The Best Application Servers in 2026
We researched application servers through official vendor websites, including pricing pages, plan tables, and product documentation. Rankings focus on the core job of running business applications, verified features, and value for money across enterprise and Java application server products.
Our top picks
-
Top ranked
Open Liberty#1 of 289.3/10A free, open-source Java runtime for containerized Jakarta EE, Java EE, and MicroProfile apps.
Free plan
-
Runner-up
WildFly#2 of 289.1/10A free, self-hosted full server for Jakarta EE and MicroProfile teams.
Free plan
-
Top-ranked free plan
Eclipse GlassFish#3 of 289.0/10A free, security-focused Jakarta EE server with broad administration and deployment options.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 28 tools, best first
-
Best forModern Java teams using containers and CI
A free, open-source Java runtime for containerized Jakarta EE, Java EE, and MicroProfile apps.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
9.3/10★★★★★Visit Open Liberty -
Best forJakarta EE teams wanting a free full server
A free, self-hosted full server for Jakarta EE and MicroProfile teams.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
9.1/10★★★★★Visit WildFly -
Best forFree Jakarta EE deployments needing security depth
A free, security-focused Jakarta EE server with broad administration and deployment options.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit GlassFish -
Best forSupported Payara deployments needing observability
A supported Payara deployment option with strong clustering, containers, and observability.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit Azul Payara -
Best forOpen-source Tomcat-oriented Java deployments
A focused, open-source Tomcat extension for self-hosted Jakarta EE applications.
- Container support
- Clustering
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Apache TomEE -
Best forEnterprises needing supported Liberty deployments
A supported Liberty deployment for enterprises running Java across hybrid environments.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit IBM Liberty -
Best forRed Hat estates needing enterprise Java support
A capable Jakarta EE server for Red Hat estates, with paid-only enterprise support.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit Red Hat -
Best forOracle-centric enterprise Java environments
A broad Jakarta EE server for Oracle-centric enterprises running business-critical Java applications.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Oracle -
Best forIBM shops needing full Java EE operations
A full-platform Java EE server for organizations managing large enterprise workloads.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit IBM -
Best forEnterprises targeting OpenShift and major clouds
A Jakarta EE and MicroProfile platform for cloud, container, and clustered deployments.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Fujitsu -
Best forAlibaba Cloud-native Java deployments
A managed Java runtime with enterprise APIs, clustering, containers, and Alibaba Cloud integrations.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Alibaba Cloud -
Best forTraditional enterprise Java on diverse systems
A broad, proprietary Java server for enterprise deployments across Windows, Linux, Unix, and Docker.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Apusic -
Best forEnterprise Java teams needing broad legacy support
A broad Java server for enterprise teams managing legacy and modern deployments.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit TongWeb -
Best forJEUS users needing clustered cloud-native Java
A Jakarta EE 8 server for clustered, cloud-native enterprise applications.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit TmaxSoft -
Best forLegacy Fujitsu Java application estates
A self-hosted Java server for legacy Fujitsu estates needing clustering and recovery.
- Admin console
- Clustering
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Fujitsu -
Best forOpenEdge ABL application estates
A focused self-hosted server for deploying and scaling OpenEdge ABL estates.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit Progress -
Best forMainframe teams running mixed-language transactions
A specialized z/OS server for scaling and securing mixed-language enterprise transactions.
- Admin console
- Clustering
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit IBM CICS -
Best forCFML teams wanting a free flexible server
A free, self-hosted CFML engine with broad deployment and application-server features.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit Lucee -
Best forCFML teams needing enterprise deployment options
A capable CFML platform with flexible deployment, enterprise features, and contact-sales pricing.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
6.9/10★★★☆☆Try Adobe ColdFusion -
Best forRuby, Python, and Node.js application hosting
A focused self-hosted application server with strong process and deployment controls.
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Passenger -
Best forPython WSGI and ASGI application serving
A focused, open-source server for deploying Python WSGI and ASGI applications.
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Gunicorn -
Best forFree local PHP and MySQL development
A free, open-source desktop stack for local Apache, Nginx, PHP, MySQL, and WordPress work.
