Compare
Laravel vs Ruby on Rails
Ruby on Rails is a full-stack Ruby framework with conventions similar to Laravel but in a different language.
Which to pick
Pick Laravel if you want…
- Full-stack PHP framework with AI extensions
- PHP web development
- Integrations with PHP, React or Vue (on Laravel's list, not Ruby on Rails')
Pick Ruby on Rails if you want…
- Convention-driven full-stack web apps
- Ruby web applications
- Integrations with Ruby, Hotwire or WebSockets (on Ruby on Rails' list, not Laravel's)
Laravel provides a PHP full-stack experience with expressive syntax, comparable features in a different ecosystem.
Side by side
- What it is
- Laravel:Laravel is an open-source PHP framework with built-in tools for building modern web apps and AI-enabled services.
- Ruby on Rails:Ruby on Rails is a full-stack web framework for building database-backed web applications with MVC conventions.
- Best for
- Laravel:Full-stack PHP framework with AI extensions
- Ruby on Rails:Convention-driven full-stack web apps
- Who it’s for
- Laravel:PHP developers building web applications and AI agents.
- Ruby on Rails:Web developers building Ruby applications and teams needing rapid full-stack development.
- Pricing
- Laravel:Open source
- Ruby on Rails:Open source
- Open source
- Laravel:Yes, 85,038 GitHub stars
- Ruby on Rails:Yes, 58,786 GitHub stars
- Works with
- Laravel:PHP, React, Vue, Svelte, Inertia, GitHub Actions, Laravel Cloud, Nightwatch
- Ruby on Rails:Ruby, Hotwire, WebSockets
Laravel features
- Starter kits. Pre-configured starter kits for React, Vue, and Svelte.
- AI SDK. Integrated AI SDK and Boost AI assistant for building AI-enabled features.
- Laravel Cloud. Autoscaling hosting with pay-as-you-go pricing, instant databases, workers, cache and storage.
- Preview environments. Zero-risk, production-like preview environments that integrate with GitHub Actions.
- Nightwatch observability. Full-stack monitoring with error detection, performance insights and automated fixes.
- ORM & migrations. Eloquent ORM and migration system for database schema management.
Ruby on Rails features
- Active Record ORM. Provides object-relational mapping with associations, callbacks and encryption.
- Action Controller. Handles HTTP requests, routing, parameters and response rendering.
- Action View. Combines Ruby and HTML for flexible templating and helper extraction.
- Action Dispatch. Defines URL routing with a domain-specific language.
- Built-in WebSockets. Supports live page updates via Action Cable.
- Job Queuing. Enqueues asynchronous work with Active Job.
- Mailers & Security. Provides email delivery and common security protections out of the box.
- Hotwire Integration. Default front-end framework for building reactive interfaces without heavy JavaScript.
Laravel vs Ruby on Rails FAQ
Is Laravel or Ruby on Rails free?+
Yes, both are free and open source.
Is Laravel or Ruby on Rails open source?+
Yes, both are open source: Laravel (laravel/laravel on GitHub) and Ruby on Rails (rails/rails on GitHub, MIT license).
Do Laravel and Ruby on Rails integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: Laravel lists PHP, React, Vue, Svelte and 4 more; Ruby on Rails lists Ruby, Hotwire and WebSockets.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.