Magic xpa Application Platform vs Windows Server AppFabric comparison

Magic Software and Microsoft are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. Magic Software is ranked #14 with an average rating of 8.0, while Microsoft is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.5. Magic Software holds a 1.2% mindshare in AIS, compared to Microsoft’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Magic Software users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Magic xpa Application Platform

Read 10 Magic xpa Application Platform reviews

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210 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Windows Server AppFabric

Read 4 Windows Server AppFabric reviews

176 Views
95 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Magic xpa Application Platform

Windows Server AppFabric

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

Magic xpa Application Platform and Windows Server AppFabric compete in application development and management. Magic xpa has an edge in pricing and customer service, whereas AppFabric excels with its features.

Features: Magic xpa offers in-memory usage, cross-platform development support, and integration with multiple databases. Windows Server AppFabric provides advanced caching, workflow management, and seamless Windows integration.

Room for Improvement: Magic xpa could improve in mobile application support, interface modernization, and enhanced cloud capabilities. Windows Server AppFabric might benefit from better support for mixed environments, decreased complexity in configuration, and more flexible licensing options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Magic xpa boasts straightforward deployment across various environments, with standout customer service. Windows Server AppFabric enables seamless deployment within Windows ecosystems, favored by businesses heavily invested in Microsoft products.

Pricing and ROI: Magic xpa offers competitive setup costs with flexible licensing, appealing to budget-conscious businesses seeking efficient ROI. Windows Server AppFabric, despite higher initial costs, justifies the expense with robust performance and integration for enterprises using Windows technologies.

To learn more, read our detailed Magic xpa Application Platform vs. Windows Server AppFabric Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Magic xpa Application Platform vs. Windows Server AppFabric

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

Magic xpa Application Platform

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

14th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Server (8th), Mobile Development Platforms (9th)

Windows Server AppFabric

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

17th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

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 Magic xpa Application Platform is 1.2%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server AppFabric is 0.6%, down from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

Mylsamy T.

Senior Associate - IT at Himalaya Wellness Company

Enables us to develop more than 90 applications in-house, which are used across our organization

It's a bit difficult to work with purely web-based applications to get the data and display it. There have been a few times when the connection was disconnected between the server and your browser. The connectivity on browser-built applications needs to be improved. The mobile application development could be easier. They could include different external applications, like finger sensors. I'm not sure whether it's in version 3.8 or not.

Read full review

VIJAY RAGAVAN

Team Manager at Waters Corporation

Ensure seamless deployment and networking with a focus on critical uptime

The most important issue I've found is the blue screen errors, particularly when customers use external displays with a P-type cable. I have advised against using external displays for crucial applications and recommended using VGA or laptop adapter screens to mitigate this issue. However, the blue screen error remains a major concern because it causes data loss during reboots.

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

"xpa gives us a fast development speed."

"The solution makes the managing and adapting of the software very easy."

"Speed of development and database connectivity (MS SQL, Oracle, DB2, Btrieve/Pervasive PSQL, ODBC, MySql, and SQLite)."

"What I found most valuable in the Magic xpa Application Platform is that it has a client-server and web browser technology that's perfect for company users."

"The Magic xpa Application Platform is very suitable for production since it is easy to update. The program is simple to upgrade and deploy. The solution is convenient in production. You need to adjust the data, then adjust the program which is not difficult."

"Magic’s unique approach to development ensures that the programmer stays focused on the objective of the program (i.e. display all customers in California), instead of the repetitive tasks that surround it (i.e. connect to database, open customers table, create the query to retrieve records within the specified criteria, fetch the result of the query, connect it to a data grid, etc.)."

"Magic is rapid, it's a tool which we use to develop, change and maintain our programs. xpa has a lot more features onboard and it gives us the opportunity to do such things so that we can easily adapt and maintain our programs. It gives certain benefits to stay with our customers and the market."

"The best feature of Magic is the development time. The time it takes to develop something is incredibly fast if you compare Magic with, for example, Java."

More Magic xpa Application Platform pros

"The ability to seamlessly deploy, image, and patch without causing downtime is extremely helpful and user-friendly."

"It is very usable and easy to understand. Antivirus and VPN are the main features being used now. It allows my clients to access the network from home, which was very crucial because of the pandemic."

"The product's deployment phase was very easy."

"The most valuable feature is AppFabric's hosting solution, which is what we need for running workflows."

Cons

"Throughout my career, I've encountered difficulties when integrating new technologies with Magic xpa Application Platform. In particular, when attempting to incorporate features from other development languages into earlier versions of the solution called uniPaaS. I struggled to integrate .NET components due to the limited options available. This made the process more challenging and complicated. I find it challenging to create a more user-friendly experience for users who may be comparing the system to other systems they have used outside or within the company on different platforms."

"There is room for improvement in Magic's marketing and licensing. I would like to see more integration of web functionality."

"In the next version of the Magic xpa Application Platform, I want tables or small programs where I can directly add expressions. I can do it on SQL, but it would make life much easier if that specification were added to the platform."

"When you have several tasks, you open a screen in a task in developing mode, and you don't see the parent screens. Debugging lacks the effects to solve problems. You have to do it first in a kind of studio. Then you have to be sure that you can do it in Magic because there is almost nothing to debug it. It's practically impossible to debug. You have to be sure before you put your snippets."

"Support is very bad."

"The user interface could be improved to be more friendly for developers."

"They want to be one toolbox for everything, but primarily, we are using xpa to develop desktop applications, and in that area they're lacking functionalities, flexibility, and modern stuff."

"The configuration of the xpa RIA mobile environment is complex and a discouragement to new developers. Also, Magic's documentation can be less than complete at times which leads to frustration for new developers. (I encourage new Magic developers to join the Magic Users Group)."

