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IIS vs Windows Server AppFabric comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 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

IIS
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
61
Ranking in other categories
Application Server (4th)
Windows Server AppFabric
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
14th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of IIS is 6.2%, down from 10.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server AppFabric is 2.7%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Infrastructure Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IIS6.2%
Windows Server AppFabric2.7%
Other91.1%
Application Infrastructure
 

Featured Reviews

Frederic Hautecoeur - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior System Integrations Architect at bs-team
Integrated web hosting has simplified secure services and has supported long-term growth
To be honest, I do not see any major areas for improvement. Perhaps something simple and minor. It should not go more complex than it is at the moment. The only disadvantage I see is that the documentation is a bit difficult to find. There is a lot of configuration that is very hard to get information about.
DN
Senior System Administrator at Kentainers
Improved on-premise performance has supported faster, secure apps and clearer server monitoring
One thing I appreciate most about Windows Server AppFabric is because it's widely used; it's easier to get solutions online from other communities when I am stuck. Because it is widely used, it's easier to get solutions and also easier to work with. Especially after I found 2019, I have worked with 2019 and I appreciate it. It's easier to get solutions. After implementing Windows Server AppFabric, I can say I love the speed. The functionality and speed are good. Earlier, when they added more people, I could see some lagging. But now, I have no issue even if I double the users, even if I add 30% of users or any applications, it will still be fast. It increased the speed and also security. I've noticed the new one I have is good and secure. I love the security. The monitoring capabilities of Windows Server AppFabric help me improve service visibility and troubleshooting. In a day, I have to go through a lot of the logs and also the utilization. There, I see the CPU. I have to do the utilization, and I can see what is utilizing the most. By doing this, I can be able to tell what, in case I need to do an upgrade, what I might need to provide the upgrade or maybe increase in users that will not affect the operations.

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."
"I have tried other tools (such as Apache), and found that IIS is more stable and easier on the memory for low resource systems."
"The product is scalable."
"It is an easy-to-use and secure program."
"What I like most about this program is the fact that it's built into Windows, and then I also like the interface and the support."
"IIS is useful for the deployment of web applications...Its stability is good."
"All the features of Microsoft IIS are valuable."
"The most valuable feature of IIS is the database it provides."
"After implementing Windows Server AppFabric, I can say I love the speed."
"The product's deployment phase was very easy."
"The ability to seamlessly deploy, image, and patch without causing downtime is extremely helpful and user-friendly."
"This product works great for us and it's unfortunate that they're not going to support it anymore."
"It is very usable and easy to understand, and antivirus and VPN are the main features being used now, allowing my clients to access the network from home, which was very crucial because of the pandemic."
"The most valuable feature is AppFabric's hosting solution, which is what we need for running workflows."
 

Cons

"It should be more user-friendly because unless you know how IIS works as a Microsoft product, a system admin cannot just manage it."
"This solution needs to be easier for cases where you want to have an IIS cluster."
"There are a lot of security issues with IIS, and this has become more of a concern, especially recently."
"Presently, some developers do not have technical knowledge of managing IIS, so that needs to be improved in the next release."
"The price of the solution could be less to improve."
"The documentation is not very detailed. They need to improve it and add to it. They should ensure there are lots of visuals to help users better understand the solution."
"Can be difficult to set up for new users and complex to troubleshoot."
"It lacks a few performance improvement tools."
"The most important issue I've found is the blue screen errors, particularly when customers use external displays with a P-type cable."
"Microsoft will stop supporting the product next year, and we can't run unsupported programs in our systems."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of Windows Server IIS is expensive. They have a large user base, and they charge a little bit too much."
"The licensing cost is dependent on the usage."
"I think it's part of the Windows Server, so you won't have any other costs to add in order to use the IIS service."
"There is a license needed for the solution."
"I was using the trial version of IIS inside my virtual machines."
"There is no license needed to use the solution."
"IIS's pricing is not expensive."
"IIS is expensive."
"It is expensive, and its licensing is a bit confusing."
"The product is affordable, in my opinion."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Construction Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
11%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business30
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise22
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,...
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...
What needs improvement with IIS?
I see that IIS has maintained the same interface for a long time, so they could potentially use more automation or integrate Copilot into it to make it easier to use. I have not accessed or checked...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Windows Server AppFabric?
I am overall satisfied with the licensing cost of Windows Server AppFabric. It's a reasonable price because I run multiple servers, so we bought the bulk one. I can say the price was fair.
What needs improvement with Windows Server AppFabric?
I do not utilize Windows Server AppFabric's workflow management for now because that's a project that we might be looking at in the coming year, in the first or second quarter.
What is your primary use case for Windows Server AppFabric?
All of our major applications are on-premise, so I think 90% of my software used by the employees is on-premise. We have the telephony, we have the ERP, we have some mobile apps. We run a mobile ap...
 

Also Known As

Windows Server IIS
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Erste Bank Group, NJVC, Samsung Electronics, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Tata Steel Europe, Urban Software Institute
OSIsoft
Find out what your peers are saying about IIS vs. Windows Server AppFabric and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
917,403 professionals have used our research since 2012.