IBM WebSphere Application Server vs JBoss comparison

IBM and Red Hat are both solutions in the Application Server category. IBM is ranked #5 with an average rating of 7.8, while Red Hat is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.2. IBM holds a 12.8% mindshare in AppS, compared to Red Hat’s 17.5% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Red Hat users who would recommend it.

IBM WebSphere Application S...

Read 31 IBM WebSphere Application Server reviews

2,627 Views
1,916 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

JBoss

Read 27 JBoss reviews

3,111 Views
2,779 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

IBM WebSphere Application S...

JBoss

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 2, 2025

IBM WebSphere Application Server and JBoss are competitors in the application server market. IBM WebSphere has the upper hand in terms of enterprise-level support and integration, while JBoss stands out for its cost efficiency and customization capabilities.

Features: IBM WebSphere offers robust security, middleware integration, and enterprise-level scalability. JBoss provides a lightweight, modular architecture with strong community support, making it highly adaptable and cost-effective. IBM emphasizes support and technological advancements, whereas JBoss benefits from its flexibility and open-source nature.

Room for Improvement: IBM WebSphere could improve by reducing licensing costs and enhancing ease of use and customization. JBoss might work on providing more professional support options, enhancing security features, and offering better integration with other systems out of the box.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: JBoss is noted for its straightforward deployment process, modularity, and community-driven support. IBM WebSphere requires a more controlled deployment but is recognized for its exceptional customer service and comprehensive support, appealing to companies seeking consistent service.

Pricing and ROI: IBM WebSphere involves higher upfront costs with enterprise-grade capabilities, impacting short-term ROI but offering long-term benefits through performance and support. JBoss offers a lower setup cost with its open-source model, providing quicker ROI by aligning with specific user needs. The choice often depends on whether an organization prioritizes upfront investment for comprehensive support or prefers cost efficiency and customization.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. JBoss Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. JBoss

April 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

IBM WebSphere Application S...

Ranking in Application Server

5th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Infrastructure (5th)

JBoss

Ranking in Application Server

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Application Server category, the mindshare of IBM WebSphere Application Server is 12.8%, up from 11.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of JBoss is 17.5%, up from 17.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Server

Featured Reviews

BharathirajaSukumar

Senior Lead Analyst at Radial

Efficient load balancing and the clustering, achieved by using the deployment manager, is valuable

I believe that the system is already good. However, for improvement or enhancement, it is user-friendly, but it could offer better choices on the front end for different aspects or options. Sometimes, I have to search extensively for features, as there are no upfront tabs. There is a lack of visible, easy, user-friendly, and straightforward options for the number of features.

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Srinadh Puli

VP at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Automation aids installation while management consolidation needs improvement

We are currently using Ansible for Jira installations and all the management tasks. We perform some tasks manually, however, Ansible helps in automating some of these processes I find JBoss to be lightweight and easier to manage compared to WebSphere. It allows for simple modification of…

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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

"Security: It is compatible with the latest Java 8 security features, supports FIPS 140-2 and NIST SP 800-53 with strong ciphers and cryptography keys, and supports TLS 1.2 completely. Also, configuring client and server certificates is relatively easy."

"WebSphere Application Server's best features include the data subscription and connection viewer."

"Without the Admin Console it would be very hard to configure JVM settings, JDBC datasources, mail session settings, and security providers."

"The integration between IBM tools and applications is very well executed, and the support from IBM is quite good, providing a solid support structure."

"Starting with version 8, WAS provides a special folder called monitor deployment. Once you put the .war or .ear file in there, it is deployed automatically without human intervention. This greatly helps us in our continuous integration server. Once the deployment binary is ready, we write a script to copy it to that folder and then, voila! The application is up and running and accessible from its context root."

"IBM WAS is the backbone for our enterprise content management suite which delivers the primary processes for our customers. Without a good application server, it would be hard to provide a secure layer of midddleware upon which the other applications run. IBM WAS improves the stability of the entire solution and provides a high quality platform for running web-based solutions."

"IBM WAS is extremely scalable. It is easy to add additional servers and to divide the load over servers in all kinds of ways."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is Portal Virtualization."

More IBM WebSphere Application Server pros

"JBoss is more flexible and keeps up with modern technologies, supporting newer versions of different libraries."

"The greatest benefit of JBoss is that it was procured by IBM, thereby offering exceptional support for our banking operations."

"The solution's technical support is good."

"JBoss's configuration is straightforward and easy."

