused companies. IIS, while potentially having higher initial costs, offers significant ROI for organizations deeply invested in Windows technologies due to cohesive integration and robust support.

To learn more, read our detailed IIS vs. Zend PHP Engine Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IIS vs. Zend PHP Engine

April 2025

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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

IIS

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Server (4th)

Zend PHP Engine

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

15th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of IIS is 12.0%, down from 13.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zend PHP Engine is 1.7%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

DanielWildermuth

Testtool expert at Helvetia Versicherungen

Provides integration with Eggplant but problems with stability

We use Windows Server only for Eggplant Manager. Otherwise, I'm not using it At the moment, we have big problems with stability, and I'm not very happy at the moment. So, the stability could be improved. I have been using it for a few years. The initial setup is complex. We have an…

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SatyendraGupta

External Consultant (Digital Tool Developer and Intervention Specialist) at IQVIA

The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature

The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature. A general scripting language should be further developed and should be embedded into it. I have been Zend PHP Engine for nine years. Multiple people are using the solution. Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.…

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product is scalable."

"The initial setup of IIS is easy. The process takes only five minutes."

"The interface, simplicity, and ease of management are all good features that make this user-friendly."

"The tool is very easy to use and efficient."

"IIS is scalable."

"IIS has a very simple and user-friendly interface, which helps a lot in effective and efficient management."

"The product is easy to configure."

"The most valuable feature of IIS is it does not consume a lot of resources. It does not consume a lot of resources, such as memory."

More IIS pros

"The cache modules that Zend provides have been able to optimize and accelerate the loading of the pages when there was exponential growth in data volume and quantity of requests. At the same time, the monitoring console allowed us to have a real-time understanding of the resources and to make decisions when they were at the limit."

"This solution is really easy for me to use."

"Zend PHP Engine is a good tool for developing and collecting data, offering strong performance."

"Zend Engine is the core of PHP. It makes PHP fast, efficient, and basically, the language of choice for web applications."

"Scaling up is an important factor for large projects, and with PHP 7 and its performance improvements, this becomes even easier."

"The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature."

"Zend Engine gives the flexibility to use external modules to easily expand the functionalities you need for your web project."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the speed at which it compiles and sends the dynamic cache."

More Zend PHP Engine pros

Cons

"Sometimes, we encounter difficult issues, and getting support from Microsoft to resolve those issues is not easy."

"IIS's memory management could be improved."

"In the next release, the tool should be more easily integrated and configured with other provisions. The pricing should also be made cheaper since it's very expensive now."

"Finding different settings can be difficult if you don't know where to look."

"IIS has some stability issues and needs restarting."

"The only issue I've encountered is with certificates not working fine sometimes."

"The only issue I've encountered is with certificates not working fine sometimes. It's influenced by the server's service performance."

"The visibility feature of the product is an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."

More IIS cons

"In terms of improvement, it doesn't support concurrent processing. When we want to process anything on a concurrent basis, we have to divide it into a number of things, like a queue, or we have to run it using Cron jobs. We would like to have the capability to run any thread or process in parallel."

"The process of installing and configuring the product is a bit complex and could be improved."

"SQL queries have always been an issue with PHP, especially if you use large tables, which require caution from the side of the developer."

"Integrating AI tools would make PHP more competitive, as other tools already have AI features."

"Zend PHP Engine needs to improve the loading time of its libraries and make it faster."

"The biggest problem with PHP is you have to write lot of conditions or have to use a framework."

"A general scripting language should be further developed and should be embedded into it."

"Integration of MVC with ORM tools for PHP is okay, but lacking a short list of decent ORM tools for PHP to choose from; there is ample room for improvement in both areas."

More Zend PHP Engine cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is no license required for the product as it is role-based. Whenever you go for a Windows platform server, the role has to be installed directly from the server manager. There is no additional cost that has to be paid for that. It is free to use."

"I was using the trial version of IIS inside my virtual machines."

"IIS comes along with an OS license from Microsoft. Others can opt for a perpetual-based licensing model to be able to use the system."

"The price of the cloud system is a bit high."

"It is licensed with your Windows installation which makes it relatively cheap if you already have a Windows Server sitting around."

"We purchased a Microsoft Windows license and the license for IIS came in the package."

"The price of Windows Server IIS is expensive. They have a large user base, and they charge a little bit too much."

"I give the price of the solution a five out of ten."

More IIS pricing and cost advice

"The solution is open source and you just pay for the server cost."

"No problem with pricing and licensing, as tools are open source. You have to consider training cost, mindset setup cost, as part of the TCO."

"Zend PHP Engine is not an expensive solution."

"Its pricing depends on the number of users."

"The Zend PHP engine is open source technology, so there's no need for us to worry about licensing or other costs."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

14%

University

10%

Construction Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Which is better - IIS or NGINX Plus?

IIS is a flexible, secure, and manageable web server to host anything on the web. IIS’s scalable and open architecture can handle the most demanding tasks. From media streaming to web applications,...

See all answers

What do you like most about IIS?

The product is flexible.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IIS?

If you have a Windows license, there is no additional cost for IIS. However, you may need to pay for SSL publishing at times.

See all answers

What do you like most about Zend PHP Engine?

The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zend PHP Engine?

PHP is an open-source solution.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Zend PHP Engine?

Integrating AI tools would make PHP more competitive, as other tools already have AI features.

See all answers

Comparisons

NGINX Plus vs IIS

Compared 29% of the time

Apache Web Server vs IIS

Compared 25% of the time

Oracle WebLogic Server vs IIS

Compared 15% of the time

Tomcat vs IIS

Compared 14% of the time

JBoss vs IIS

Compared 6% of the time

More IIS Competitors

Apache Web Server vs Zend PHP Engine

Compared 100% of the time

More Zend PHP Engine Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IIS

April 2025

Download IIS product report

Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

March 2025

Download Zend PHP Engine product report

Also Known As

Windows Server IIS

PHP Engine

Overview

Internet Information Services (IIS) provides a secure, easy-to-manage, modular and extensible platform for reliably hosting websites, services and applications. With IIS, you get choice and control without giving up reliability or security.

Microsoft

The Zend PHP Engine is designed to optimize PHP code and improve performance, making it a popular choice for web developers. It is easy to use, stable, does not require a lot of code, is open source, and only requires payment for server costs. The initial setup is straightforward, and there is no real need to set up the solution because it's built into the deployment.

Zend

Sample Customers

Erste Bank Group, NJVC, Samsung Electronics, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Tata Steel Europe, Urban Software Institute

Cisco

Buyer's Guide

IIS vs. Zend PHP Engine

April 2025

Free Report: IIS vs. Zend PHP Engine

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