Apache Web Server vs IIS comparison

Apache and Microsoft are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. Apache is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.5. Apache holds a 11.3% mindshare in AIS, compared to Microsoft’s 10.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Apache users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Apache Web Server

Read 24 Apache Web Server reviews

1,574 Views
1,558 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IIS

Read 61 IIS reviews

3,165 Views
2,121 Comparison Views

90% 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: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server vs. IIS

December 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

5th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IIS

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Server (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of Apache Web Server is 11.3%, up from 10.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IIS is 10.2%, down from 12.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IIS	10.2%
Apache Web Server	11.3%
Other	78.5%

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

Dimitrios Zigkos

Enterprise Architect at Smals vzw

Faced limitations with integration and long-term adaptability but benefited from a lightweight architecture for standalone applications

I find valuable and beneficial the independence that comes with Apache Web Server. You can build a small project using a simple application server without bothering too much about how to manage it. The compatibility with multiple operating systems has helped my operations since most of the time we use Linux. Some systems rely on Windows, but they are few; in the past, Windows was the dominant operating system for mainstream PCs and infrastructure, but not for business. All the companies I worked for had 90% Linux and maybe up to 10% Windows. The initial setup of Apache Web Server was straightforward and okay.

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Krishnakumar Natarajan

Systems Engineer at Atos

Designs and manages multiple websites while ensuring data backup and disaster recovery

I have experience with AWS, and I am most familiar with the server environment, as we just use the server environment and then use Microsoft products on an AWS environment. I have experience with Windows Server IIS, which I ran on my own on-premise data center. The website was developed and then hosted, and through IIS, we managed the servers. The manageability within the IIS environment is not very difficult. For server management, you need to ensure data backup, data restore, and you have a DR configured to keep the database intact. It was done on-premises, so I had no problem doing that. If you have to go to the cloud, then you should have the storage connected to the IIS server and also have a DR set up for that. I didn't use Microsoft Azure tools, but since it is a Microsoft product, Azure has all the portability, so you don't have to worry about compatibility on the cloud. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate this solution a 10.

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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

"Apache Web Server can be used as a proxy server"

"Apache Web Server is free of cost."

"Most of the features I liked were related to the performance during peak hours."

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

"The most significant advantage is the ability to swiftly enable HTTPS services when my DNS is configured correctly."

"The product's initial setup phase is straightforward."

"Apache Web Server effectively runs any web application, including Java-based applications, and includes Apache Tomcat server, which is crucial."

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

More Apache Web Server pros

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

"It's good and offers good usability."

"IIS works natively with Windows Server without any issues in publishing certificates."

"IIS is useful for the deployment of web applications...Its stability is good."

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

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

"It is a lightweight web host that is easy to configure for simple webpages."

"The best features of IIS are that you can design your own website and manage it yourself, creating as many websites as you want."

More IIS pros

Cons

"A monitoring interface would be great for this product. The monitoring dashboards for Apache's models are not included in the basic installation. You can install the basic monitoring model, then connect this model to another monitoring system."

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

"There isn't a dedicated customer support available"

"It would be great if technical support for Apache were available in Iran. It is a very important need."

"I would like to see improvements in the functionality and core of Apache Web Server, focusing on building an infrastructure that can be resilient and robust enough to handle resource shortages, and fast enough in edge cases without crashing under too much traffic during spikes."

"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."

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

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

More Apache Web Server cons

"The graphical user interface has room for improvement and can be more user-friendly."

"Occasionally, we encounter performance issues with IIS where it becomes unresponsive and requires a solution restart."

"Having no support for other than a Microsoft environment and programming languages limits the usage of IIS in many cases."

"The security must be improved."

"The documentation is not very detailed. They need to improve it and add to it. They should ensure there are lots of visuals to help users better understand the solution."

"The level of technical support the solution offers could be improved."

"The solution should improve the cluster environment and load balancing."

"The solution's stability needs improvement."

More IIS cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"There is no licensing cost for the product."

"It is an open-source solution."

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

"There is an annual license to use this solution and the price could be better."

"There is no license needed to use the solution."

"The price is good."

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

"The yearly licensing cost is very high. The solution is very expensive."

"There is a license needed for the solution."

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

"They offer a one-time payment model for the product license, and we pay annually for support."

More IIS pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	11

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	29
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	22

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Apache Web Server?

The product's initial setup phase is straightforward.

See all answers

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

There are no fees associated with the usage of Apache Web Server in my projects. If you want to have support, then there is some cost, but today I do not know how many companies pay for that servic...

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What needs improvement with Apache Web Server?

I would like to see improvements in the functionality and core of Apache Web Server, focusing on building an infrastructure that can be resilient and robust enough to handle resource shortages, and...

See all answers

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?

For the pricing, setup cost, and licensing for IIS, as a Microsoft product, I didn't think much about separately purchasing an IIS product as it is part of Microsoft Windows. We bought a developmen...

See all answers

Comparisons

NGINX Plus vs Apache Web Server

Compared 24% of the time

Magic xpa Application Platform vs Apache Web Server

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft .NET Framework vs Apache Web Server

Compared 5% of the time

Windows Server AppFabric vs Apache Web Server

Compared 4% of the time

InterSystems Ensemble vs Apache Web Server

Compared 4% of the time

More Apache Web Server Competitors

NGINX Plus vs IIS

Compared 22% of the time

Tomcat vs IIS

Compared 8% of the time

Oracle WebLogic Server vs IIS

Compared 6% of the time

Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) vs IIS

Compared 6% of the time

Oracle Application Server vs IIS

Compared 4% of the time

More IIS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server

January 2026

Download Apache Web Server product report

Buyer's Guide

IIS

January 2026

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

December 2025

Free Report: Apache Web Server vs. IIS

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