IIS vs Windows Server AppFabric comparison

IIS and Windows Server AppFabric are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. IIS is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.6, while Windows Server AppFabric is ranked #16 with an average rating of 8.5. IIS holds a 10.5% mindshare in AIS, compared to Windows Server AppFabric’s 1.3% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IIS users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Windows Server AppFabric users who would recommend it.

IIS

Read 59 IIS reviews

2,965 Views
1,927 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Windows Server AppFabric

Read 4 Windows Server AppFabric reviews

343 Views
329 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IIS

Windows Server AppFabric

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

Windows Server AppFabric and IIS compete in application hosting. Windows Server AppFabric has an edge in pricing and support due to its integration with Microsoft's infrastructure, while IIS offers superior features and an extensive ecosystem justifying its cost.

Features: Windows Server AppFabric supports seamless application management, user-friendly networking capabilities, and efficient deployment processes. IIS is noted for its user-friendly interface, secure configurations, and extensive management console.

Room for Improvement: Windows Server AppFabric could enhance optimization for broader application types, improve real-time analytics, and update middleware components more regularly. IIS could improve by simplifying cross-platform compatibility, offering more advanced analytics tools, and enhancing scalability for smaller deployments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Windows Server AppFabric provides seamless integration within Windows environments, benefiting from Microsoft's enterprise support. IIS deployment is straightforward with automated tools and extensive documentation, offering flexibility for diverse web environments.

Pricing and ROI: Windows Server AppFabric often incurs lower setup costs through its Microsoft infrastructure integration, offering substantial ROI with enhanced performance and reduced management efforts. IIS, while potentially more expensive initially, delivers ROI through its versatility and robust feature set, best suited for diverse applications.

To learn more, read our detailed IIS vs. Windows Server AppFabric Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IIS vs. Windows Server AppFabric

September 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

IIS

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Server (4th)

Windows Server AppFabric

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

16th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of IIS is 10.5%, down from 12.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server AppFabric is 1.3%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IIS	10.5%
Windows Server AppFabric	1.3%
Other	88.2%

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

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.

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VIJAY RAGAVAN

Team Manager at Waters Corporation

Ensure seamless deployment and networking with a focus on critical uptime

The most important issue I've found is the blue screen errors, particularly when customers use external displays with a P-type cable. I have advised against using external displays for crucial applications and recommended using VGA or laptop adapter screens to mitigate this issue. However, the blue screen error remains a major concern because it causes data loss during reboots.

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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

"Microsoft's technical support has always been very good."

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

"The product is stable."

"It's good and offers good usability."

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

"The product is easy to use."

"The product is scalable."

"The initial setup is simple."

More IIS pros

"The product's deployment phase was very easy."

"The most valuable feature is AppFabric's hosting solution, which is what we need for running workflows."

"The ability to seamlessly deploy, image, and patch without causing downtime is extremely helpful and user-friendly."

"It is very usable and easy to understand. Antivirus and VPN are the main features being used now. It allows my clients to access the network from home, which was very crucial because of the pandemic."

Cons

"IIS has some stability issues and needs restarting."

"The only issue I've encountered is with certificates not working fine sometimes. It's influenced by the server's service performance."

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

"If Microsoft IIS could work well with AppOptics or things like PHP, Python, and other custom languages that run on the webserver, it would be ideal. I think there are cases where people need to use Apache instead of IIS when IIS doesn't work well with other web languages."

"We've never had any issues with the solution, but it's still nice to have overall improvements on it. It could be easier and faster to use, for example."

"The solution's black box is not fast."

"IIS's memory management could be improved."

"The scalability depends on how you have set it up. If you're running IIS on a single server, it might not be as capable as if you are on many in a cluster or with load balancing and so on."

More IIS cons

"The most important issue I've found is the blue screen errors, particularly when customers use external displays with a P-type cable."

"Its price and licensing policy can be improved. It could be a little cheaper. Licensing is sometimes confusing. There are so many different options. It is difficult to find out what to buy or what to choose for my necessity."

"The product is unable to connect with different cloud services."

"Microsoft will stop supporting the product next year, and we can't run unsupported programs in our systems."

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"The yearly licensing cost is very high. The solution is very expensive."

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

"There is a license needed for the solution."

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

"There is no license needed to use the solution."

"There is no license required for the product as it is role-based. Whenever you go for a Windows platform server, the role has to be installed directly from the server manager. There is no additional cost that has to be paid for that. It is free to use."

"IIS is expensive."

More IIS pricing and cost advice

"The product is affordable, in my opinion."

"It is expensive, and its licensing is a bit confusing."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

University

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	28
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	21

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?

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...

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What do you like most about Windows Server AppFabric?

The product's deployment phase was very easy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Windows Server AppFabric?

The product is affordable, in my opinion.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Windows Server AppFabric?

See all answers

Comparisons

Apache Web Server vs IIS

Compared 30% of the time

NGINX Plus vs IIS

Compared 27% of the time

Tomcat vs IIS

Compared 10% of the time

Oracle WebLogic Server vs IIS

Compared 9% of the time

Fujitsu Interstage Application Server vs IIS

Compared 2% of the time

More IIS Competitors

InterSystems Ensemble vs Windows Server AppFabric

Compared 71% of the time

More Windows Server AppFabric Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IIS

September 2025

Download IIS product report

Buyer's Guide

Application Infrastructure

September 2025

Download Windows Server AppFabric 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 Server AppFabric extends Windows Server to provide enhanced hosting, management, and caching capabilities for Web applications and middle-tier services. The AppFabric hosting features add service management extensions to Internet Information Services (IIS), Windows Process Activation Service (WAS), and the .NET Framework 4. This includes Hosting Services and Hosting Administration tools that make it easier to deploy, configure, and manage Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) based services. The AppFabric caching features add a distributed, in-memory object cache to Windows Server that makes it easier to scale out high-performance .NET applications, especially ASP.NET applications.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

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

OSIsoft

Buyer's Guide

IIS vs. Windows Server AppFabric

September 2025

Free Report: IIS vs. Windows Server AppFabric

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