Which is the best programming technology for web app development in the coming years? It’s a question many entrepreneurs analyze while selecting their technology stack for new web apps.

But, the answer to this question is NOT straightforward. Like other decisions, it depends on the business’s requirements and the application’s nature. Many factors are considered, including scalability, speed of development, security, popularity among developers, ease of learning, etc.

Are these confusing you? Don’t worry! 

This comprehensive article will help you make an informed decision. As we know, it’s challenging to predict which programming language will dominate in the years because it depends on multiple factors. However you can make an appropriate decision about the language for your app based on the current trends and statistics.

So, let’s take a look at some facts about each of these popular web development technologies:

PHP vs Python vs Ruby

PHP

PHP has been around for more than 20 years and dominates the market for dynamic websites. It has been the most popular web app development language for many years and is currently implemented on over 80 million websites. Powering some of the biggest sites on the internet, it is also an integral part of content management systems like Drupal, which powers 10s of millions of additional websites.

The PHP ecosystem is enormous. There are many open-source PHP frameworks to choose from, with Laravel being one of the most popular. Zend, Symfony, CakePHP, and CodeIgniter are some other popular frameworks for PHP web app development.


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Python 

Python has been around since the 1990s and is a modern programming language for general-purpose programming and web development. Python is currently used by Reddit, Pinterest, Instagram, and Youtube as the back-end framework for their websites.

The programming language has a small but significant community of developers developing excellent open-source frameworks for web app development in Python. Django, Flask, Pyramid, and Bottle are some of Python’s most popular web app frameworks. 

Ruby

Ruby is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language created in Japan in 1995. It was created as an alternative to Java and has gained popularity over the years. Hulu, Groupon, Slideshare, Scribd, and Github trust Ruby for their website.

Ruby on Rails is the most reliable, popular web app development framework for Ruby, powering some of the most significant websites on the internet. It’s a full-stack framework covering all web app development aspects, including HTML rendering, routing, testing, data modeling, etc.

Having covered the insights into the most popular web app development technologies (PHP, Python, Ruby). 

Now it’s time to analyze PHP vs. Python vs. Ruby on factors like:

  • Market Share
  • Popular Websites Using These Languages
  • Usability
  • Learning Curve
  • Popularity Comparison
  • Performance Comparison
  • Most Discussed Language
  • Job Posting & Salary

Comparison of PHP vs. Python vs. Ruby

As each language has unique characteristics, here is a detailed comparison between PHP vs. Python vs. Ruby.

1. PHP vs Python vs Ruby: Total Market Share

PHP vs. Python vs. Ruby

Usage statistics & market share of any programming language give you an idea of the popularity of that language among the masses. It’s a good metric to gauge the acceptance of that language among users.

In 2021, the most popular software programming language worldwide was Python, with a market share of  52%. PHP ranks next to it with 32% popularity followed by Ruby ranks with 6%.

Winner: PHP


2. PHP vs. Python vs. Ruby: Website Built Using These

PHP vs Python vs Ruby

Many clients, such as Wikipedia, Facebook, and PixelCrayons, have chosen PHP web development. On the other hand, Ruby-on-Rails has reputed clients, including Twitter, Hulu, Groupon, etc. In addition, the king of search engines, Google, YouTube, etc., are made using the coding of Python.

Winner: Tie

3. PHP vs. Python vs. Ruby: Usability

Programming Language usability is one of the essential factors you should consider before choosing it for your website development project. Almost all programming languages form an interface between computer and user, and a. language with high usability helps write short programs quickly. Selecting the right programming language requires comparing the language features with the project requirements.

The less complicated your programming language is, the easier it will be for users to learn & handle. PHP stands at 3rd place with 8.5 points out of 10 points in this round. Python is a close 2nd with 9 points, and Ruby tops this round with 10 points. Evolution of Ruby on Rails has led to significant advantages over other languages due to its simplicity. 

Winner: Ruby-on-Rails (RoR)

4. PHP vs. Python vs. Ruby: Learning Curve

Ease of learning or learning curve is essential for choosing a programming language for your career or your next web app development project. A programming language with a high learning curve value is easy to understand and possesses pretty clean codes. Python has the best learning curve among these three languages, PHP comes second, and the last is Ruby-on-rails.

Winner: Python

php-vs-python-vs-ruby-learning-curve

5. PHP vs. Python vs. Ruby: Popularity Comparison

While choosing a programming language for website development, it’s also essential to study the historical growth of that language over the years. This metric provides the idea of an evolving trend in that language, and you can get an overview of changes in user preference over time. The graph below will give you a clear idea about the growth of these languages over the years.

Primary Programming LanguagesImage Source: Statista

Looking at this data, it’s clear that Python is on top, with more than 48% of developers preferring it as a programming language. Python’s immense benefits for emerging technologies have made it more popular in the programming world. For example, Python for cybersecurity has become a compelling choice for enterprises worldwide. 

