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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Apache HTTP Server

    Score9.7 out of 10
    N/AApache Web Server (Apache HTTP Server) is an open source HTTP web server for modern operating systems including UNIX and Windows.N/A

    Microsoft IIS

    Score7.4 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft IIS is an application server and infrastructure.N/A
    Pricing
    Apache HTTP ServerMicrosoft IIS
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Apache HTTP ServerMicrosoft IIS
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Apache HTTP ServerMicrosoft IIS
    Considered Both Products
    Apache
    Chose Apache HTTP Server
    Against Nginx: Mainly- it's been in the field the longest. There's not really a reason to move to Nginx on it's own. Apache has a mountain of documentation and how-tos that extend from the Foundation itself, to Individual Developers, spanning over 20 years, and most of it …
    Incentivized
    Chose Apache HTTP Server
    I has a lot more features, except that IIS is more integrated in a Windows environment. But now with .net core also possible from Apache it would work anywhere really. Only in a full Windows environment where full integration is needed I would chose to go for IIS. Otherwise …
    Incentivized
    Chose Apache HTTP Server
    IIS has a clear advantage over Apache: Configuration can be done through a convenient visual editor. But, sometimes, IIS can be tricky to use for serving other things than asp.net. We had bad experiences working at scale with IIS7.5 while serving PHP websites. I know that more …
    Incentivized
    Chose Apache HTTP Server
    By having a similar purpose, which is to publish and manage access to services, sites, and/or web systems, I have had to implement them to analyze their qualities and virtues, but stability, the power of implementation of different solutions and to be able to expand through own …
    Incentivized
    Chose Apache HTTP Server
    Apache lacks the scalability and feature set of NGINX but our team was not only far more experienced with Apache HTTP Server but was relying on tools and frameworks that required Apache HTTP Server. We've recently considered moving to NGINX but the workload to migrate and train …
    Incentivized
    Chose Apache HTTP Server
    To be quite honest I often select Apache because it is the world's most commonly used web server and I have been using it for more than 20 years across many organizations. I have never been burned using Apache. Apache rises above IIS in functionality, configurability, and the …
    Incentivized
    Chose Apache HTTP Server
    Apache Web Server is the oldest among all of these above-mentioned web server solutions provide a wider range of tools and support available which is of great help when creating a web app because less investment of time and money is what contributes to the success of a project …
    Incentivized
    Chose Apache HTTP Server
    I have loved Apache and the brief experience I had with IIS wasn't as good. Nginx I have heard good things and though we use it heavily for our servers now without problems, I haven't configured it myself.
    Incentivized
    Chose Apache HTTP Server
    Apache is often used in conjunction with Nginx, with Nginx in front of Apache to serve static assets like CSS and JS. Both are easy to configure. IIS is pretty cumbersome and is not as flexible as Apache.
    Incentivized
    Chose Apache HTTP Server
    Apache is far superior to Microsoft's IIS. The only reason to consider IIS would be for compatibility with a given software package that is made exclusively for IIS.
    Incentivized
    Chose Apache HTTP Server
    Apache is terrific. Zeus is actually built on Apache and adds a mediocre at best interface to controlling it. IIS is only good on Windows. Netscape servers are probably not even around anymore, but when they were, were the absolute worst. I couldn't move my office off of them …
    Incentivized
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft IIS
    It's difficult to compare Apache HTTP Server, nginx, and IIS - they really serve a similar purpose on a different stack. IIS is well suited to the Microsoft stack. Apache HTTP Server works well for Java web applications. nginx is a multipurpose tool that we sometimes deploy …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft IIS
    In terms of the configuration on a shared volume perspective, I think the Apache HTTP Server does a better job here. The Apache angle on this problem is more efficient from a man power perspective and ends up costing a little less in the long run over time. IIS tends to scale …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft IIS
    Tomcat & HTTP Server would be naturally choice on Linux servers. In fact, they're usually embedded so you don't even have to worry about setting up a web container.

