It’s been a hot topic that is better in the case of PHP and Express because both are very popular web development frameworks. In this article, you’ll get a clear view of which is better in the case of PHP vs Express.
What Is PHP?
PHP is a widely-used open-source server-side scripting language that is easy to learn and powerful to use.
It is used to create everything from small Websites and basic applications to complex e-commerce systems and content management systems.
What’s Express?
Express is built with Node.js. It was created to be quick, straightforward, and simple to use. Many features are supported by Express, including routing, sessions, and the Templating Engine (more about that later).
Because Express is developed using JavaScript, it is sometimes referred to as modern technology.
History Of PHP
PHP was first released in 1995. Rasmus Lerdorf created it. It is a free, open-source scripting language designed for the Web. PHP is a very popular programming language.
History of Express
Express was released on November 16, 2010. It was created by TJ Holowaychuk and StrongLoop along with many others. It was designed and used for building interactive web applications and making APIs.
Express has been extremely popular in recent years. Because of its ability to create speedy, intelligent web applications on the server-side.
What’s Node.js?
Node.js is a runtime environment and library for running JavaScript applications outside of a web browser. Node.js uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient. Some of the biggest companies in the world use it, such as LinkedIn, Walmart, and Netflix.
Node.js is open-source and can be run on Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. It has a large community of developers who contribute to the project and offer support. Node.js uses an Asynchronous Programming Model.
Pros And Cons: PHP vs Express
Even though both are very powerful and popular web development technologies still they have their pros and cons. Following are some of the pros and cons of PHP and Express.

Pros of PHP
- PHP is very popular.
- PHP is easy to learn.
- PHP is powerful.
- PHP is perfect for deployment.
- PHP is more compatible with other programming languages.
- PHP is easier to use than Express.
Cons Of PHP
- PHP is slower than Express.
- PHP doesn’t provide more features.
- PHP is less secure compared to Express.
- PHP can cause fatal errors.
Pros of Express
- Express is way faster than PHP.
- Express makes web applications faster and in less time.
- Express has significant community support.
Pros of Node.js
Count the pros of Node.js as the pros of Express because Express is a framework of Node.js and it has all the functionalities and features of Node.js.
- Node.js enables developers to use JavaScript on both the server and the client side.
- Node.js is faster than PHP because of Google’s V8 Engine.
- Node.js includes a module system that makes it simple to share code between Node.js programs.
- Node.js package manager (npm) is more extensive.
Cons of Node.js
- Node.js is difficult to debug.
- Node.js only runs one process per CPU core.
What Are The Differences?: PHP vs Express
Community Support
The community support of PHP and Express is very wide. But the community support of PHP is more than Express. The documentations of PHP and Express are very organized and helpful.

Frameworks Of Node.js and PHP
Node.js is a framework of JavaScript, despite that, it has some further frameworks of Node.js. PHP is itself a complete language for web development but it has some frameworks as well to speed up the development process, following are some of the frameworks of Node.js and PHP.
Frameworks Of Node.js
- Express
- Sails
- Meteor
- Total
- LoopBack
Frameworks Of PHP
- Laravel
- CodeIgniter
- CakePHP
- FuelPHP
- Symfony
Code Run Latency
Code run latency is a very important factor in choosing between a framework. Express is way faster than PHP in code execution. The speed of the backend language also affects the speed of your website.
Google recommends faster websites, and it also helps to rank higher. Express is faster because of the Google V8 Engine.
Which Is More Popular?
The popularity factor will help you in deciding between PHP and Express. PHP is much more popular than Express. PHP also has more community support than Express.

Which Framework To Choose?
Because it is dependent on your needs, there is no clear answer to this question. If you want to create small dynamic websites, PHP is the way to go.
If you’re creating APIs and Rest APIs, Express is the way to go, and if you want fast websites, Express is the way to go.
Famous Companies That Use PHP
PHP is very popular that’s why many popular companies use it as their backend language. Some of the famous companies that use PHP are as follows.
- Yahoo!
- WordPress
- Wikipedia
Famous Companies That Use Express
Express is a current solution for developing REST APIs, which is why many huge companies use it. The following are some of the huge companies that use Express.
- Yandex
- Uber
- MySpace
- Storify
- BlaBlaCar
- Stack
How Many Websites Use PHP?
Most of the websites on the internet are made with PHP. According to a study, more than 70% of the websites on the internet use PHP.
Complexity: PHP vs Express
It’s more complex to work with Express than PHP. While PHP is very easy to work with and learn. This is also one of the main reasons that more than half of the websites on the internet use PHP as their backend language.
Conclusion
PHP and Express are two of the most used web development technologies. Both of them have their pros and cons. PHP is more popular than Express and has bigger community support.
If you’re making a simple dynamic website then you should use PHP and if you’re making APIs and Rest APIS then you should use Express. The code run speed of Express is more than PHP because of the Google V8 engine.
What do you think which one is better in the case of PHP vs Express? Let us know in the comments.