In contrast, PHP stands at 21%, and Ruby has just 6.7% of respondents worldwide. 

Winner: Python


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6. PHP vs. Python vs. Ruby: Performance Comparison

Performance comparison of any programming language is crucial. A high-performing language helps you to produce scalable, secure, and speedy software programs. In the below-mentioned image, I have shown the average run time and lines of codes of all these three languages. These two parameters help you understand and compare these three languages’ performance.

Winner: Ruby & PHP

php-vs-python-vs-ruby-performance


Also Read: PHP Vs ASP.NET: How to Choose the Right One?


7. PHP vs. Python vs. Ruby: Most Discussed Language

Most discussed programming language helps in many ways. If any language is popular, it will have a big community that enables you to resolve your query in a minimum time. Furthermore, the most discussed language also has good support. The below image depicts the stats related to the most popular programming language. The below image represents the stats related to the most popular programming language. In this round, Python takes the crown.

According to a recent survey, it was becoming more and more usable and popular with developers in 2021. Over 19% of respondents said they are interested but haven’t yet developed using Python.! Of those who have, over 60% said they would be hiring Python developers in the next 12 months.

Most Wanted Programming LanguagesWinner: Python

8. PHP vs. Python vs. Ruby: Job Posting & Salary

Analyzing high job postings in any programming language is quite important. If you are a job seeker, you can understand the ease of availability of any specific programming language job. 

On the other hand, these stats are also crucial for those who want to develop their websites and choose an ideal programming language. A language with many jobs certainly has more programmers, job security, and bright career prospects. If you wish to choose your career in either of the two languages, you may check the following stats and decide. 

According to the Stack Overflow survey 2021, Ruby on Rails is in the top 10 highest-paid technologies race. In comparison, Python and PHP are down the ladder.

PHP vs. Python vs. RubyWinner: Ruby

PHP vs. Python vs. Ruby: Pros & Cons

To get a clear idea of PHP or Python, or Ruby web development, you have to know the advantages and disadvantages of these three server-side programming languages.

PHP- Advantages 

The pros of using PHP are numerous. Some of them are as follows: 

The code written in PHP is easily readable even by non-technical persons: This feature makes it easy to manage the code without hiring any technical person. For example, if you want to change some lines or add some features to your website, you can easily do it yourself by changing the file.

It’s also widely used in web development:  PHP is very popular among developers and companies because of its fast execution speed. It has a lot of readymade codes that are readily available online, which makes it easy for developers to develop any kind of website. 

The PHP community is also huge: Many people in the PHP community share codes, scripts, and information free of cost with any developer. They help each other by sharing concepts and experiences, making learning easy. 

Open-source language: Unlike JavaScript or Python, PHP is an open-source and free language that enables any programmer to download the complete PHP guide for free.

Cons of using PHP 

Security is an issue: Since PHP is a scripting language, it has some problems like security and speed. If you are not aware of this feature, it can be fatal to your web development process.

Lack of proper documentation: As an accessible language, PHP has a lot of unwritten rules and techniques, making it challenging to learn. The documentation is also not excellent, making it difficult to develop complex web applications.

Not a full-stack language: One of the disadvantages of using PHP is that you can’t master it entirely because many other technologies go along with PHP, like MySQL and HTML, etc. 

Python- Advantages 

Easy to learn: One of the most significant advantages of using Python is that it is effortless to learn and understand. Besides, it can be your ideal coding language if you are a beginner.

Large community: The best part about learning Python is its vast community support, making it easy for developers to find answers to their questions within minutes on various forums on the web.

Supports functional and object-oriented programming: This makes it easier for programmers to use various programming concepts in python-based projects if they have some prior coding experience. 

Portable: With the help of this language, you can efficiently run scripts on any platform without any additional configurations or setups, which makes it the most accessible language to learn and code.


Also Read: Node.js vs Python


Cons of using Python 

Due to its easy learning, there are many developers in this field, making it challenging to find a stable job compared to other languages like PHP or Ruby.

The language documentation is not up-to-date, making it challenging to find the most recent features.

No proper syntactic sugar: This feature makes writing specific codes in Python complicated compared to other languages like PHP, HTML, etc.

Ruby on Rails- Advantages 

Productive: Compared with other web development tools, Ruby is considered the most effective language, making it ideal for startups. 

Lesser time to market: With this language, you can quickly develop web applications within the shortest possible time limit because of its efficient syntax and coding style.

Clean code: The developers write clean codes with Ruby on Rails, which saves development time in future revisions or bug corrections.

Community support: Being a dynamic language, it has the best community support, which helps developers quickly explore other resources about this programming language. 

Cons of using Ruby

Event-driven architecture: This feature makes RoR slower than other languages like PHP or Python because they lack the optimization necessary for dynamic web development.

