Apache Web Server vs NGINX Plus comparison

Apache and F5 are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. Apache is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4, while F5 is ranked #4 with an average rating of 7.8. Apache holds a 11.3% mindshare in AIS, compared to F5’s 9.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Apache users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of F5 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

NGINX Plus

Read 32 NGINX Plus reviews

3,866 Views
1,546 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Apache Web Server

NGINX Plus

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

Apache Web Server and NGINX Plus compete in the web server software solutions category. Apache has an edge in community support and ease of customization, whereas NGINX Plus leads with its performance-focused design and advanced features for enterprises.

Features: Apache Web Server offers stability through its open-source support, compatibility with multiple operating systems, and extensive customizability. NGINX Plus provides efficient handling of client requests, advanced load balancing, and robust application delivery features.

Room for Improvement: Apache could improve in direct support and streamlining its user interface. Enhancing deployment processes to be more user-friendly would be beneficial. NGINX Plus requires simpler configuration methodologies and a better balance of open-source features against its pricing.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Apache Web Server excels in documentation and community support, although corporate support is lacking. NGINX Plus offers extensive deployment options with strong vendor support and community engagement, facilitating better customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Apache Web Server is free, offering substantial savings and rapid ROI. NGINX Plus, despite its licensing costs, provides value through premium features suitable for businesses with specific needs in advanced load balancing and security.

To learn more, read our detailed Apache Web Server vs. NGINX Plus Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server vs. NGINX Plus

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

NGINX Plus

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

4th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) (8th)

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 NGINX Plus is 9.3%, down from 11.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
NGINX Plus	9.3%
Apache Web Server	11.3%
Other	79.4%

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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Michael Olayemi

Senior Software Engineer at Checkit

Enables public access and secure configurations through reverse proxy

The primary valuable feature of NGINX for me is its ability to provide a reverse proxy. I have found that this feature supports our local server, and I am able to connect through our DNS system, making it accessible publicly. Additionally, the integration with SSL certificates and the configuration capabilities make it a valuable solution for my use case. Without NGINX, users would not be able to access our application, which means there is positive ROI from using NGINX as it is crucial for the functioning of my organization.

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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

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

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

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

"The solution's most valuable feature is reporting."

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

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

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

More Apache Web Server pros

"When you use NGINX, you have more options and power."

"The primary valuable feature of NGINX for me is its ability to provide a reverse proxy."

"Nginx is simple to configure, very stable in a highly utilized environment and very modular, allowing DevOps to create it's own modules for interactive use with Nginx."

"Zero Downtime has always been a strength in recommending infrastructure web services. NGINX allows me to execute such infrastructure with less complications and the ability to switch from server to server easily."

"NGINX Plus' most valuable feature is the ingress controller."

"I receive very good support."

"I utilize NGINX for its capability to provide visibility and discovery options, helping discover and identify networks, which is crucial for ensuring application performance, managing latency, and checking server reachability."

"Its versatility and capabilities make it invaluable for implementing patches and fixes when necessary."

More NGINX Plus pros

Cons

"The interface has room for improvement."

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

"There is a security-related problem that depends on the web server's configuration."

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

"Its stability could be better."

"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."

"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."

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

More Apache Web Server cons

"The solution must improve its performance."

"They should do in the open source version of what they did to Advanced HTTP, TCP, and UDP load balancing."

"One area of improvement could be that NGINX could provide a means to generate self-signed SSL certificates."

"Lack of a feature to print data on the terminal for verification of network traffic during debugging and testing."

"NGINX is a very basic load balancer and cannot do as many customizations as F5."

"One area of improvement could be that NGINX could provide a means to generate self-signed SSL certificates."

"There is room for improvement in the pricing model."

"It would be great if there was even more automation to make it even easier to maintain."

More NGINX Plus cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"It is an open-source solution."

"There is no licensing cost for the product."

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

"HAProxy is cheaper than NGINX."

"The solution is free, but you can spend a lot of money with a complex solution."

"NGINX Plus is worth it, if you need it. If you do not need the features or support, the free and open source package is more than capable. "

"Compared to other similar solutions on the market, I think it's over-priced."

"There's an open-source version of NGINX that is free."

"NGINX Plus is an open-source solution with limited additional features. When you try to get additional features in the solution, then you need to pay an extra amount to NGINX Plus."

"I use the solution's community edition which is free of cost."

"NGINX is a free tool in Brazil. There are some companies which do support it."

More NGINX Plus pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user240036

Senior IT Architect at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees

Apr 10, 2016

Apache vs. Nginx

Originally posted https://zitseng.com/archives/10435 Apache or Nginx. This is a question that many website administrators have considered. It’s a question that I’ve also considered several times, and again just the past week. Apache is the most popular web server on the Internet. Nginx, on the…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

Insurance Company

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	15
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	11

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?

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...

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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 NGINX Plus?

It performs very well. That's one of the primary reasons we use NGINX.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NGINX Plus?

Pricing is reasonable and that is fine.

See all answers

Comparisons

IIS vs Apache Web Server

Compared 32% 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

IIS vs NGINX Plus

Compared 17% of the time

HAProxy vs NGINX Plus

Compared 10% of the time

NetScaler vs NGINX Plus

Compared 9% of the time

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs NGINX Plus

Compared 8% of the time

Kemp LoadMaster vs NGINX Plus

Compared 6% of the time

More NGINX Plus Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server

January 2026

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Buyer's Guide

NGINX Plus

January 2026

Download NGINX Plus product report

Also Known As

Apache HTTP Server

NGINX

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

NGINX Plus is a versatile solution that offers load balancing, caching, proxying, and API deployment capabilities. It can be deployed on private or public clouds and is ideal for building CDN solutions. The solution can also be used to secure web applications and replace web services like Apache.

NGINX has helped organizations improve functioning, reduce downtimes, and offer a DevOps-friendly solution. Its community support and documentation are highly regarded, and its configuration is more straightforward, making it a recommended choice over HAProxy.

Sample Customers

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

Locaweb, AppNexus, Wix, Reliam, Montana Interactive, MuleSoft, Warpwire, Discovery Education, InkaBinka, WordPress.com, Gogo, GOV.UK, NASA

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server vs. NGINX Plus

December 2025

Free Report: Apache Web Server vs. NGINX Plus

Find out what your peers are saying about Apache Web Server vs. NGINX Plus and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

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