More Magic xpa Application Platform cons

"Microsoft will stop supporting the product next year, and we can't run unsupported programs in our systems."

"Its price and licensing policy can be improved. It could be a little cheaper. Licensing is sometimes confusing. There are so many different options. It is difficult to find out what to buy or what to choose for my necessity."

"The most important issue I've found is the blue screen errors, particularly when customers use external displays with a P-type cable."

"The product is unable to connect with different cloud services."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are different licenses, we have the application and the online application. There are two different licenses for two different program sites for the Magic xpa Application Platform."

"The cost for developers is high because you have to pay for licenses as well as runtime."

"The licensing is too costly."

"The licensing cost varies because nowadays Magic has tailor-made offerings for clients. I think the solution is worth the money."

"My clients have to purchase additional licenses in order to use what I built. It's not a fair approach."

"The main problem with the Magic xpa Application Platform is pricing. You have to pay a lot of money for development, and you also have to pay a lot for the deployments and runtime, while in most competitors, you have to pay a lot for one of the two and not both."

"Magic is not the cheapest IDE out there. If you are considering Magic xpa, you should do a cost-benefit analysis to feel comfortable with your decision. The Magic sales staff is very helpful in providing pricing."

"It's not cheap. The licenses are not cheap. Not at all. They cost much money. There are other tools with free licenses but Magic asks for a lot of money."

"The product is affordable, in my opinion."

"It is expensive, and its licensing is a bit confusing."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

Insurance Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about Windows Server AppFabric?

The product's deployment phase was very easy.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Windows Server AppFabric?

The product is affordable, in my opinion.

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What needs improvement with Windows Server AppFabric?

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Comparisons

Microsoft .NET Framework vs Magic xpa Application Platform

Compared 31% of the time

OutSystems vs Magic xpa Application Platform

Compared 29% of the time

Mendix vs Magic xpa Application Platform

Compared 26% of the time

GeneXus vs Magic xpa Application Platform

Compared 14% of the time

More Magic xpa Application Platform Competitors

No data available

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Magic xpa Application Platform

April 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

March 2025

Download Windows Server AppFabric product report

Also Known As

uniPaaS

No data available

Overview

Magic xpa Application Platform is a mobile development platform that is designed to enable organizations to simplify and manage every aspect of their application development process. It enables users to construct applications while expending a minimal number of resources. Developers can leverage AI technology in a way that maximizes their ability to effectively deploy their resources toward the end of producing the best possible applications. Ultimately, Magic xpa Application Platform allows developers to rapidly develop and deploy applications across multiple platform types.

Magic xpa Application Platform Benefits

Some of the ways that organizations can benefit by deploying Magic xpa Application Platform include:

Decrease time needed for application production and refinement. Magic xpa Application Platform comes with pre-built application components that can be used to quickly create iterations of the application that can then be deployed or tested. It also makes it so that any and all changes or upgrades that are applied to the application take effect across all of the devices that run the application.

Allows developers to be far more productive than they would be otherwise. Various features, such as Magic xpa Application Platform’s drag-and-drop capability, allow developers to worry less about the more technical aspects of designing the applications and have more time to design the best possible application.

Ease of use. Magic xpa Application Platform is a low-code application development platform. This means that developers do not need to have extensive programming knowledge to create applications. Solutions of this type are far more accessible to the general employee of an organization than a program that is code-heavy. Fewer resources need to be spent training users to employ Magic xpa Application Platform than would be true of other similar platforms. Organizations increase their overall productivity when the process of application development becomes something that even those employees who are not the most technically savvy can take part.

Magic xpa Application Platform Features

Some of the many useful features Magic xpa Application Platform has to offer include:

AI-powered development capabilities. Magic xpa Application Platform has a built-in AI that users can leverage to simplify every step of the development process. Users can use this AI to automate various development steps. This increases the speed at which they can produce applications.

Mobile use capability. Magic xpa Application Platform has a mobile application that organizations can use to run their product development from anywhere in the world.

Collaboration tools. Magic xpa Application Platform provides developers with tools that enable them to work with others to create the enterprise applications that their organizations need.

Reviews from Real Users

Magic xpa Application Platform is a solution that beats out the competition in a number of areas. Two major advantages are the way that it simplifies the application management process and its scalability. It greatly eases the work that developers and administrators do by providing all of the tools that they need to meet their objectives. Additionally, users never have to worry about running out of development capacity in their digital environment. Magic xpa Application Platform can scale up and provide developers with the capacity to design and create their applications in the way that best meets their needs.

Per H., the CEO of Mass Marketing Software AB, writes, “The solution makes the managing and adapting of the software very easy. When it comes to the application's service, mistakes can easily be resolved. This shortens the time it takes to progress from an idea to a new function.”

He also writes, “The solution is highly scalable, allowing one to use very large databases and systems.”

Magic Software

Windows Server AppFabric extends Windows Server to provide enhanced hosting, management, and caching capabilities for Web applications and middle-tier services. The AppFabric hosting features add service management extensions to Internet Information Services (IIS), Windows Process Activation Service (WAS), and the .NET Framework 4. This includes Hosting Services and Hosting Administration tools that make it easier to deploy, configure, and manage Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) based services. The AppFabric caching features add a distributed, in-memory object cache to Windows Server that makes it easier to scale out high-performance .NET applications, especially ASP.NET applications.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

ADD, Cape plc, Adecco, Kuno Kinzoku Industry Co., GE Capital, Dove Tree, CBS Outdoor, Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center, Allstate Life Insurance Company, Titan Software Systems

OSIsoft

Buyer's Guide

Magic xpa Application Platform vs. Windows Server AppFabric

April 2025

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