IIS vs Windows Process Activation Services comparison

IIS and Windows Process Activation Services are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. IIS is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.2, while Windows Process Activation Services is ranked #22. IIS holds a 11.3% mindshare in AIS, compared to Windows Process Activation Services’s 0.9% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of IIS users are willing to recommend the solution.

IIS

Read 57 IIS reviews

2,196 Views
771 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

Windows Process Activation ...

Read 1 Windows Process Activation Services review

209 Views
65 Comparison Views

0% willing to recommend

IIS

Windows Process Activation ...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IIS and Windows Process Activation Services based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, IBM, F5 and others in Application Infrastructure.

To learn more, read our detailed Application Infrastructure Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

June 2025

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Helped 860,168 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

IIS

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Server (5th)

Windows Process Activation ...

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

22nd

Average Rating

4.0

Reviews Sentiment

2.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of IIS is 11.3%, down from 12.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Process Activation Services is 0.9%, down from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

DanielWildermuth

Testtool expert at Helvetia Versicherungen

Provides integration with Eggplant but problems with stability

We use Windows Server only for Eggplant Manager. Otherwise, I'm not using it At the moment, we have big problems with stability, and I'm not very happy at the moment. So, the stability could be improved. I have been using it for a few years. The initial setup is complex. We have an…

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it_user1226547

Senior IT Systems Administrator at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees

Central console enables us to see all of the activated and deactivated computers but it has poor alerts and frustrating technical support

The solution needs to allow for other company product licenses to be included if possible. The solution needs to include other Microsoft products, like Exchange, SharePoint, etc. Right now, it's only for Windows and Office. The solution needs to be made web-based. Right now, we have to install some tools and to use these tools we have to log into a specific server. If that server has an issue we cannot manage it. The solution needs to be able to be managed from any machine. Alerting capabilities should be improved. If a license expires or there is a breach, or something is non-compliant, the solution should send out alerts.

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

"IIS works natively with Windows Server without any issues in publishing certificates."

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

"Windows Server IIS is stable."

"All the features of Microsoft IIS are valuable."

"The product is stable."

"The solution is easy to use and connects with Microsoft."

"What I like the most is that it is easy to use."

"The most valuable feature of IIS is that it's free, and it works."

More IIS pros

"The most valuable aspect of the solution is the central console, that allows you to see all of the activated and deactivated computers."

Cons

"In the next release, I would like to see better integration between the cloud environment and the on-premises environment."

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

"IIS could improve by having some features related to ASR and HTTPS certificate generation."

"The solution should improve the cluster environment and load balancing."

"At the moment, we have big problems with stability, and I'm not very happy at the moment. So, the stability could be improved."

"Compared to Linux, the solution’s Windows patching is slower. I would like to improve it."

"The documentation isn't very good and the options are very complex."

"The visibility feature of the product is an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."

More IIS cons

"The stability of the solution needs improvement."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution’s pricing is yearly. The pricing is affordable and not high."

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

"I didn't need to get an additional license for the solution since it was included in my server."

"IIS's pricing is not expensive."

"I give the price of the solution a five out of ten."

"There is an annual license to use this solution and the price could be better."

"The solution provides multiple licensing options."

"The price is good."

More IIS pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

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?

If you have a Windows license, there is no additional cost for IIS. However, you may need to pay for SSL publishing at times.

See all answers

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Comparisons

Apache Web Server vs IIS

Compared 29% of the time

NGINX Plus vs IIS

Compared 28% of the time

Oracle WebLogic Server vs IIS

Compared 13% of the time

Tomcat vs IIS

Compared 13% of the time

More IIS Competitors

Microsoft .NET Framework vs Windows Process Activation Services

Compared 53% of the time

More Windows Process Activation Services Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IIS

June 2025

Download IIS product report

Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

June 2025

Windows Process Activation Services report

Download Windows Process Activation Services product report

Also Known As

Windows Server IIS

No data available

Overview

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

Windows Process Activation Service generalizes the Internet Information Services (IIS) process model, removing the dependency on HTTP. All the features of IIS that were previously available only to HTTP applications are now available to applications hosting Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) services, by using non-HTTP protocols. IIS 7.0 also uses Windows Process Activation Service for message-based activation over HTTP.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

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

Bank Alfalah Ltd., Harris Farm Markets, The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, John Keells Holdings, Green Prefab, 343 Industries, SM Prime, Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd.

Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

June 2025

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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.