Apache Web Server vs Zend PHP Engine comparison

Apache and Zend are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. Apache is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.5, while Zend is ranked #14 with an average rating of 7.5. Apache holds a 11.0% mindshare in AIS, compared to Zend’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Apache users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Zend users who would recommend it.

Apache Web Server

Read 24 Apache Web Server reviews

1,635 Views
1,619 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Zend PHP Engine

Read 11 Zend PHP Engine reviews

547 Views
547 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Apache Web Server

Zend PHP Engine

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

Zend PHP Engine and Apache Web Server compete in the web development category. Zend PHP Engine is favored due to its specialized PHP processing abilities, making it superior in PHP application performance.

Features: Zend PHP Engine offers robust PHP optimization, efficient debugging tools, and real-time application monitoring. Apache Web Server provides extensive module support, customizability, and flexibility in hosting different content types.

Room for Improvement: Zend PHP Engine could improve in cost-effectiveness, compatibility with non-PHP technologies, and support for diverse web application needs. Apache Web Server can enhance user interface design, scalability for larger enterprises, and simplified configuration processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zend PHP Engine features a straightforward installation with specialized PHP support, enhancing the developer experience. Apache Web Server offers ample online documentation and community support, mainly focusing on server configuration and management.

Pricing and ROI: Zend PHP Engine requires a higher initial investment due to its specialized features, potentially delivering higher ROI for PHP-centric applications through enhanced efficiency. In contrast, Apache Web Server's open-source nature offers cost benefits but might require additional investments for customization depending on module needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Apache Web Server vs. Zend PHP Engine Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server vs. Zend PHP Engine

February 2026

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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

Zend PHP Engine

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

14th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of Apache Web Server is 11.0%, up from 10.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zend PHP Engine is 1.7%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Apache Web Server	11.0%
Zend PHP Engine	1.7%
Other	87.3%

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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Marco Wwrthon

CEO at VonatelNetworks

Effective network data analysis with customization capabilities and an open-source model

We use Zend PHP Engine in a government project to develop a tool for network monitoring analysis. We utilize the tool to collect all the network data for a platform PHP allows us to personalize a solution if the customer desires. This flexibility is beneficial. Zend PHP Engine is a good tool for…

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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 is free of cost."

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

"It is scalable."

"The control panel is very easy to navigate. It's similar to most hosting platforms, so it's user-friendly. Once you get used to it, managing your hosting becomes easy, too."

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

"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 product is very cheap and stable."

More Apache Web Server pros

"Zend Engine is the core of PHP. It makes PHP fast, efficient, and basically, the language of choice for web applications."

"The cache modules that Zend provides have been able to optimize and accelerate the loading of the pages when there was exponential growth in data volume and quantity of requests. At the same time, the monitoring console allowed us to have a real-time understanding of the resources and to make decisions when they were at the limit."

"Zend PHP Engine is more secure than any other framework, and I usually prefer Zend PHP Engine for big applications."

"The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature."

"Zend PHP Engine is a good tool for developing and collecting data, offering strong performance."

"Faster web app implementation, when PHP dev is required by customers."

"It offers good support for various types of classes, along with many open source libraries that we can readily utilize in our application development process. This gives us a lot of options when it comes to custom development solutions, without having to worry about licensing or other programming-related issues."

"We have not encountered issues with scalability as long as we effectively use caching to optimize performance of our web applications as well as a proper use of database connectivity."

More Zend PHP Engine pros

Cons

"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."

"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."

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

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

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

"Adding a reverse proxy to Apache Web Server would be a significant improvement."

"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."

More Apache Web Server cons

"The biggest problem with PHP is you have to write lot of conditions or have to use a framework."

"Integration of MVC with ORM tools for PHP is okay, but lacking a short list of decent ORM tools for PHP to choose from; there is ample room for improvement in both areas."

"Although it offers a complete environment to develop and deploy PHP applications, it has some limitations. For example, when the volume of data increased exponentially, I had problems scaling the system."

"Zend PHP Engine needs to improve the loading time of its libraries and make it faster."

"Integrating AI tools would make PHP more competitive, as other tools already have AI features."

"A general scripting language should be further developed and should be embedded into it."

"SQL queries have always been an issue with PHP, especially if you use large tables, which require caution from the side of the developer."

"The main area that Zend needs to improve is to support asynchronous programming tasks, which is facilitated in PHP 7, but not at the same degree as HHVM."

More Zend PHP Engine cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an open-source solution."

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

"There is no licensing cost for the product."

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

"No problem with pricing and licensing, as tools are open source. You have to consider training cost, mindset setup cost, as part of the TCO."

"Its pricing depends on the number of users."

"Zend PHP Engine is not an expensive solution."

"The Zend PHP engine is open source technology, so there's no need for us to worry about licensing or other costs."

"The solution is open source and you just pay for the server cost."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

Government

No data available

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	9
Large Enterprise	2

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...

See all answers

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

What do you like most about Zend PHP Engine?

The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zend PHP Engine?

PHP is an open-source solution.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Zend PHP Engine?

Integrating AI tools would make PHP more competitive, as other tools already have AI features.

See all answers

Comparisons

IIS vs Apache Web Server

Compared 30% of the time

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

WebLogic Suite vs Apache Web Server

Compared 2% of the time

More Apache Web Server Competitors

NGINX Plus vs Zend PHP Engine

Compared 43% of the time

Atos DirX Directory vs Zend PHP Engine

Compared 26% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server

February 2026

Download Apache Web Server product report

Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

February 2026

Download Zend PHP Engine product report

Also Known As

Apache HTTP Server

PHP Engine

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

The Zend PHP Engine is designed to optimize PHP code and improve performance, making it a popular choice for web developers. It is easy to use, stable, does not require a lot of code, is open source, and only requires payment for server costs. The initial setup is straightforward, and there is no real need to set up the solution because it's built into the deployment.

Zend

Sample Customers

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

Cisco

Buyer's Guide

Apache Web Server vs. Zend PHP Engine

February 2026

Free Report: Apache Web Server vs. Zend PHP Engine

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