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IBM WebSphere Application Server vs Oracle Application Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 2, 2025

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
4th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
Application Infrastructure (3rd)
Oracle Application Server
Ranking in Application Server
7th
Average Rating
6.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.3
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Application Server category, the mindshare of IBM WebSphere Application Server is 12.6%, up from 11.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Application Server is 4.0%, down from 5.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Server
 

Featured Reviews

BharathirajaSukumar - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
SK
Quick deployment and easy implementation with complex logic challenges
We use Oracle Application Server for a loan management system. We created it for a client; it is a low-code platform. Everything is purchased in Oracle Cloud, and we use it to develop and deploy applications The product offers easy implementation, which is a benefit. It saves development time…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The solution is robust. The connection management and the scalability, which IBM provides to the Stack, are also valuable."
"High availability, alert management, and deployments are the most valuable features for us. We have the ND version so we can do deployments."
"Ease of administration: It has an Integrated Solutions Console, what we call the administrative console, with very detailed configurations and Help pages for each configurable item."
"The integration between IBM tools and applications is very well executed, and the support from IBM is quite good, providing a solid support structure."
"IBM WebSphere Application Server is one of the best servers due to its stability and paid license."
"The only reason why we're currently using WebSphere is that the integration of the authentication with Azure is very quick. WebSphere has something that can immediately connect with Azure Active Directory."
"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."
"The scalability of the product is quite good."
"The product offers easy implementation, which is a benefit. It saves development time compared to normal development processes."
 

Cons

"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."
"When we run into memory or locking issues, we resort to using third-party tools. However, it would be preferable to have native tools for debugging this type of problem."
"In spite of the solution's robustness, it is expensive and a bit difficult to support."
"IBM WebSphere Application Server hasn't changed much. It's still a heavyweight for any company compared to what you get. Unless your code base is deeply linked with it, I don't think it's a great idea to go with this solution. The current trend is toward modularity and containerization, and given the product's requirements, containerization will be difficult. There is a memory requirement as well."
"WebSphere is very cumbersome and not user-friendly."
"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."
"WebSphere Application Server doesn't have an automated deployment option, forcing us to use third-party tools like Jenkins UCD and Palo Automated Deployment."
"The solution could improve the integration."
"If you have complex business logic, there is no option to build that complex logic inside the platform."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay around $200,000 annually."
"I don't remember the price, but there are no additional costs."
"The pricing is a little expensive."
"The price of IBM WebSphere Application Server could be less expensive and there is an annual license required for this solution."
"When you purchase Maximo, you get WebSphere for free."
"It's expensive."
"The price of this product is higher than that of competitors."
"If your application is just a web app that does not need to scale big, you can obtain a single core license of WAS Express edition, which has almost the same features with limited processing cores. If you manage a very big application farm (i.e. need to run 10 or more WAS servers) it is better to get IBM WAS Hypervisor Edition."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
33%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
7%
Insurance Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Government
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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.
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.
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.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Application Server?
The pricing model is costly. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate it around four to five. Compared to other solutions like Mendix, Oracle Application Server is more expensive.
What needs improvement with Oracle Application Server?
If you have complex business logic, there is no option to build that complex logic inside the platform. You have to use third-party tools. If Oracle could provide an inbuilt feature for complex log...
What is your primary use case for Oracle Application Server?
We use Oracle Application Server for a loan management system. We created it for a client; it is a low-code platform. Everything is purchased in Oracle Cloud, and we use it to develop and deploy ap...
 

Also Known As

WebSphere Application Server
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

TalkTalk, Property management group, E.SUN Bank, Ohio National Financial Services, Aviarc, Cincom Systems, FJA-US, D+H, Staples, Michigan Municipal League
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Distribution
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM WebSphere Application Server vs. Oracle Application Server and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.