    Obviously, setting them up on a Windows server involves more effort than "just" turning on Microsoft IIS.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft IIS
    After using both Microsoft IIS and free Linux alternatives, like NGINX and Apache, I have to say I much prefer the Linux products in every way. Configuration is clearer (you have to edit config files deep in Linux somewhere, but once you've done it once, it's easy). Logging is …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft IIS
    Microsoft IIS stacked up well with Apache, but since we are a Microsoft shop primarily, we had more resources that were familiar with managing the operating system and the server itself. While there are some benefits to Apache, you can find most of them in Microsoft IIS if you …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft IIS
    Microsoft IIS was selected long ago as it was included with the Windows licensing. As such no new servers or costs were needed to host a site. We now host nearly 4,000 sites on Microsoft IIS. We do still use other platforms as needed but we always start with Microsoft IIS …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft IIS
    Nginx is hard to support for smaller multiple projects, which is one reason we use the Microsoft IIS server, which is best fit for a set-up once and forget scenario. The Apache server is more recommended for smaller sized projects due to its cost factor, as the Microsoft IIS …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft IIS
    IIS is easier to configure and manage. Doesn't require deep knowledge of the product to manage it. Doesn't require for IT team to learn Linux/Unix OS for basic web hosting. However, for advanced IT specialists, all three solutions could be useful and can work together.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft IIS
    Apache and Nginx are both lower overhead solutions compared to IIS, but require extensive configuration through files or command lines. For someone creating a website for the first time, these solutions are difficult to understand and implement.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft IIS
    We actually use both platforms in conjunction with each other.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft IIS
    Many support teams are not comfortable supporting Linux platforms which is where Apache can really shine; also, application vendors often do not support Apache on Linux whereas they do support their products on Microsoft servers running IIS. In our case, the applications that I …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft IIS
    I feel each has their own strengths, when it came to developing the in house applications ASP gave us more features so we went with IIS to support those features.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft IIS
    IIS is a different animal than most webservers. I don't know that I'd compare IIS to other products. The differences and reasons to use each are so diverse.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft IIS
    Microsoft IIS is the only official way to run ASP.NET framework sites and for Microsoft System management tools (SCCM and WSUS). While open source options like Apache and NGINX are more commonly used in our department, to maintain the best compatibility we use IIS in certain …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    9 Answers
    92%
    Would buy again
    11 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    9 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    9 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    12 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    9 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    8 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    91%
    Implementation went as expected
    10 Answers
    Features
    Apache HTTP ServerMicrosoft IIS
    Application Servers
    Comparison of Application Servers features of Apache HTTP Server and Microsoft IIS
    Feature
    Apache HTTP Server
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft IIS
    8.2
    29 Ratings
    3% above category average
    IDE support00 Ratings8.020 Ratings
    Security management00 Ratings8.029 Ratings
    Administration and management00 Ratings7.029 Ratings
    Application server performance00 Ratings9.029 Ratings
    Installation00 Ratings10.029 Ratings
    Open-source standards compliance00 Ratings7.018 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Apache HTTP ServerMicrosoft IIS
    Small Businesses
    Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling
    Score8.2 out of 10
    NGINX
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    AWS Auto Scaling
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Oracle WebLogic Server
    Score7.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling
    Score8.2 out of 10
    NGINX
    Score9.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Apache HTTP ServerMicrosoft IIS
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (20 ratings)
    6.0
    (29 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.0
    (10 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.8
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.3
    (2 ratings)
    9.4
    (6 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Apache HTTP ServerMicrosoft IIS
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Apache
    As I mentioned earlier, the Apache HTTP Server has a small disadvantage compared to the competition (NGINX) in terms of performance. If you run websites that really have a lot of visitors, NGINX might be the better alternative.
    On the other hand, the Apache HTTP Server is open source and free. Further functionalities can be activated via modules. The documentation is really excellent.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Publishing applications or websites is easy with Microsoft IIS. You don't need external software or complicated tutorials involving command lines and editing configuration files. On other hand, sometimes the troubleshooter needs a high knowledge of Windows Server, Registry, and tools to debug the application. If you need to host non-Microsoft technology as PHP pages or have a low budget, I recommend IIS equivalent software as Apache.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Apache
    • Street Cred: Apache Web Server is the Founder for all of Apache Foundation's other projects. Without the Web Server, Apache Foundation would look very different. That being said, they have done a good job of maintaining the code base, and keeping a lot of what makes Apache so special
    • Stability: Apache is rock-solid. While no software is perfect, Apache can parse your web sources quickly and cleanly.
