Let’s imagine you’re out on a drive. The weather is great, and the roads are mostly empty. But something is missing… It’s your Spotify playlist! You take out your phone and easily open the Spotify app and didn’t have to wait for the app to load, and it didn’t lag or glitch. You tap on the play icon and start listening to your favorite songs—uninterrupted.
Millions of other listeners like you enjoy the app with ease. But what’s the secret behind Spotify’s smooth experience? Is it magic? Or perhaps it is the work of a great framework like Symfony! It keeps Spotify scalable and lightning-fast, leaving no place for error.
But wait—does that mean Symfony is the ultimate winner in PHP frameworks? Not so fast. There’s another one worthy of comparison to Symfony that developers swear by—Laravel.
So, in this blog, we deliver that comparison: Symfony vs Laravel. Which one is the true winner of PHP frameworks? Let’s learn which of these two backend frameworks is better for your project. Let’s dive in!
What is Symfony?
Symfony is a robust open-source backend framework. It’s a part of PHP and helps build scalable web applications. Apart from developing web applications, it’s also a powerful tool for the backend development of mobile apps.
As an open-source framework, developers can easily customize it according to their needs. They can do so by deploying a specific Symfony module and workflow. The main idea behind the Symfony PHP Framework is simple. It helps clear out the challenges in coding and saves time during the development process.
Symfony has been here for the last two decades. It came out in 2005 and was created by Fabien Potencier. This might make you wonder: Is Symfony outdated? The truth is actually far from that. Despite its “outdated” nature, Symfony still receives updates and has a large fanbase.
What are the key features of Symfony?
Symfony’s modular architecture comes in handy for developers. It allows the creation of highly optimized, efficient app development. Its key features further simplify the development of enterprise-grade apps. Let’s see what these features are:
- Reliability: When you want to send something valuable to a friend, you choose the most reliable source. Similarly, when you want to develop a good web app for your users, you will also choose the most reliable framework. In PHP’s case, it’s Symfony.
- Basic development: Perfecting every little functionality and operation stresses you out. Developers know the struggle. But thanks to Symfony’s bundle-based architecture, it’s ideal for projects of all sizes. You don’t face this issue.
- Easy Documentation: Most PHP frameworks don’t let developers document properly. It’s often left incomplete. But with Symfony, you don’t face this problem because documentation is much better.
- Long-Term Support: The LTS versions provide extended maintenance and security updates. This includes bug fixes for three years and security updates for four years. This is excellent for long-term stability.
Symfony remains a powerful framework in the world of PHP. When developing web applications with it, you just know you have a reliable tool by your side! Symfony’s components have been downloaded over 29 billion times.
What is Laravel?
Much like Symfony, Laravel is also an open-source PHP framework. It’s amazing for backend development. Laravel’s workflow includes different methods. They help examine relational databases. Also, they deliver the abilities that help with deployment and database management.
Laravel came out in June 2011. It was created by Taylor Otwell using Symfony’s elements. At that time, it came out as an alternative to CodeIgniter. Which is another one of PHP’s frameworks. Laravel also utilizes a modular packaging system and composer.
Laravel isn’t as old as Symfony. However, it has made a place for itself. At this point, developers use it universally for various solutions. It’s all thanks to Laravel’s rich features and quick adaptability. IT even has a 58% market share among PHP frameworks.
What are the key features of Laravel?
Laravel delivers some diversity. This is because it has both a modular and monolithic architecture. You can change depending on your needs. By default, it is monolithic. Several other features make working with Laravel fun. Let’s see what they are:
- Authentication: Those who want to keep their data safe prioritize authentication. This is why Laravel lets you authenticate yourself easily. This simple addition improves an app’s functionality.
- Application Security: In every Laravel project, security is mandatory. When developing web applications in Symfony vs Laravel, Laravel ensures high-quality app security. Software developers have to follow different approaches for this.
- Unit Tests: These tests are vital before deploying your apps. Laravel excels in unit tests. It helps spot loopholes quickly. This way, software developers can save time and money. All while delivering good performance.
- Expressive Syntax: The framework is about simplicity and developer productivity. Hence, it uses expressive syntax. Due to this, developers are able to write clean and maintainable code.
Laravel is developer-friendly. Yet, it’s one of the most powerful PHP frameworks. Its friendly nature simplifies the development of high-performing apps. It takes minimal effort. In 2024, Laravel’s downloads were over 50 million. These numbers increase by 15-20% every year.
What are the similarities between Symfony vs Laravel?
As two popular PHP frameworks, both Symfony vs Laravel work are excellent choices for web app development. They are impressive backend options for projects of different sizes. Both frameworks have a few things in common. Let’s find out:
1. The programming Language
For Symfony vs Laravel, their parent language is the same. It’s PHP, a strong programming language that has been here for quite some time.
