IBM WebSphere Message Broker vs IIS comparison

IBM and Microsoft are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. IBM is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.0, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.5. IBM holds a 2.3% mindshare in AIS, compared to Microsoft’s 10.4% mindshare. Additionally, 84% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

IBM WebSphere Message Broker

Read 13 IBM WebSphere Message Broker reviews

1,064 Views
394 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

IIS

Read 61 IIS reviews

3,518 Views
2,322 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

IBM WebSphere Message Broker

IIS

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

IBM WebSphere Message Broker and IIS compete in enterprise technology infrastructure, with WebSphere excelling in integration and IIS in web server management. WebSphere holds an advantage in complex integration scenarios, whereas IIS is favored for web hosting efficiency and ease of use.

Features: IBM WebSphere Message Broker facilitates extensive enterprise integration with support for various messaging protocols and IT environments. It offers robust capabilities for complex system connectivity and transformation processes. IIS provides comprehensive web server management, integrating seamlessly with Windows applications. Its user-friendly interface and efficient resource management make it ideal for web-centric deployments.

Room for Improvement: IBM WebSphere Message Broker could improve its initial setup process, offering simpler onboarding for new users. Its pricing model might deter smaller enterprises. Enhanced user interface for streamlined operations would also be beneficial. IIS could strengthen its integration capabilities beyond Microsoft products. Security enhancements could further bolster its reliability. Offering more detailed documentation for advanced configurations would aid less experienced users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IIS offers a streamlined deployment process within the Windows ecosystem, making it highly accessible. Microsoft provides well-established support due to the product's widespread use. IBM WebSphere Message Broker involves a more complex setup but offers specialized support for its intricate deployments, ensuring comprehensive guidance for users.

Pricing and ROI: IBM WebSphere Message Broker involves higher initial costs, reflecting its advanced integration capabilities, offering substantial ROI for enterprises with extensive connectivity needs. In contrast, IIS provides a cost-effective solution for efficient web hosting, ensuring quick ROI for businesses prioritizing straightforward web solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM WebSphere Message Broker vs. IIS Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

IBM WebSphere Message Broker vs. IIS

February 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 881,733 peers since 2012

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 Message Broker

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

17th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) (9th)

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 February 2026, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of IBM WebSphere Message Broker is 2.3%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IIS is 10.4%, 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	10.4%
IBM WebSphere Message Broker	2.3%
Other	87.3%

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

BrajendraKumar

Technical Architect at HCL Technologies

Offers large-sized business information processing with a time-saving setup and impressive stability

I primarily use two previews of the product for Dev and two for QA as part of the production process. Whatever tools our company is using, the cost of a license in IBM WebSphere Message Broker is about 80% of all these software or tools. The message routing capabilities satisfy workflow efficiency. The product supports message formats of XML, JSON, and SSID, which are around 24 KB to 50 KB in size. The solution supports communication protocols like STTP and TCP. Features like DataGraph need to be introduced in IBM WebSphere Message Broker. Some of the clients of our organization are using an outdated version of IBM WebSphere Message Broker for which the vendor doesn't provide direct support anymore. For the aforementioned version, our company professionals can solve the queries on their own without seeking support from IBM. During the installation of a prior version of IBM WebSphere Message Broker, sometimes I have to configure the failovers through the cluster, where issues arise, and I often seek help from the support team. The solution is being used by some medicine companies in our organization that receive sales orders from the EDR or JDE. I would not recommend the product to others as its becoming obsolete and they can rather choose a middleware solution from Amazon or Azure. But I would overall rate the product a nine out of ten.

Read full review

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.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Message Broker is valuable because most of the applications are using MQ. Even in my current engagement, the few applications which I audit to onboard the bank are using MQ."

"It is a scalable solution...The setup is easy."

"The documentation, performance, stability and scalability of the tool are valuable."

"Integration and mapping are easy, which is a major advantage."

"It has many interfaces and you can connect to any backend source that has another format, and convert it to the desired format."

"The solution has good integration."

"It's reliable for our day-to-day operations, ensuring fast and secure data integration across different systems."

"We only use the basic features, but the most valuable one for us is the Publish-subscribe pattern."

More IBM WebSphere Message Broker pros

"IIS is quite easy to set up as it comes pre-configured, so I don't have to install anything."

