Laravel is a PHP backend framework excelling at server-side web applications with built-in features like authentication and ORM, while Next.js is a React-based full-stack JavaScript framework that enables both frontend and backend development in a single language. Laravel requires separate frontend tools; Next.js unifies the stack.
Laravel vs Next.js — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Modern full-featured PHP framework with Eloquent ORM, built-in testing, and extensive ecosystem.
React-based JavaScript framework with native support for SSR, SSG, API routes, and edge computing.
Primary Language. Development Stack. Learning Curve. Built-in Authentication. Database ORM. Deployment Complexity. Real-time Features
Choose Laravel if you need a traditional server-side MVC application with built-in ORM, authentication, and established DevOps patterns—ideal for complex business logic and large teams using PHP. Choose Next.js if you want unified full-stack JavaScript development with easy deployment to serverless platforms and seamless integration of frontend and backend—ideal for startups, modern JAMstack architectures, and teams already invested in JavaScript.
Laravel: No, third-party required | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: Full native (built-in queues) | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: Limited (minimal options) | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: ~50MB with dependencies | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: 2,500+ verified packages | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: Yes (with 2FA, API tokens) | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: Yes (built-in with Artisan) | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: ~86,000 (Packagist) | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: 64% of PHP frameworks | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: 45-60 ms per request | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: Yes, built-in (Laravel Auth) | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: Native (Redis, database, sync) | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: Senior/Intermediate (5+ years PHP/OOP) | Next.js: N/A
Reported Security Vulnerabilities (2024)
Laravel: Composer packages (1M+) | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: Limited—requires PHP expertise | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: 8-12 minutes (Laravel installer + composer) | Next.js: 3-5 minutes (create-next-app)
Laravel: 800-1200ms (PHP cold starts) | Next.js: 100-300ms (Node.js cold starts)
Laravel: 0.8-1.5s per page (Blade templating) | Next.js: 0.2-0.5s per page (static generation)
Laravel: 2.5M (Packagist) | Next.js: 18M (npm registry)
Laravel: PHPStan/Psalm (third-party tools) | Next.js: Native TypeScript support (first-class)
Laravel: $24-60/year (shared PHP hosting) | Next.js: $0-60/month (Vercel Hobby or traditional hosting)
Laravel: 280K (Packagist registry) | Next.js: 3200K (npm registry)
Laravel: 1 day (php artisan new) | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: Framework-integrated | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: 3 years (standard support) | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: 45,000+ packages | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: 77,500 stars | Next.js: 128,000+
Laravel: ~800,000 packages | Next.js: N/A
Learning Curve (Time to Basic Proficiency)
Laravel: 20-30% slower under load | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: Emerging in enterprise | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: ORM, Auth, Caching, Queue, Mail, Broadcasting | Next.js: N/A
Average Page Load Time (no optimization)
Laravel: 850-1200 ms | Next.js: 200-400 ms (with SSG)
Laravel: Yes (Eloquent) | Next.js: Prisma/Drizzle (optional, third-party)
Laravel: Basic (no SSG/SSR built-in) | Next.js: Excellent (SSR, SSG, ISR)
Learning Curve (for beginner developers)
Laravel: 40-60 hours | Next.js: 30-50 hours (React required)
Laravel: Manual (Blade templating) | Next.js: Native (React components)
Laravel: 8/10 (Advanced PHP) | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: Very Complex (SaaS, APIs, Enterprise) | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: 380,000+ packages | Next.js: ~2,100,000 NPM packages
Laravel: 67% of new projects | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: 18% of legacy systems | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: Reverb WebSockets (built-in) | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: ~1,200 contributors | Next.js: N/A
Laravel: 77,500 stars | Next.js: 128,000 stars
Laravel: ~2.5M (Composer) | Next.js: 3.4M
Laravel: 10-15 minutes | Next.js: 3-5 minutes
Laravel: Eloquent ORM (native) | Next.js: Requires third-party (Prisma/Drizzle)
Laravel: Laravel Breeze included | Next.js: NextAuth.js (optional, third-party)
Laravel: Limited (Vapor, custom solutions) | Next.js: First-class (Vercel native)
Laravel: PHP 8.2+ | Next.js: Node 18.17+
Laravel: ~35 MB (with dependencies) | Next.js: ~280 MB (node_modules)
Learning Curve (estimated hours to productivity)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Built-in and optimized
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Native API routes included
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Node.js server or serverless
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Moderate (routing, SSR setup)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 800-1,200 ms (SSR/SSG)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 92 (native support)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Yes (file-based)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 2-3 minutes (create-next-app)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 5 (SSR, CSR, SSG, ISR, PPR)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: High (Vercel-dependent)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Moderate-High (RSC paradigm)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Yes (SSG + ISR + PPR)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: ~180 KB (optimized)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 4/10 (moderate, flexible)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Yes, full serverless function support