PHP offers several libraries and frameworks that help deliver robust enterprise-level web apps and sites. Symfony and Laravel are one of the most powerful.
2. Cross-platform Nature
Both frameworks are cross-platform. So, they’re not limited to one platform. You can run them on Windows, macOS, and Linux. This way, you’re able to use it on your preferred platform.
This flexibility allows developers to work on different operating systems. It cuts down on compatibility issues and makes it easy to use.
3. Security Features
Symfony vs Laravel both offer robust security features that protect apps from potential cyber threats. Hence, they’re secure options for developing mobile apps.
Users are often concerned about how their information is being handled online. Roughly 29.6% of users have removed apps due to security or privacy issues. Both these frameworks help us deliver better security.
4. Supportive Community
Most frameworks and libraries have active and supportive communities online. Here, people can ask questions and request updates. New developers often ask questions regarding them.
The bigger a community, the better it is. Symfony vs Laravel both have active communities. This helps with open-source contributions and extensive documentation.
5. Full-Stack Development
Although they’re focused more on backend development, they’re very useful for full-stack development, too. This means that they’re also good options for frontend development.
They come with individual templating engines that simplify the development of frontend components. This includes Twig for Symfony and Blade for Laravel.
6. Multi-Language and Multi-User Support
Everyone doesn’t excel at English. It’s vital to keep this in mind when developing enterprise applications. This is where Symfony and Laravel prove to be the perfect choice.
These frameworks support internationalization and localization. This simplifies multi-language support. Additionally, they offer multi-user authentication. This allows different user roles and permissions.
7. Testing tools
Testing before deploying any kind of app is vital. Before deployment, testing can save costs and reduce major overwork later on. This is why Symfony vs Laravel both deliver testing tools.
They deliver built-in testing tools to ensure your app’s quality. When you conduct tests using these tools, it guarantees bug-free apps that don’t crash.
Symfony vs Laravel: What are the differences?
Several differences between Symfony and Laravel can help you decide which is better for you. Let’s learn what these are:
1. Learning curve
Symfony has a complex learning curve. This is because of its architecture and extensive configurations. It’s more suited to learn for developers who already have experience with other PHP frameworks.
Laravel is much more beginner-friendly. It came out in 2011, so it uses more modern features. It’s easier to learn. There are also many tutorials on how to use Laravel so that more developers can learn it. Its expressive syntax and clear documentation play a big role here.
2. Setup and Configuration
Manual setup has always been time-consuming. Yet, manual setup allows for better customization and ease of use. If you go for Symfony, you’ll have to install it and set it up manually. This is especially necessary for routing, services, and configurations.
Setting Laravel up is swift and easy. This quick setup makes Laravel great for small and quick projects. It comes with built-in configurations that simplify the setup. Thanks to these features, Laravel’s setup requires minimal effort.
3. Performance
Everyone loves high-performing apps and websites. Low-performing sites damage a business’s revenue. Even the reputation falls. This is why Symfony delivers high-performing web apps. It has advanced caching mechanisms and optimized routing. They are ideal for large, high-traffic apps.
Heavy abstraction layers often sacrifice the performance in Laravel apps. However, there is just a slight difference. Web applications built with Laravel can still perform well. This happens when software developers use database indexing. They also pair it with optimization techniques.
4. Scalability
Scalability means growth. Growth is vital to keep in mind when making enterprise-level apps. It is also important for projects with a certain grade of complexity. These projects often require long-term maintenance. Symphony is great with these projects. This is due to its amazing scalability.
Scalability is also possible with Laravel. However, it is mainly preferred for small projects or mid-sized ones. Those that don’t require that much scalability. Yet, you might require extreme scalability. So, you’ll have to use a microservices architecture with Laravel.
5. Modularity and Flexibility
Symfony consists of more than 50 reusable components. This makes it highly modular in nature. Software developers can use these components independently. They can even integrate them with other frameworks.
Laravel, by default, is monolithic in nature. This means that it follows a more structured process. One essential thing to note here is that Laravel can also be modular if needed. It easily supports modularity. This is through using packages and service providers.
6. Database Management (ORM)
ORM stands for Object-Relational Mapping. Both Symfony vs Laravel use it. It lets developers interact with relational databases using object-oriented programming languages. Symfony uses a Doctrine ORM. It is more complex yet very powerful.
Similarly, Laravel also works on an ORM, but the Object-Relational Mapping it uses is different. It uses and uses Eloquent ORM. This is much simpler than Symfony’s Doctrine ORM. This makes it faster and easier to use.