    • Flexibility: Need to startup your own Webpage? Done. Wordpress? Yup. REST Endpoint? Check. Honeypot? Absolutely.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • A big advantage that we use all the time is reviewing the logs that automatically get generated in IIS. It has helped us troubleshoot various problems in our applications over the years.
    • IIS integrates really well with Visual Studio and TFS. We are able to quickly deploy new applications and changes to applications when requested by the business.
    • IIS has proven that it is easy to configure and maintain with minimal effort.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Apache
    • The default configurations which comes with Apache server needs to get optimized for performance and security with every new installation as these defaults are not recommended to push on the production environment directly.
    • Security options and advanced configurations are not easy to set up and require an additional level of expertise.
    • Admin frontend GUI could be improved to a great extent to match with other enterprise tools available to serve similar requirements.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Angular/node apps don't run on IIS, or at least we never figured out how. Rather we ended up using nginx.
    • There are still occasional memory leaks - check your recycle settings!
    • If you have very heavy usage for web APIs, IIS requires regular restarts for reasons unknown.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Apache
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    We have no intention to replace all applications running on top of the IIS platform. Not all applications support other platforms and not all support staff are skilled in Linux/Apache platform support. Whereas IIS may not be the best performing or most secure web platform available, for the aforementioned reasons, it is impossible not to continue use of this product.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Apache
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    As I've mentioned earlier, Microsoft IIS is very simple and easy to use. The user interface is a little bit overloaded with a huge number of different options, but once you have a little clue of what you are doing and what you need - no issues at all.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Apache
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    ARR (application request routing) in Microsoft IIS Server enables the web-admins to increase the web app reliability and availability through the rule based routing and load balancing of HTTP requests which in turn provides highly available server. IIS 7.0 Manager also provides kernel as well as user mode caching for faster performance and in case if the server fails, the IIS server has good amount of details logged in its log files which help understand and debug the cause quickly. Load balancing facilitates IIS server to fight against availability issues.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Apache
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    In my experience, I have never had significant issues with IIS performance. Sometimes I've experienced issues with loading time, but it is mostly related to the web site code. However Amazon, Microsoft and Google providing free cloud services with very limited resources, and in that scenario, "heavy" websites on IIS could be the issue. In other situations - performance is good.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Apache
    I give this rating because there is so much Apache documentation and information on the web that you can literally do anything. This has to do with the fact that there is a huge Open Source community that is beyond mature and perhaps one of the most helpful to be found. The only thing that should hold anyone back from anything is that they can not read. RTFM, my friend. And I must say that the manual is excellent.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    As mentioned earlier there is so much documentation or guides or stack overflow questions out there that someone will have faced the same or very similar scenario to what you are going through that you will almost certainly find a solution to what you are after.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Apache
    I has a lot more features, except that IIS is more integrated in a Windows environment. But now with .net core also possible from Apache it would work anywhere really. Only in a full Windows environment where full integration is needed I would chose to go for IIS. Otherwise Apache it is.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Apache is java. Java is unnecessary complex. No developer wants to invest in learning all the hundreds of text based configuration files to get something done. Also, apache gives you the most evil and un-usable user interface possible. [Microsoft] IIS makes [life] after development easy, which is already complex enough to be bothered by something as mundane as exposing your work over the internet.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Apache
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Microsoft IIS Server is scalable if the underlying server configuration is done correctly. Use x64 edition v/s 32bit and using 32bit mode application pools are some of the tweaks to be done to make the IIS server scalable. There are too many small configurations need to be carried out in order to make a highly scalable IIS server hence not giving full score in this area.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Apache
    • Works as intended, so it's less to worry about.
    • Works great on elastic environments (like EC2).
    • As an Open Source project, you can get support for almost any problem you can have.
    • Configuration files, while powerful, can be tricky to dominate for some.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Allowing us to internally host our monitoring websites allows quick access to data that can be quite hidden, saving developer time.
    • It was inexpensive compared to more bulky solutions saving upfront cost.
    • It’s easy to install and enable allowing more developer savings.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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