Laravel, Symfony, and CodeIgniter compared head-to-head—plus Yii, CakePHP, and Laminas—so you can pick the right PHP framework for 2026.
Choosing a PHP framework in 2026 isn’t about “which is best”—it’s about fit. PHP 8.2+ and modern releases (Laravel 12, Symfony 8, CodeIgniter 4) have narrowed the gap on performance and DX. The real question: which best PHP framework matches your team size, timeline, and scale?
Quick answer: For most teams, Laravel is the best PHP framework in 2026—best balance of productivity and ecosystem. Use Symfony when you need long-term structure and reusable components; CodeIgniter when you want minimal footprint and fast setup. For raw throughput, Yii or Phalcon; for micro services, Slim or Flight.
These three dominate PHP framework adoption. Laravel wins on developer speed and ecosystem; Symfony on enterprise structure; CodeIgniter on simplicity and low overhead. Breakdown:
| Feature/Aspect | Laravel | Symfony | CodeIgniter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | MVC, full-stack | Full-stack, modular bundles | MVC, lightweight |
| ORM/Database | Eloquent (easy relationships) | Doctrine (powerful, complex) | Active Record (basic queries) |
| Routing | Simple, expressive | Annotation-driven, flexible | Straightforward, fast |
| Performance | Good for medium–large apps | Enterprise-grade scalability | Fastest for small apps (low overhead) |
| Learning Curve | Easy, intuitive syntax | Steeper, more config | Easiest for beginners |
| Community/Stars | 75k+ (framework), 83k+ (skeleton) | ~31k | ~5.8k (CodeIgniter 4) |
| Best For | SaaS, MVPs, rapid dev | APIs, large CRMs, banks | Prototypes, small apps, legacy |
Star counts drift; verify at Laravel framework, Laravel skeleton, Symfony, CodeIgniter 4.
Laravel prioritizes speed to ship—Artisan CLI, Eloquent, and a huge package ecosystem. Symfony emphasizes long-term structure and reusable bundles. CodeIgniter keeps the stack minimal: no bloat, quick to deploy.
Worth considering:
| Framework | Strengths | Vs Top 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Yii 3 | High speed, code generator | Leads in raw throughput benchmarks |
| CakePHP | Quick CRUD, conventions | Simpler than Symfony |
| Laminas | Modular, secure components | Enterprise-grade like Symfony, lighter footprint |
Yii consistently outperforms Laravel in request-per-second benchmarks when raw throughput matters. CakePHP follows “convention over configuration” similar to Rails. Laminas (ex-Zend) suits teams that want Symfony-style components without the full framework.
CodeIgniter — deploy in hours with minimal config. Ideal for prototypes, small CRUD apps, or legacy maintenance.
Laravel — productivity king. Artisan, Eloquent, and the ecosystem (Breeze, Nova, Forge) speed up MVPs and SaaS.
Symfony — modular and maintainable. Reusable bundles and clear structure for banks, large CRMs, and long-lived systems.
Yii or Phalcon (full-stack, C-extension). For micro services: Slim or Flight. Use when raw throughput or tiny footprint is the constraint.
Common patterns: Laravel for marketplaces and product apps; Symfony for banking and regulated workloads; CodeIgniter for blogs and lightweight sites.
Laravel (docs):
laravel new appcd app && composer run devSymfony (docs):
symfony new app --version="8.0.*" --webappcd app && symfony server:startCodeIgniter:
composer create-project codeigniter4/appstarter appcd app && php spark servePHP: Laravel 12 requires PHP 8.2+; Symfony 8 requires PHP 8.4+. CodeIgniter 4 supports PHP 8.1+. Laravel offers Breeze for auth; Symfony Flex handles auto-config.
For most teams in 2026, Laravel is the best PHP framework—best balance of ease, power, and ecosystem. Choose Symfony when your team needs structure and reuse; CodeIgniter when speed of setup and simplicity trump features.
Next step: Run the setup commands above and build a small CRUD or todo app in your shortlist. A 15-minute spike beats another hour of comparison tables.
Related: Laravel 12 todo list tutorial, Laravel Octane in production, Scaling Laravel, PHP in 2026.
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