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit MAMP -
Best forTeams running Domino applications and mail services
A self-hosted server for Domino apps, messaging, replication and clustered failover.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit HCLSoftware -
Best forMobile and web backend development
A flexible self-hosted backend for teams building connected web and mobile apps.
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit Parse Platform -
Best forTelecom service and network application operators
A telecom-focused application server for signaling, routing, charging, and service development.
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit TNS -
Best forNEC environments needing OLTP and standby clusters
A broad Jakarta EE server for NEC environments that need OLTP and standby clusters.
- Container support
- Admin console
- Clustering
6.2/10★★★☆☆Visit NEC WebOTX -
Best forOracle content management teams
A content repository and workflow platform, not a general-purpose application server.
6.1/10★★★☆☆Visit Oracle -
Best forSAP content and records management teams
A mature SAP content-management suite, not a general-purpose application server.
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit OpenText
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Java standard | Deployment model | Clustering | Admin console | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open Liberty | Yes | Free | Both | Self_hosted | Yes | Yes | 9.3 |
| 2 | WildFly | Yes | Free | Jakarta_ee | Self_hosted | Yes | Yes | 9.1 |
| 3 | Eclipse GlassFish | Yes | Free | Jakarta_ee | Self_hosted | Yes | Yes | 9.0 |
| 4 | Azul Payara Server | No | Both | Self_hosted | Yes | Yes | 8.9 | |
| 5 | Apache TomEE | Yes | Free | Jakarta_ee | Self_hosted | Yes | 8.8 | |
| 6 | IBM WebSphere Liberty | Both | Both | Yes | Yes | 8.7 | ||
| 7 | Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform | No | Jakarta_ee | Both | Yes | Yes | 8.6 | |
| 8 | Oracle WebLogic Server | No | Jakarta_ee | Both | Yes | Yes | 8.5 | |
| 9 | IBM WebSphere Application Server | No | Both | Both | Yes | Yes | 8.4 | |
| 10 | Fujitsu Software Enterprise Application Platform | Jakarta_ee | Both | Yes | Yes | 8.3 | ||
| 11 | AliEE | No | Jakarta_ee | Managed | Yes | Yes | 8.2 | |
| 12 | Apusic Application Server | Both | Both | Yes | Yes | 8.1 | ||
| 13 | TongWeb Application Server | Both | Both | Yes | Yes | 8.0 | ||
| 14 | JEUS | Jakarta_ee | Both | Yes | Yes | 7.9 | ||
| 15 | Fujitsu Interstage Application Server | Both | Self_hosted | Yes | Yes | 7.8 | ||
| 16 | Progress Application Server for OpenEdge | None | Self_hosted | Yes | Yes | 7.3 | ||
| 17 | IBM CICS Transaction Server | No | Both | Self_hosted | Yes | Yes | 7.2 | |
| 18 | Lucee Server | Yes | Free | Both | Self_hosted | Yes | Yes | 7.0 |
| 19 | Adobe ColdFusion | Yes | Java_ee | Both | Yes | Yes | 6.9 | |
| 20 | Phusion Passenger | Yes | 6.8 | |||||
| 21 | Gunicorn | Yes | Free | 6.7 | ||||
| 22 | MAMP | Yes | Free | 6.6 | ||||
| 23 | IBM Domino | None | Self_hosted | Yes | Yes | 6.5 | ||
| 24 | Parse Platform | Free | 6.4 | |||||
| 25 | TNS Communication Application Server | Both | 6.3 | |||||
| 26 | NEC WebOTX Application Server | No | Jakarta_ee | Both | Yes | Yes | 6.2 | |
| 27 | Oracle WebCenter Content | No | 6.1 | |||||
| 28 | SAP Extended Enterprise Content Management by OpenText | 6.0 |
Head-to-head All 28 comparisons →
- Open Liberty vs WildFly
- Open Liberty vs Eclipse GlassFish
- Open Liberty vs Azul Payara Server
- Open Liberty vs Apache TomEE
- Open Liberty vs IBM WebSphere Liberty
- Open Liberty vs Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform
- Open Liberty vs Oracle WebLogic Server
- WildFly vs Eclipse GlassFish
- WildFly vs Azul Payara Server
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How we rank application servers
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update