Apache Web Server vs IIS comparison

Apache and Microsoft are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. Apache is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.8, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3. Apache holds a 10.5% mindshare in AIS, compared to Microsoft’s 12.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Apache users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 89% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Apache Web Server

Read 23 Apache Web Server reviews

1,904 Views
1,610 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IIS

Read 56 IIS reviews

2,756 Views
2,058 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

Apache Web Server

IIS

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

IIS and Apache Web Server compete in the web server category. Apache seems to have the upper hand due to its open-source nature and cross-platform compatibility.

Features: IIS integrates seamlessly with Windows and offers robust security with application pools and process isolation. It is easy to use for Microsoft ecosystem users and provides performance benefits when hosting applications. Apache, known for stability and flexibility, is the most widely used web server worldwide. It is open-source, supports multiple operating systems, and efficiently handles extensive client requests.

Room for Improvement: IIS faces compatibility issues outside Microsoft environments and can be challenging to scale. Troubleshooting is not intuitive for unfamiliar users. Apache requires detailed command-line configuration, which can be daunting for less experienced users. It lacks support for the .NET framework and structured customer support outside certain areas.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IIS is often deployed on-premises or in hybrid cloud setups, benefitting from Microsoft's support ecosystem, although initial support levels may vary. Apache's deployment is versatile but often relies on community support due to its open-source nature, making official support less straightforward.

Pricing and ROI: IIS incurs costs from Windows Server licenses, making it economically viable for organizations already using Microsoft products, with users reporting strong ROI from integration benefits. Apache, being free, offers significant cost savings, though ROI varies greatly depending on implementation and hardware expenses.

To learn more, read our detailed Apache Web Server vs. IIS Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server vs. IIS

March 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

Apache Web Server

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IIS

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Server (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of Apache Web Server is 10.5%, up from 10.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IIS is 12.5%, down from 13.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

Saurav Kumar

Senior security architecture at National Payment Corporation Of India

Offers security features that are reliable

When it comes to Apache Web Server, I don't have any suggestions for improvement because we use it in the UAT environment. For production, my company mainly uses NGINX. There is no direct package provided by the product if I want to use WAF. In NGINX, NGINX Plus has the signature update capability, but in Apache, the same feature is not available, making it an area where improvements are required. If WAF can be introduced in Apache Web Server, it would be a good improvement so that its users can implement either the WAF module or ModSecurity, as they choose. For NGINX, I think it has NGINX Management Suite, which is GUI-based and allows you to manage your configuration via the user interface, but Apache fails to offer such capabilities to users. Apache Web Server should provide users with the same capabilities offered under NGINX Management Suite with the help of a simple GUI so that our company doesn't have to do anything on the terminal while directly getting to use the user interface, which can help us with the configuration part.

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VikramSingh6

Operations Executive at Quess

A simple and easy-to-use solution but not recommended for public apps

I would rate the overall solution a six out of ten. We have around five to six developers and engineers for the solution’s deployment and maintenance. You can use the solution if your website is not too big or complicated. However, if it is big and complicated, then you need to use Apache or Red Hat. This tool can be used for internal purposes. But if you plan to host a public app, then I wouldn’t recommend the tool.

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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 very cheap and stable."

"The open-source nature is one of its most significant advantages."

"It's reliable, configurable and generally secure."

"Its community is its most valuable feature. Solving problems is easier on Apache because so many people know this product."

"It's very stable, and it hosts one of the biggest of many biggest web applications in the world."

"It is more secure to use Apache and you will have fewer problems than other web services."

"The best thing about Apache is that it is open-source, so implementing my platform on-premises is less expansive than other solutions."

"Apache Web Server is free of cost."

More Apache Web Server pros

"IIS is easy to configure in terms of websites and other solutions."

"The solution is easy to use, easy to maintain and isn't too technical."

"It is an easy-to-use and secure program."

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

"The solution is very easy to use and offers a quick deployment."

"The product is scalable."

"The solution is very stable. The solution is very simple and easy to use."

"We use the solution for our customer's web applications."

More IIS pros

Cons

"By optimizing the infrastructure to allow the webserver to directly handle queries from memory—particularly by prioritizing the storage of queries in memory and processing them through the web server interface—I could potentially cut down the required instances from five hundred to two hundred."

"The GUI for the less experienced users needs some improvement. For some companies, it is hard to configure it if they have not had any experience."

"I want the user interface to be more user-friendly."

"The major issue occurs with ports. So, I would like to see easier port management."

"Things change very fast. We're always on the lookout for better approaches and tools. If the solution falls behind, we may have to switch."

"So far, for us, everything is okay."

"In future releases, I would like to see better server optimization."

"The product's initial setup process could be easier for users."

More Apache Web Server cons

"At the moment, we have big problems with stability, and I'm not very happy at the moment. So, the stability could be improved."

"This solution needs to be easier for cases where you want to have an IIS cluster."

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

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

"The initial setup could be made easier."

"If Microsoft IIS could work well with AppOptics or things like PHP, Python, and other custom languages that run on the webserver, it would be ideal. I think there are cases where people need to use Apache instead of IIS when IIS doesn't work well with other web languages."

"We'd like future versions to be more stable."

"Performance-wise, certain improvements in IIS are needed...IIS is not scalable. Its scalability is less."

More IIS cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an open-source solution."

"The apache software is free, open-source."

"There is no licensing cost for the product."

"It is a free-of-cost solution."

"I didn't need to get an additional license for the solution since it was included in my server."

"The tool's pricing is on a yearly basis."

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

"The price is good."

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

"The product's price is not high."

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

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

More IIS pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

16%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Apache Web Server?

The product's initial setup phase is straightforward.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Apache Web Server?

Apache Web Server is a free product, with no associated setup costs or licensing fees.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Apache Web Server?

There is no need for substantial improvements as we have a dedicated team managing the server, ensuring everything runs smoothly.

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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,...

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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

Comparisons

NGINX Plus vs Apache Web Server

Compared 28% of the time

Microsoft .NET Framework vs Apache Web Server

Compared 8% of the time

Zend PHP Engine vs Apache Web Server

Compared 7% of the time

IBM WebSphere Application Server vs Apache Web Server

Compared 7% of the time

Oracle SOA Suite vs Apache Web Server

Compared 5% of the time

More Apache Web Server Competitors

NGINX Plus vs IIS

Compared 29% of the time

Oracle WebLogic Server vs IIS

Compared 16% of the time

Tomcat vs IIS

Compared 14% of the time

JBoss vs IIS

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft .NET Framework vs IIS

Compared 5% of the time

More IIS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server

March 2025

Download Apache Web Server product report

Buyer's Guide

IIS

March 2025

Download IIS product report

Also Known As

Apache HTTP Server

Windows Server IIS

Overview

The Apache HTTP Server Project was founded in 1995 by a group of webmasters, known as The Apache Group, with the aim of developing robust, richly-featured, freely-available and commercial-standard Web (HTTP) server source code. The result was Apache Web Server or Apache HTTP Server, which is an open-source public-domain web server.

This collaborative project has been enhanced ever since with contributions from the core development team and other volunteers situated all over the globe. Also, hundreds of users of this open-source web server have contributed code, ideas, and documentation. The project falls under The Apache Software Foundation, which manages many open-source projects.

Apache

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

Sample Customers

Cisco, Intuit, General Electric, Adobe, VMware, PayPal, HP, EMC, eBay, Apple, SAP, Qualcomm, SanDisk, Allstate, FedEx

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

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server vs. IIS

March 2025

Free Report: Apache Web Server vs. IIS

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