Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Babel VS Laravel Spark

Compare Babel VS Laravel Spark and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Babel logo Babel

Babel is a compiler for writing next generation JavaScript.

Laravel Spark logo Laravel Spark

Spark provides the perfect starting point for your next big idea.
  • Babel Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-02
  • Laravel Spark Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-01

Babel features and specs

  • JavaScript Version Compatibility
    Babel allows developers to write code using the latest JavaScript features and syntax, and transpile it into a version of JavaScript that can run on older browsers. This ensures greater compatibility across different environments.
  • Future-Proof Code
    With Babel, developers can start using upcoming JavaScript features today. This means that codebases can stay modern and developers can take advantage of new functionalities without waiting for full browser support.
  • Ecosystem and Plugins
    Babel has a rich ecosystem of plugins and presets that can extend its capabilities, making it highly adaptable to different project needs. This modularity allows for customization and enhancement of the build process.
  • Integration with Modern Development Tools
    Babel integrates well with various development tools such as Webpack, making it easier to include in existing build processes and workflows. This helps streamline development and maintain efficient workflows.
  • Community and Support
    Babel has a large and active community, which means extensive documentation, tutorials, and support forums. This can be particularly useful for troubleshooting and staying updated with best practices.

Possible disadvantages of Babel

  • Performance Overhead
    Transpiling code with Babel introduces a performance overhead during the build process. This can slow down development workflows, especially for large codebases with many files.
  • Configuration Complexity
    Setting up Babel can be complex, particularly for beginners. The numerous options and plugins available can sometimes be overwhelming and require significant time to configure correctly.
  • Source Map Issues
    Generating accurate source maps can sometimes be tricky with Babel, leading to difficulties in debugging. Misconfigured source maps can make it harder to track down issues within the original source code.
  • Dependency Bloat
    Including Babel in a project can add a significant number of dependencies. This dependency bloat can increase the size of the project and potentially introduce maintenance challenges or security vulnerabilities.
  • Learning Curve
    There is a learning curve associated with Babel, especially for developers who are new to modern JavaScript tooling. Understanding how Babel works and how to effectively use its features can take time and effort.

Laravel Spark features and specs

  • Integrated Billing
    Laravel Spark offers integrated billing solutions, allowing developers to implement subscription-based billing easily.
  • Customization
    It provides options for customizing the templates and branding, enabling developers to tailor the platform to specific needs.
  • Security
    Spark ensures high security standards with features like password recovery, two-factor authentication, and encryption.
  • User Management
    Includes user management out-of-the-box, simplifying the process of managing user profiles, teams, and permissions.
  • Laravel Ecosystem
    As a product of Laravel, it easily integrates with other Laravel packages and takes advantage of the entire Laravel ecosystem.
  • Time-Saving
    Accelerates development time by providing pre-built functionalities for user and subscription management.

Possible disadvantages of Laravel Spark

  • Cost
    Laravel Spark comes with a pricing model that could be expensive for small startups or individual developers.
  • Complexity
    May introduce additional complexity for projects that require heavy customization beyond what Spark offers.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers new to Laravel or Spark might face a learning curve due to the various features and configurations available.
  • Limited Scope
    Designed specifically for SaaS applications, hence not suitable for projects that fall outside this scope.
  • Dependency on Laravel
    Being tied closely to Laravel, it might not be the best choice for projects considering a different backend framework.

Babel videos

Babel - Movie Review

More videos:

  • Review - Day 16 | Babel Review | 365 Films
  • Review - Worth The Hype? - BABEL Review
  • Review - Book CommuniTEA: Is BABEL a rac1st mani!fest0? [you should know the answer]
  • Review - Babel is a Masterpiece, And Here's Why

Laravel Spark videos

Experiencing Laravel Spark

More videos:

  • Review - Laracon 2015 - Keynote (Laravel Spark)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Babel and Laravel Spark)
Development Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Javascript UI Libraries
100 100%
0% 0
SaaS
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Babel should be more popular than Laravel Spark. It has been mentiond 147 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Babel mentions (147)

  • Valentine’s Day Breakup: React Dumps Create React App
    Create React App (CRA) is a command-line interface tool that allows developers to set up a React project easily. It primarily serves as a project scaffolding tool, allowing you to create a new project with a single command: npx create-react-app . CRA comes with tools like Webpack and Babel, which handle the bundling and transpiling of code. The tools are pre-configured. It comes with a development server that... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • #wecode Landing Page - WeCoded Challenge March 2025
    @vitejs/plugin-react uses Babel for Fast Refresh. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • You Don’t Know JS Yet: My Weekly Journey Through JavaScript Mastery
    For new and incompatible syntax, the solution is transpiling—converting newer JS syntax to older syntax that can run on older engines. The most popular transpiler? Babel. This process ensures modern JS code can still reach a wide audience, even on legacy systems. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Desktop apps for Windows XP in 2025
    Fortunately we have tools like PostCSS and Babel, that let you target your specific Browser version, and they'll do their best to transpile and polyfill your code to work with that version. This alone will do a lot of the heavy lifting for you if you are working with a lot of code. However, if you are just writing out a few HTML, CSS, and JS files, then that would be overkill and you can just figure out what code... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • The Tools and APIs That Made My GeoGuessr 🌍 Project Possible
    Cross-Browser Compatibility: Some features worked differently across browsers. I used Babel to transpile my JavaScript code, ensuring it worked consistently everywhere. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
View more

Laravel Spark mentions (23)

  • Laravel Ecosystem in 2024
    Laravel Spark: Laravel Spark offers a pre-built SaaS (Software as a Service) application template. It includes features like billing, subscription management, and team management, allowing developers to focus on building their application instead of re-creating these common features. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Ask HN: Best reputable resources on starting a lifestyle business?
    Also PHP has Laravel Spark[0]. They basically bootstrapped a SaaS but for a price. Not sure if it's worth it, but it's from the guys who made Laravel, and everyone only has good things to say about that so... [0] https://spark.laravel.com. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Show HN: Build your startup or side project faster with these SaaS templates
    I think Laravel Spark would fit in well with this list: https://spark.laravel.com/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Launchpad to quickly start a SaaS business?
    You can try with Laravel, Jetstream and Spark. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Is there any SaaS bootstrap service with landing page,plans, client dashboard, stripe ?
    What you are looking for is usually called a 'saas boilerplate' or 'saas starter kit', in the Laravel world (my primary tech stack) we have Laravel Spark, you can probably find equivilants in most popular frameworks, just google 'node js saas starter kit' or 'ruby on rail saas starter kit' etc. Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Babel and Laravel Spark, you can also consider the following products

jQuery - The Write Less, Do More, JavaScript Library.

Nodewood - Save weeks or months of development time and start writing code now with Nodewood, a Vue.js/Node.js Javascript SaaS starter kit focused on setting you up for success.

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

UseGravity.App - Build a Node.js & React app at warp speed with a SaaS boilerplate

Composer - Composer is a tool for dependency management in PHP.

Bullet Train - The Ruby on Rails SaaS-in-a-Box.