"The most valuable feature is the UI."

"The solution has flexibility and stability."

"The product integrates well with Java applications."

"The high availability is great."

More JBoss pros

Cons

"I think that this is a good product but I think that the cloud environment could be improved. I think that the future is in the utilization of the product in a product as a service way which is something that is lacking at this moment."

"The solution consumes hardware."

"WebSphere Application Server doesn't have an automated deployment option, forcing us to use third-party tools like Jenkins UCD and Palo Automated Deployment."

"What could be improved in IBM WebSphere Application Server is its interconnection with other products, for example, Kafka. What I'd like to see in the next release of the solution is a better graphical user interface."

"In the next release of this solution, I would like to see support for the Arabic language."

"Some things are very difficult to do, so the interface and usage could be more intuitive for those."

"They should make the solution more lightweight and not bundle everything into a single product."

"The licensing could be improved, and I would like it to give the longevity of the lifespan of the visions. In the next release, I would like to be able to download and extract the files so that I can just use my application server."

More IBM WebSphere Application Server cons

"The documentation could be better. When we have questions, we need to check multiple websites. There isn't one place listing a set of common problems and how to fix them."

"Making it lighter and more modular would probably be beneficial."

"The initial setup is a bit complex."

"There is not much ability inside of the solution. The world is going beyond different micro and data-type things like Microsoft Office, so we are not seeing much ability within the solution."

"They are trying to make it less heavyweight since app servers often deliver a lot of functionality. Still, if we aren't leveraging them, they can be too much for certain use cases."

"The price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required. The product could be made cheaper."

"The login process could be improved."

"Having the support combined with Red Hat support would be an improvement."

More JBoss cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay around $200,000 annually."

"Room for improvement would only be in the licensing. As with all IBM products the licensing can be complex and expensive. Bargain well and try to get as much discount as possible. Discounts of 85% are possible. Without the discount, I think the product is overrated."

"We used to pay about $100,000-$120,000 US or somewhere around there. That was a bit cost-prohibitive for us to continue."

"I don't remember the price, but there are no additional costs."

"The price of this product is higher than that of competitors."

"The solution is quite expensive."

"My company is on a perpetual or permanent license agreement with IBM WebSphere Application Server. There's also a pay-per-use option, but customers rarely choose that option. Most of the customers are on the perpetual license deal that's all-inclusive. As the license cost is quite expensive, I'm rating it two out of five."

"WebSphere Application Server is expensive, so it may not be a good option for small companies."

More IBM WebSphere Application Server pricing and cost advice

"There is no licensing cost. The solution is free to use."

"We pay for a maintenance license, but it is not expensive."

"Despite the price increase after being acquired by IBM, JBoss still maintains its competitiveness. The package provided is more geared towards cloud-based deployments, whereas our setup is more traditional, which makes it slightly more expensive for us. As most vendors are transitioning towards cloud-centric solutions, companies like ours need to adapt accordingly."

"I rate the product price as eight on a scale, where one means it is a very cheap solution, and ten points mean that it is a very expensive tool."

"It is an open-source solution."

"Since the solution is freeware, our customers don't need to pay any licensing fees."

"The solution is cost-efficient compared to other products. Pricing is rated an eight out of ten."

"JBoss is an expensive solution."

More JBoss pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

32%

Computer Software Company

14%

Insurance Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

27%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM WebSphere Application Server?

Network Deployment is the most useful feature for scalability. It has many features within the standard WebSphere Application Server edition.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM WebSphere Application Server?

In Korea, when you buy IBM iOS, the WebSphere base version is included with iOS. That means no additional cost.

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What needs improvement with IBM WebSphere Application Server?

I find the server okay, however, using the Maker instance, the Moving instance, and the Change instance is a little bit complicated without WebSphere knowledge.

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What do you like most about JBoss?

The product's initial setup phase is easy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for JBoss?

JBoss is the cheaper option out of the three when compared to WebSphere and WebLogic. Though I haven't done a detailed price comparison, the licensing fee is cheaper, and due to its flexibility, th...

See all answers

What needs improvement with JBoss?

They are trying to make it less heavyweight since app servers often deliver a lot of functionality. Still, if we aren't leveraging them, they can be too much for certain use cases. Making it lighte...