Difficult to learn: One of the biggest cons of using Ruby on Rails is that it is not easy to understand and implement. The syntaxes are also sometimes complex, making it difficult for even senior developers to develop applications faster. 

Strict validation: Since this tool runs on an MVC pattern, it has a very complex validation scheme that makes it difficult to understand and work. It also slows down the process of development as compared with other languages.

PHP vs Python vs Ruby: Pros or Advantages

PHP_vs_Ruby_vs_Python_Advantages_Pros

PHP vs Python vs Ruby: Cons or Disadvantages

PHP_vs_Ruby_vs_Python_Disadvantages_Cons_Image

Wrapping Up

I hope this blog post clears your doubts about the three popular programming languages. Above mentioned stats and facts help you choose the correct programming language as per your business needs.

However, if you are stuck on any other queries related to these languages or want to develop your website, feel free to contact PixelCrayons, a leading web app development company in India. Our business consultants will help you in all possible ways and help you decide which technology platform would be best for your web development project.


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Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Which is better, PHP or Ruby?

Ruby has a higher learning curve, but it’s a more robust language and a more suitable option for creating business applications. PHP was explicitly developed for web-based applications. In contrast, Ruby as a language offers much more. 

Q2. Is PHP easier than Ruby?

Scaling up or down PHP-based websites is easier as simple projects don’t require complex features and consume less memory. In contrast, Ruby requires more memory and suffers from minor speed limitations.

Q3. Is PHP easier than Python?

Python is easier to learn. However, PHP is not difficult. Python programs require shorter and easy-to-write code. 

Q4. Who won the PHP vs. Ruby vs. Python war?

Python was never designed as a “web language” – it is a general-purpose dynamic language, useful for web apps, among many other purposes.

Ruby is similar to Python’s generality but is more pigeonholed as a “web language.” 

PHP seems the most strictly web-centric of the three languages listed.

In short, it depends on your purpose, pre-existing skills, and access to talent.

Q5. Which is best to build web applications: PHP, Python, or Ruby?

All languages are suitable for web applications, but Python is one of the relevant languages as The internal support for the web works very fine. You can build a python website with a straightforward framework such as web.py.

Q6. Is PHP, Python, or Ruby best for backend programming?

Python is the best for a complex project which needs a set of libraries or a data science project. It also depends on what programming languages you are familiar with. So it depends on what type of project you are working on.

Q7. Is PHP faster than Ruby? 

Yes, PHP is faster than Ruby! 

PHP has a lower level of entry into the language. You can start by just opening up a .php file and begin writing code without worrying about creating directories or any structure. Just write your code in the editor, and it will be executed on visiting the path in the browser. Ruby also gives this flexibility to a certain degree, but it requires more configuration and discipline, due to which Ruby is not as fast as PHP.

Q8. Which is more popular, Ruby or Python?

Python is more popular than Ruby. 

Ruby has less support and users compared to Python. Since the core features of both languages are very similar, this slight difference can significantly affect the popularity of languages. 

Also, since Python is an old language compared to Ruby, it has many libraries for developers, making it easier to work and build projects. Ruby is also gaining popularity with time, and since there are already several frameworks and libraries available for it, its popularity can increase in the future.

13 thoughts on “PHP vs Python vs Ruby: Detailed Comparison

  1. Great stats!! Thanks for sharing this information… This post has cleared my many doubts…

  2. Nice post… but, here I like to add that PHP is CallByValue, AFAIK and I know PHP quite well PHP is no different than Javascript or Java in this behavior. PHP has call time pass-by-value for scalars but pass-by-reference for objects – and this should be definitely considered as pros.

  3. Ruby latest release is 2.4 🙂 Comparison between Python, PHP and RoR?

  4. Hi Maxim, Ruby latest stable release is 5.0.1. Please refer Ruby official page…

  5. I really appreciate these stats/info and your efforts…. I work on scala, python, ruby projects and others I like to dabble in. To engineers, evaluate your need and desires and pick a language based on the *your* requirements, consider some of the above pitfalls, but realize millions have overcome some if not all of what is above for each. Consider them as they are part in parcel a piece of the language. All languages have MVCs or similar that are *very* popular. If you are concerned about language specifics, that is a language issue, which is solved elsewhere. I find most of this slighted and we don’t even talk about static languages. Look at your requirements, and not a comparison blog. Perhaps that even pertains to my post 🙂

  6. Popular != Good. If popularity is some kind of measure of goodness then Justin Bieber makes the best music on earth 😀

    PHP is a junk language but it’s everywhere. If you want to make a living from coding on junk, it’s your best bet. If you prefer craftsmanship you’ll pick a better language.

  7. great comparison man…your article really help me to find out the difference among php python and ruby

  8. Nice stats!!! but I like PHP more than other language due to its scalability and large community…

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