shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Fat-Free Framework for PHP?

A powerful yet easy-to-use PHP micro-framework designed to help you build dynamic and robust web applications - fast! - fatfreeframework.com

Depends. Buy if you're a PHP developer building a small, custom, lightweight app and want zero cost. Skip it for serious or long-lived products — Laravel or Symfony offer ecosystem, hiring pool, and longevity it can't match.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 18 public sources; user reviews are sparse and mostly date from 2011-2022, so confidence is medium.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Fat-Free Framework

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Small custom PHP apps
  • Solo devs needing simple routing
  • Rapid prototypes
  • Shared-hosting PHP environments

Not for

  • Enterprise teams needing LTS and a large hiring pool
  • Anyone wanting auth, queues, rich ecosystem out of the box
  • Teams requiring vendor support or SLAs
  • Long-lived products where framework abandonment is a risk

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

GPL license may complicate proprietary distribution — verify it fits your commercial model

medium

No vendor support; help depends on community forums

medium

Thin modern review base; most detailed impressions date to 2011

medium

If you outgrow it, moving to Laravel or Symfony means a rewrite

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free and open source under GNU GPL
  • Tiny footprint, roughly 60KB
  • Well documented; official guide says learning costs next to nothing
  • Maintainer actively working on next major version
  • Recognized in roundups of minimal PHP frameworks

Cons

  • Micro-framework: thin feature set versus Laravel or Symfony
  • Small community centered on a Google Groups forum
  • No dedicated security page found on the official site
  • Most available reviews are old, dating to 2011
  • Bus factor risk: primarily one lead developer

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/25/2026 - 8 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x3review x4security x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 8

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Completely free and open source
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Official docs claim learning costs next to nothing
  • Feature depth: 2/5. Micro-framework, minimal by design
  • Support quality: 2/5. Google Groups community only, no vendor
  • Security posture: 2/5. No dedicated security page found on site
  • $0 Price Open source, GNU GPL license
  • ~60KB Framework size Listed among minimal PHP frameworks
  • 3.9 Docs version Current user guide version
  • 2010 Press coverage since php|architect issue referenced on Wikipedia

Pricing

Fat-Free Framework

Free

  • Open source under GNU GPL
  • Entire framework, no paid tier

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Developers choose F3 for light, custom apps; substantive recent independent reviews are scarce.

“The app I'm going to develop is custom and very light in nature, I don't want to use laravel or symfony”
Reddit, r/PHP

Companies that use it

  • PTA IT-Beratung
  • Synsoft Solutions
Full analysis

Based on 18 public sources; user reviews are sparse and mostly date from 2011-2022, so confidence is medium.

Free 60KB PHP micro-framework. Fine for tiny custom apps; too thin and thinly reviewed for serious products.

Methodology

Based on 18 public sources; user reviews are sparse and mostly date from 2011-2022, so confidence is medium.

Sources

  1. Fat-Free Framework official sitefatfreeframework.com
    official
  2. Fat-Free Framework - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    review
  3. 17 Minimal Web Frameworks for PHPcodecondo.com
    review
  4. Reddit r/PHP on lightweight routing frameworksreddit.com
    review
  5. My impressions of Fat-Free Framework for PHPblog.ssokolow.com
    review
  6. GitHub Sponsors: F3 maintainergithub.com
    official
  7. Fat-Free Framework security page (not found)fatfreeframework.com
    security
  8. Fat-Free Framework Getting Startedfatfreeframework.com
    official

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