See all answers

Comparisons

JBoss Enterprise Application Platform vs IBM WebSphere Application Server

Compared 26% of the time

Tomcat vs IBM WebSphere Application Server

Compared 17% of the time

Oracle WebLogic Server vs IBM WebSphere Application Server

Compared 8% of the time

IBM DataPower Gateway vs IBM WebSphere Application Server

Compared 6% of the time

IBM BPM vs IBM WebSphere Application Server

Compared 3% of the time

More IBM WebSphere Application Server Competitors

Tomcat vs JBoss

Compared 27% of the time

Oracle WebLogic Server vs JBoss

Compared 27% of the time

IIS vs JBoss

Compared 5% of the time

TmaxSoft JEUS vs JBoss

Compared 3% of the time

Oracle Fusion Middleware vs JBoss

Compared 2% of the time

More JBoss Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM WebSphere Application Server

May 2025

Download IBM WebSphere Application Server product report

Buyer's Guide

JBoss

May 2025

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Also Known As

WebSphere Application Server

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Overview

IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) is a middleware platform developed by IBM. It provides a range of services and tools to help organizations develop, deploy, and manage Java-based applications. WAS is part of IBM's WebSphere product family and provides a secure, scalable, and highly available platform for developing and running web-based applications. WAS provides a secure, scalable, and highly available platform, making it an attractive solution for organizations looking to develop and deploy enterprise-grade applications.

IBM WebSphere Application Server Features

IBM WebSphere Application Server has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

Application deployment: IBM WAS enables organizations to deploy and manage applications in a secure and scalable environment.

Clustering: The clustering feature can help organizations ensure high availability and improve application performance.

Load balancing: The solution Includes load balancing capabilities to distribute application workloads and improve performance.

Security: IBM WAS offers a range of security features, including authentication, authorization, and encryption, to help organizations secure their applications and data.

Monitoring and management: The solution’s range of tools for monitoring and managing applications, including the IBM WebSphere Administrative Console allows organizations to optimize application performance and resolve issues easily.

Integration: IBM WAS integrates with a range of IBM and third-party products, including IBM WebSphere MQ, IBM DB2, and more, to provide a comprehensive platform for developing and running web-based applications.

IBM WebSphere Application Server Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing IBM WebSphere Application Server. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

Improved application performance: The IBM WAS platform offers a scalable and secure platform for deploying and managing applications, enabling organizations to improve application performance and reduce downtime.

High availability: IBM WAS provides clustering and load-balancing capabilities to help organizations ensure high availability.

Improved security: With a large range of security features, including authentication, authorization, and encryption, the solution helps organizations secure their applications and data.

Simplified management: IBM WAS is designed with a set of tools for monitoring and managing applications, enabling organizations to optimize performance and resolve issues efficiently.

Increased flexibility: The solution integrates with a range of IBM and third-party products, providing organizations with a flexible platform for developing and running web-based applications.

Improved developer productivity: It supports the latest Java EE specifications, allowing developers to use the latest technologies and development methodologies when building applications.

Better customer experience: Organizations can deliver faster and more reliable applications, improving the overall customer experience.

Scalability: IBM WAS provides a scalable and secure platform for deploying and managing applications, so organizations can quickly respond to changing business requirements.

Reviews from Real Users

IBM WebSphere Application Server is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are that it is stable, supports many languages, and is resilient.

Princewill O., Head Banking Application Customization and Reporting at a financial services firm, states, “[The solution is] very stable, supports many languages, and helpful for faster time to market.”

"What's most valuable in IBM WebSphere Application Server is its resilience. When you use the solution, you know that after the communication has been done, there will be no doubt that the data has reached its destination,” says Nicolae C., System and Solutions Architect at Seidor.

Another PeerSpot reviewer, an Enterprise Technical Leader at a tech services company mentions, “[It is an] enterprise-level product with extensive console capabilities, including the ability to control multiple JVM containers.”

IBM

Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP), a market-leading, fully certified Java EE platform, gives you a single platform to quickly develop and deploy applications. Use traditional Red Hat JBoss EAP to gain business agility with your existing applications and reduce the costs of proprietary platforms.

Red Hat

Sample Customers

TalkTalk, Property management group, E.SUN Bank, Ohio National Financial Services, Aviarc, Cincom Systems, FJA-US, D+H, Staples, Michigan Municipal League

Tata Sky, Nissan, Swedish Board of Agriculture, Novamedia, American Product Distributors, Advanced Micro Devices, Emirates Group, E*TRADE

Buyer's Guide

IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. JBoss

April 2025

Free Report: IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. JBoss

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