"IIS is easy to configure in terms of websites and other solutions."

"The solution is easy to use."

"The product is stable."

"The solution is the easiest way to publish applications which have been designed by older development tools."

"We use the solution for our customer's web applications."

"The most valuable feature of IIS is the database it provides."

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

More IIS pros

Cons

"The images and size of the containers are too big and I think that they should be more lightweight."

"As our business requirements evolve, we require more dynamic capabilities to adapt and scale our services accordingly."

"Technical support is very slow and needs to be improved."

"Technical support is good but they could have a better response time."

"The product's features are not being upgraded or enhanced by the vendor"

"It is currently a weighty product."

"There is some lag in the GUI. There have been some performance issues and maybe it's because of the application data."

"The installation configuration is quite difficult."

More IBM WebSphere Message Broker cons

"In the next release, the tool should be more easily integrated and configured with other provisions. The pricing should also be made cheaper since it's very expensive now."

"IIS could improve the error logging. There are times we are not able to see the errors. More details would be helpful. Additionally, the configuring of the IIS should be allowed through coding instead of the classic view."

"The product could be more compatible with Linux and macOS, particularly when applying user configuration policies."

"I would like to see NLB features in IIS."

"This solution needs to be easier for cases where you want to have an IIS cluster."

"The initial setup could be made easier."

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

"Finding different settings can be difficult if you don't know where to look."

More IIS cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I feel with IBM, when you want certain functions or features, you have to continuously purchase add-ons. There are always additional fees."

"IBM products are generally more stable and have more features, but also come at a greater cost."

"IBM software can be costly, but having a contract has helped manage and potentially lower costs over time."

"The solution is expensive."

"This product is more expensive than competing products."

"The solution is expensive."

"The licensing cost of IBM WebSphere Message Broker needs to be reduced"

"The price is very high and it's the main reason that we are searching for alternatives."

"We pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution."

"The product's price is not high."

"IIS's pricing is reasonable."

"The licensing cost is dependent on the usage."

"This solution comes included with Windows Server."

"The solution provides multiple licensing options."

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

"IIS's pricing is not expensive."

More IIS pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Application Infrastructure solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

22%

Computer Software Company

11%

Insurance Company

Transportation Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Large Enterprise	10

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

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM WebSphere Message Broker?

IBM software can be costly, but having a contract has helped manage and potentially lower costs over time.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM WebSphere Message Broker?

There could be greater flexibility and agility in service creation for the product. As our business requirements evolve, we require more dynamic capabilities to adapt and scale our services accordi...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM WebSphere Message Broker?

We use the product for exposing services at the application level, integrating with various architectures like WebSphere, and handling static service creation.

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

IBM Integration Bus vs IBM WebSphere Message Broker

Compared 23% of the time

webMethods.io vs IBM WebSphere Message Broker

Compared 14% of the time

Mule ESB vs IBM WebSphere Message Broker

Compared 11% of the time

IBM BPM vs IBM WebSphere Message Broker

Compared 7% of the time

OpenESB vs IBM WebSphere Message Broker

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM WebSphere Message Broker Competitors

Apache Web Server vs IIS

Compared 22% of the time

NGINX Plus vs IIS

Compared 21% of the time

Tomcat vs IIS

Compared 7% of the time

Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) vs IIS

Compared 6% of the time

More IIS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM WebSphere Message Broker

January 2026

Download IBM WebSphere Message Broker product report

Buyer's Guide

IIS

January 2026

Download IIS product report

Also Known As

WebSphere Message Broker

Windows Server IIS

Overview

WebSphere Message Broker is an enterprise service bus (ESB) providing connectivity and universal data transformation for service-oriented architecture (SOA) and non-SOA environments. It allows businesses of any size to eliminate point-to-point connections and batch processing regardless of platform, protocol or data format.

IBM

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

WestJet, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Sharp Corporation, Michelin Tire

Erste Bank Group, NJVC, Samsung Electronics, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Tata Steel Europe, Urban Software Institute

Buyer's Guide

IBM WebSphere Message Broker vs. IIS

February 2026

Free Report: IBM WebSphere Message Broker vs. IIS

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM WebSphere Message Broker vs. IIS and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our IBM WebSphere Message Broker vs. IIS report.

See our list of best Application Infrastructure vendors.

We monitor all Application Infrastructure reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.