I use Windows Server IIS to publish our site for my Citrix applications.
Senior IT Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Reliable and helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "Windows Server IIS is stable."
- "I am using an older version of Windows Server IIS and the general management and navigation to get something done is not as straightforward as I hope it to be. The interface could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
What needs improvement?
I am using an older version of Windows Server IIS and the general management and navigation to get something done is not as straightforward as I hope it to be. The interface could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Windows Server IIS for approximately three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Windows Server IIS is stable.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have over 100 people using this solution in my organization.
How are customer service and support?
I have contacted the support from Microsoft a few times. Depending on the issue we are having, the support in some cases takes a bit longer to get our point across for them to understand and then to receive a resolution that day.
I rate the support from Microsoft a four out of five.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have not used another solution previously.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Windows Server IIS is complex. If you already have some experience it can be simple.
What about the implementation team?
We have an external service provider that helps with the maintenance and monitoring of Windows Server IIS. We have internal personnel, but for anything that we can't figure out by ourselves, then we contact the service provider and external help desk.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Windows Server IIS is expensive. They have a large user base, and they charge a little bit too much.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Windows Server IIS an eight out of ten.
If I was using the newer version of Windows Server IIS I would rate it higher.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Deputy Manager at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
An user-friendly solution that needs improvement in performance
Pros and Cons
- "IIS's most valuable feature is user-friendliness."
- "The tool needs to improve its performance."
What is most valuable?
IIS's most valuable feature is user-friendliness.
What needs improvement?
The tool needs to improve its performance.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for five to ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IIS is stable.
How are customer service and support?
The tool's technical support is good.
How was the initial setup?
IIS's deployment is straightforward. It can completed in an hour.
What about the implementation team?
IIS's deployment can be completed in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
IIS's pricing is not expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the overall product an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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IIS
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about IIS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,711 professionals have used our research since 2012.
System Integrator IT Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Helps to work with web application but needs to improve security, support and pricing
Pros and Cons
- "We use the solution for our customer's web applications."
- "IIS needs to improve its security. Its support needs to be faster and clear. The tool's licensing could be cheaper as well."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for our customer's web applications.
What needs improvement?
IIS needs to improve its security. Its support needs to be faster and clear. The tool's licensing could be cheaper as well.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the IIS for 15-20 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My company has 200 users for IIS.
How was the initial setup?
The tool's setup is simple.
What about the implementation team?
We did not use a consultant for the product's setup.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
IIS is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate IIS a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Principal Architect at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Stable solution and has an easy initial setup process
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is easy to use."
- "The solution's scalability needs improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution to build web-based applications and platforms.
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The solution's scalability needs improvement.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is reasonably stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution's scalability could be better.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup process is straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
If you're looking for a scalable solution, look at alternatives other than IIS. But it serves the purpose if you're looking for a small to medium solution. I rate it an eight.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Solutions specialist lead at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
A stable solution useful for the deployment of web applications
Pros and Cons
- "IIS is useful for the deployment of web applications...Its stability is good."
- "Performance-wise, certain improvements in IIS are needed...IIS is not scalable. Its scalability is less."
What is our primary use case?
IIS is useful for the deployment of web applications.
What is most valuable?
There aren't any particular features I found valuable since it is just used for deployment purposes.
What needs improvement?
Performance-wise, certain improvements in IIS are needed.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IIS for not more than a year now. I also sell IIS.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is good. People use it widely to host their on-premises applications, like, internal applications on IIS.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable if we include the application stack. IIS is not scalable. Its scalability is less. If we talk about its scalability with respect to the cloud, as we are seeing as of now, it's not that much scalable. We need to put some extra effort into making it scalable. Almost everyone who has a Windows server uses the solution for hosting their internal applications.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup is a little complex, especially compared to what others provide. It is better than Apache.
If there are no issues, the solution's deployment can be done in an hour or two maximum. Two people are required for the deployment and maintenance of the solution. Also, it depends on the size of the infrastructure and the servers and everything. The requirement for the infrastructure is not that big. So two people are more than enough. One is the administrator, and the other one is the developer. But if there is a lot of development, then the people required for deployment and maintenance would depend on the size of the application.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost for IIS is already included in Windows services. We don't have to pay anything extra. We only pay for the Windows server.