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Yes, full support
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 62% prefer Next.js
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Growing, strong in mid-market
Default JavaScript Payload (Blog Homepage)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Native (React Server Components)
Time to First Interactive (Typical Blog)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 104 weeks (v13.0+)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: First-class, auto-generated types
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 500K+ React packages
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Yes—native with excellent tooling
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 4 (SSR, SSG, ISR, CSR)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 800+ official integrations
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Node.js server required
Market Adoption (% of surveyed developers)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 42% of React framework users
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 320,000 developers
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: No (third-party required)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 200-500ms (optimized)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 40-80 npm packages
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: SSR, SSG, ISR (hybrid)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 2-3 months (with React experience)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 15-25 minutes (with dependencies)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: NextAuth.js or Auth0 (external)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Native; Vercel/Cloudflare optimized
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Yes (App Router)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: First-class, zero-config support
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Built-in and default for all projects
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Yes, file-based automatic routing
Typical JS Bundle Size (Simple Blog Page)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: ~85 KB (gzipped)
Time to Interactive (TTI) - Content Site
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: getStaticProps, getServerSideProps, fetch in API routes
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 400-800ms (static generation + edge)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 12-20 hours (manual setup required)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: ~142,000 globally (2026)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 100-500ms (Vercel/Netlify)
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: Native ISR, sitemap gen, metadata API
Laravel: N/A | Next.js: 5 (React + JavaScript more intuitive)
How to choose between Laravel and Next.js
Laravel vs Next.js — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Laravel vs Next.js. Contains 195 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Laravel vs Next.js — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Laravel vs Next.js.
Can I build a full-stack application with Laravel?
Yes, Laravel can be used for full-stack development by pairing it with a frontend framework like Vue.js (via Inertia.js or Livewire) or React. However, Next.js handles this more seamlessly in a single codebase with unified JavaScript. Laravel excels when you want a dedicated backend API and separate frontend repository.
Which framework is better for beginners?
Next.js is easier for JavaScript-experienced developers (3-5 days to productivity). Laravel has a moderate learning curve (1-2 weeks) if you know PHP. If you're learning both a language and framework simultaneously, Next.js with JavaScript tutorials is more accessible due to larger online community resources and job market demand.
What about authentication—which is easier?
Laravel wins here with Laravel Breeze and Fortify providing complete authentication scaffolding out-of-the-box. Next.js requires setting up NextAuth.js or Auth0, adding 2-4 hours of configuration. Laravel's built-in solution handles sessions, 2FA, and password resets automatically.
Which has better long-term job prospects?
Both have strong demand. JavaScript/React skills are broader (2.8M+ developers globally), while PHP has an entrenched enterprise base. Next.js offers better startup and tech company prospects; Laravel is dominant in web development agencies and established companies. JavaScript salaries average $120k-$140k; PHP averages $110k-$130k in 2025 markets.
Next.js deploys free-tier on Vercel with generous limits. Laravel requires traditional hosting (Heroku, DigitalOcean, Linode) costing $5-$50+/month minimum. For learning projects, Next.js is more cost-effective; Laravel requires paid hosting from the start unless you self-host.
How to Choose Between Laravel and Next.js
Primary Language: Laravel has PHP, while Next.js has JavaScript/TypeScript.
Development Stack: Laravel has Backend-focused (requires separate frontend), while Next.js has Full-stack unified (frontend + backend + API).
Learning Curve: Laravel has Moderate (1-2 weeks for PHP experience), while Next.js has Easier for JS developers (3-5 days).
Built-in Authentication: Laravel has Laravel Breeze/Fortify included, while Next.js has NextAuth.js (third-party, requires setup).
Database ORM: Laravel has Eloquent ORM (native), while Next.js has Prisma/Drizzle (third-party).
Deployment Complexity: Laravel has Moderate (server management required), while Next.js has Simple (Vercel serverless first-class).
Real-time Features: Laravel has Laravel Broadcasting (WebSockets), while Next.js has Server-Sent Events or third-party (Socket.io).