7. Templating Engine
A templating engine is responsible for rendering the frontend views. This is of any given app. Symfony vs Laravel both have templating engines. They help developers with the frontend part of development. Twig is Symfony’s default templating engine. It is fast and flexible.
Templating engines ensure a clear separation between logic and presentation. Both these frameworks use one. However, their approach is different. Blade is Laravel’s native templating engine. It offers a simple yet powerful syntax.
What are the qualities of apps developed with Symfony?
Many large enterprises and critical systems rely on Symfony. Its robust architecture and modularity are the secret. Below are some key qualities of apps built with Symfony:
Advanced Security
Would you use an app or website that doesn’t feel secure? Think of how hesitant we get when we open websites and get a notification. “This isn’t secure.” Mostly, we leave these sites. This is why Symfony delivers high-class security. It provides built-in security mechanisms. They protect apps from cyber threats. It also includes potential privacy issues.
High security is great for enterprise apps. Users often give sensitive data on such platforms. Symfony adheres to strict security standards. This makes Symfony an excellent choice for financial transactions and healthcare data. This is crucial user data that requires good protection.
Scalability
Imagine what could happen if you don’t prioritize scalability for your app. If this app is enterprise-grade, you would be in trouble. But why is that so? This is because businesses grow. You probably have the same goals for yours. Then why not for your app? As your user base grows, you’ll need an app capable of handling great traffic and peak times. This is where Symfony comes in.
It is highly scalable. The modular architecture makes it easier to develop applications that can grow with your company. You don’t even need to worry about performance degradation. Symfony also supports microservices architecture.
Enterprise-Grade Performance
Symfony is excellent for heavy apps. This is why it was chosen for Spotify. It’s just an excellent choice for corporate apps and financial systems. The backend framework is optimized. So, it handles high loads efficiently. Enterprise apps just have a specific set of requirements. They’re different from others. Symfony makes sure these apps work smoothly.
Several large enterprises use Symfony as their main framework. Some examples are Dailymotion and Trivago. Symfony ensures that only necessary components are loaded at runtime. This leads to faster response times and lower server resource consumption.
What are the qualities of apps developed with Laravel?
Laravel is great for developing user-friendly applications. They also perform well. Its built-in functionalities are amazing. Let’s see what qualities its apps have:
Impressive User Experience
When you deliver good user experiences, people automatically keep coming towards your app. Apps with good UX tend to increase conversion rates and keep users coming. Laravel provides an impressive user experience. This is due to its Blade templating. Moreover, Laravel applications are naturally designed to be mobile-friendly. They are also responsive and adjust to different screen sizes.
Developers can create dynamic frontend interfaces. They can maintain this alongside a clean and efficient backend. Laravel also includes built-in error handling and debugging tools.
Authentication
Just like Symfony prioritizes security, so does Laravel. It excels at providing robust authentication and authorization mechanisms. This comes with a built-in authentication system. It allows developers to implement login and registration easily. The password reset functionalities are already easy with just a few lines of code.
The authentication system supports role-based access control (RBAC). This lets businesses assign different permissions to different types of users. This gives users a different experience for every individual.
Task Automation
Laravel simplifies task automation. This helps developers manage repetitive and time-consuming operations efficiently. With Laravel, real-time apps can efficiently push updates to users. They don’t even require constant page refreshes. This is great for messaging apps. Especially those that require live notifications or tracking.
All these aspects make Laravel an excellent choice for businesses. Especially those that need high performance and some scalability. This helps deliver a smooth user experience even when handling resource-intensive operations.
Choose Symfony when:
- You Need a Scalable and Enterprise-Grade App.
- The app will handle sensitive data and needs high security.
- You Require High Modularity and Reusability.
- Your app will need to deliver long-term maintenance and support.
- You’re Developing Microservices or APIs.
Choose Laravel when:
- You Need a Fast and Simple Development Process.
- User Authentication and Authorization are a priority.
- You’re Building a Web Application with a Beautiful UI.
- You’re Developing an E-Commerce or SaaS App.
- You prefer an easy-to-learn framework.
Wrapping it up
The head-to-head comparison between Symfony vs Laravel comes to an end. PHP is a powerful programming language. These frameworks use its greatest capabilities. So. Ultimately, we know that Symfony is better if your goal is a high-grade app. Laravel is better for small to mid-sized ones.
We understand that well. So, whether you choose Symfony vs Laravel, Linkitsoft is here for you. No matter how complex your project is, our software developers excel at both. We are excellent with app development. It doesn’t matter if you need an enterprise-level app or a smaller one. We’re equipped with all the skills you need.
Get in touch with us today. Connect with us, and let’s discuss your project. We prioritize transparency in our services. Don’t wait around. As a business, your competitors are always out to do better. Stay ahead with Linkitsoft.