What other advice do I have?
I would tell those planning to use the solution depending on their requirement. If the requirement is for on-premises and in an isolated environment, then people install it on the server and start using it. But if the requirement is to go on the cloud and make the website public, then it is preferable to opt for the cloud.
I rate the overall solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
System admin at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Scalable, high availability, and simple setup
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of IIS is the database it provides."
- "IIS could improve by Microsoft Windows improving the update services. We would like to be able to update all systems that are connected. The WSA service has to be in good order to accomplish this."
What is our primary use case?
We are using IIS got Active Directory and DNS.
We are using six core hardware from Dell to run the solution.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of IIS is the database it provides.
What needs improvement?
IIS could improve by Microsoft Windows improving the update services. We would like to be able to update all systems that are connected. The WSA service has to be in good order to accomplish this.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IIS for approximately nine years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
IIS is scalable.
We have approximately 75 servers using the solution. We have plans to increase our usage.
How are customer service and support?
I have not used the support from the vendor for IIS.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of IIS is simple and can be done within one hour.
What about the implementation team?
We are using the solution virtually and we did the deployment. We have two or three people who deploy the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is an annual license to use this solution and the price could be better.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate IIS a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Solutions Consultant at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Stable, scalable, and easy to set up.
Pros and Cons
- "IIS is scalable."
- "Occasionally, we encounter performance issues with IIS where it becomes unresponsive and requires a solution restart."
What is our primary use case?
IIS is primarily used for hosting and managing web applications.
What needs improvement?
The performance of IIS could be improved. Occasionally, we encounter performance issues with IIS where it becomes unresponsive and requires a solution restart.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IIS for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I give IIS a seven out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
IIS is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing cost is dependent on the usage.
What other advice do I have?
I give IIS an eight out of ten.
We have around 15,000 people using IIS in the organization.
We require around three people for IIS maintenance.
I recommend IIS to others.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Project Manager at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Simple and user-friendly interface, good integration, and easy to implement
Pros and Cons
- "IIS has a very simple and user-friendly interface, which helps a lot in effective and efficient management."
- "Having no support for other than a Microsoft environment and programming languages limits the usage of IIS in many cases."
What is our primary use case?
I am working as a Software Project Manager for a software company in their Pharma Services Division and using IIS on Microsoft Windows Server for local deployment of our pharma related .NET application. It is built in C# and used for uploading and validation of pharma-related information in a locally deployed application by a team of data associates and data analysts.
The information is then transported after validation to the web database on Azure from the local database using an internally-developed desktop application.
How has it helped my organization?
IIS is the best option on Microsoft Windows Server for hosting and deployment of .NET applications, either in a local environment or on the web.
The graphical user-interface of IIS is very easy to use and helpful in the effective management of applications.
It comes with Microsoft Windows Server by default, which makes it easier to get started for hosting .NET applications immediately, with no hassles of installation and setup of any other web server.
The integration is the best, being a Microsoft .NET application hosted on Microsoft IIS running on Microsoft Windows Server with Microsoft Database Connectors and Drivers.
What is most valuable?
IIS has a very simple and user-friendly interface, which helps a lot in effective and efficient management. The simplicity of the interface helps the newbies to learn to manage it fast.
What needs improvement?
IIS needs immediate improvements, especially in the area of security management.
Having no support for other than a Microsoft environment and programming languages limits the usage of IIS in many cases.
The capability to host and deploy open-source applications would definitely add more value to it. There should be plugins to enable it to support open-source programming languages.
It also limits us in the choice of operating systems.
IIS should be enhanced in terms of its capabilities for monitoring and debugging.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IIS on Microsoft Windows Server for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable in its operations, hence requires minimum efforts in performance management. It is easy to keep it alive and maintain server uptime.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have found that customer support has always been good for cases that we have raised. It has a huge user community.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with Apache Web Server, WAMP, and XAMPP.
How was the initial setup?
Being a part of Microsoft Windows Server, it is very easy to set up and manage IIS.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I tried Apache Web Server before implementing IIS.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Updated: December 2025
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