shouldiuse.io

Categories

VERDICT

Should I use Laravel (Livewire)?

A full-stack framework for Laravel that takes the pain out of building dynamic UIs. - livewire.laravel.com

Depends. A strong buy for PHP teams that want a free, mature full-stack framework with a deep ecosystem. Not for non-technical buyers, JavaScript-first teams, or anyone who just needs a simple site.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 40+ public sources; most snippets truncated, so figures are approximate.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support-quality evidence found
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Laravel framework

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Laravel CloudUsage-based; 30-day free trial

Best for

  • PHP teams building web apps
  • Solo devs shipping SaaS fast
  • Agencies building client sites
  • Laravel shops adding dynamic UIs via Livewire

Not for

  • Non-technical founders — it's a code framework
  • JavaScript/React-only teams
  • Simple brochure sites — heavy overkill
  • Teams running end-of-life Laravel versions

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Running an unsupported Laravel version means no security fixes; upgrade cadence is mandatory.

high

Patch Livewire fast: one credential-theft campaign hit ~6,000 apps.

medium

Cloud pricing changes drew 'expensive' complaints; model your costs at scale before committing.

medium

Third-party packages have shipped RCEs; vet every Composer dependency.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Developers call it superb and still a solid full-stack PHP choice
  • Full-stack tooling takes the pain out of building dynamic UIs
  • Ecosystem covers hosting, servers, monitoring: Cloud, Forge, Nightwatch
  • Backed by a $57M Accel Series A, signaling long-term viability
  • Free 30-day trial on Laravel Cloud lowers starting cost

Cons

  • Early Laravel Cloud users call the pricing expensive
  • Old versions stop receiving security fixes; upgrades are mandatory
  • Critical Livewire CVE led to ~6,000 compromised apps
  • Critics question its limited enterprise adoption
  • Supply-chain advisory hit Laravel Lang packages

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/02/2026 - 8 sources - Mature framework with regular CVEs; ecosystem packages and outdated versions are the weak points.

official x1review x4security x2news x1
  • CVE-2025-54068 — Livewire credential theft, Critical Livewire flaw exploited in a campaign compromising ~6,000 applications.
  • CVE-2021-43617 — Framework RCE, Remote code execution vulnerability in the Laravel framework.
  • CVE-2024-52301 — Framework vulnerability, Laravel framework vulnerability with mitigation guidance published by F5.
  • Laravel Lang supply-chain advisory, Compromised translation package created malicious-code risk via Composer installs.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 8

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Framework free; Cloud hosting deemed expensive by some
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Devs say it removes dynamic-UI pain
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Full-stack: ORM, queues, auth, hosting ecosystem
  • Support quality. No support-quality evidence found
  • Security posture: 2/5. Recurring CVEs, supply-chain advisory, mass compromise event
  • Free Framework price Open-source PHP core
  • 30 days Cloud free trial Laravel Cloud managed hosting
  • $57M Funding Series A from Accel, Sep 2024
  • ~6,000 Apps compromised Livewire credential-theft campaign, CVE-2025-54068

Pricing

Laravel framework

Free

  • Open-source PHP framework
  • No license fees

Laravel Cloud

Usage-based; 30-day free trial

  • Managed deploys from side project to scale
  • Users report costs climb with scale

Security

Mature framework with regular CVEs; ecosystem packages and outdated versions are the weak points.

  • CVE-2025-54068 — Livewire credential theftCritical Livewire flaw exploited in a campaign compromising ~6,000 applications.⁴
  • CVE-2021-43617 — Framework RCERemote code execution vulnerability in the Laravel framework.
  • CVE-2024-52301 — Framework vulnerabilityLaravel framework vulnerability with mitigation guidance published by F5.
  • Laravel Lang supply-chain advisoryCompromised translation package created malicious-code risk via Composer installs.⁵

What users say

Developers on Reddit and G2 broadly praise Laravel as a fast, solid full-stack PHP choice, with recurring complaints about Cloud pricing.

“Laravel is superb”
Reddit, r/webdev
“Laravel is still a solid...”
Reddit, r/PHP
Full analysis

Based on 40+ public sources; most snippets truncated, so figures are approximate.

Free, mature PHP framework devs love; patch fast and watch Cloud hosting costs.

Methodology

Based on 40+ public sources; most snippets truncated, so figures are approximate.

Sources

  1. review
  2. review
  3. review
  4. security
  5. security
  6. official
  7. news
  8. review

Rate this review

Anonymous. You can change your vote.

Loading votes…

Comments

One queue. No nested comments. Give a display name first. Limit: 200 words per comment and 7 comments per day. You can edit or delete yours.

Save a name to write a comment.

0 / 200 words

No comments yet.