Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Yii Framework VS Phalcon

Compare Yii Framework VS Phalcon and see what are their differences

Yii Framework logo Yii Framework

Yii is a high-performance component-based PHP framework best for Web 2.0 development.

Phalcon logo Phalcon

Web framework delivered as a C-extension for PHP
  • Yii Framework Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-17
  • Phalcon Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-17

Yii Framework features and specs

  • Performance
    Yii framework is designed to be highly efficient by significantly reducing complexity in routine tasks and by optimizing performance for faster loading times.
  • Security
    Yii offers built-in security features such as input validation, SQL injection prevention, and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) protection, making it a secure option for web applications.
  • Component-based
    The framework’s component-based architecture allows for reusability of code, encouraging developers to create modular applications with a higher level of maintainability.
  • Documentation
    Yii provides extensive documentation that covers almost every aspect of the framework including guides, tutorials, and API references, aiding developers in understanding and implementing features efficiently.
  • Active Community
    Yii has a large and active community, which means a wealth of third-party extensions, frequent updates, and active forums where developers can seek assistance.
  • Gii Tool
    Yii includes a powerful tool called Gii for code generation, which helps developers quickly generate models, controllers, forms, and CRUD operations, speeding up the development process.

Possible disadvantages of Yii Framework

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For beginners, Yii can have a steep learning curve due to its unique architecture and extensive feature set, making it somewhat challenging for those new to web development frameworks.
  • Overhead for Small Projects
    Due to its comprehensive set of features, Yii might introduce unnecessary overhead for smaller projects where a lightweight framework would suffice.
  • Advanced Configuration
    Yii offers a high level of customization but this typically requires a deeper understanding of the framework’s configuration settings, which can be complicated for less experienced developers.
  • Less Popular
    Compared to some other frameworks like Laravel or Symfony, Yii is less popular, which might make it harder to find resources, developers, and third-party integrations.
  • Extension Quality
    While there are many extensions available for Yii, the quality and maintenance of these extensions can vary significantly, potentially leading to issues if not chosen carefully.

Phalcon features and specs

  • Performance
    Phalcon is known for its exceptional performance because it is implemented as a C extension, which runs at the speed of C while still providing high-level abstractions.
  • Low Overhead
    Due to its architecture and the fact that it is loaded into memory as a PHP extension, Phalcon has low memory and CPU usage. This makes it highly efficient for resource-intensive applications.
  • Rich Feature Set
    Phalcon comes with a comprehensive set of features and components, including ORM, template engine, request/response handling, and more, which can help accelerate development.
  • Good Documentation
    Phalcon has extensive documentation and a wide range of tutorials that can help developers get started quickly and address common tasks more easily.
  • Security
    Phalcon provides built-in security features such as CSRF protection and SQL injection prevention, which helps in building secure applications.

Possible disadvantages of Phalcon

  • Learning Curve
    Being implemented as a C extension means developers need to familiarize themselves not only with the framework itself but also with how PHP extensions work, which can be steep for beginners.
  • Hosting Requirements
    Phalcon requires specific PHP extension installation on the server, which can be complicated on shared hosting environments or platforms where you don't have full control over the server configuration.
  • Community Size
    Though Phalcon is growing, its community is not as large as some of the more established PHP frameworks like Laravel or Symfony, potentially leading to fewer libraries and third-party plugins.
  • Limited Debugging Tools
    Since Phalcon operates at a lower level compared to other PHP frameworks, some of the standard PHP debugging tools may not work seamlessly, which might complicate the debugging process.
  • Less Flexibility in Development Environment
    Phalcon's reliance on low-level code might require specific setups for development environments, making it less flexible when working across different systems.

Yii Framework videos

No Yii Framework videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Phalcon videos

Setting up Phalcon PHP framework for the first time and Impressions

More videos:

  • Review - Thunder Kellie and Phalcon talk about "Kevin Terry and more...." Part 1

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Yii Framework and Phalcon)
Web Frameworks
74 74%
26% 26
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
PHP MVC Framework
62 62%
38% 38
Python Web Framework
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Yii Framework and Phalcon. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Yii Framework and Phalcon

Yii Framework Reviews

The Most Popular PHP Frameworks to Use in 2021
Familiarity with the command line is also key to using the Composer PHP package manager. The Yii Framework is one of several which uses Composer to install and manage dependencies, packages which are required for an application to run.
Source: kinsta.com
Top 9 PHP Frameworks For Web Development In 2021
The Yii framework has a whopping 11Mn+ downloads from Packagist and 13.6k+ stars on GitHub. Yii, branded as ‘YES, it is!’, is a fast, secure, flexible PHP framework for web development, especially for building MVC architecture websites. It ranks 4 on the PHP Benchmarks list. Yii is a strictly Object-Oriented PHP framework and requires knowledge of inheritance, polymorphism,...
The 10 Best PHP Frameworks To Use in 2021
Yii is a good choice for newcomers to PHP. The documentation for Yii is refreshingly comprehensive and not only will you learn about how to make an app, but you can learn more about working with database or MVC patterns, for instance.
Source: trio.dev
Top 4 PHP Frameworks to use in 2019
Yii2 is famous for advanced security and fast loading time. This framework applies a non-repetitive code principle. Such a principle allows for avoiding the repeated use of similar software patterns. Using Ajax and JQuery features, Yii2 simplifies the development of large-scale applications. Other Yii advantages are:
10 PHP MVC Frameworks in 2019 for Modern Web Developers
Another exceptional framework has graced the PHP framework list in the form of Yii. Pronounced as “yee,” this term means simple and evolutionary in Chinese. True to its Chinese semantic meaning, Yii is created to be simple, fast, and reliable. It is based in the DRY (Don’t repeat yourself) concept to help agile development for web developers.
Source: fullscale.io

Phalcon Reviews

Top 5 Laravel Alternatives
One further thing that makes Phalcon stand out is that it was the first framework to use object-relational mapping (ORM) written in C. Zephir, a high-level programming language, which makes Phalcon incredibly adaptable. However, Phalcon also makes it possible to create PHP apps without learning C.
The Most Popular PHP Frameworks to Use in 2021
As Phalcon is loosely coupled, you can create your own directory structure. Phalcon’s code does not live in the project directory, making the code lightweight.
Source: kinsta.com
Top 9 PHP Frameworks For Web Development In 2021
You have Phalcon query language for writing queries, Phalcon transactions to ensure data integrity.
The 10 Best PHP Frameworks To Use in 2021
One fun fact about Phalcon is that the framework was written in C and it is in some ways a C-extension. However, being a PHP framework you do not need to use C in order to use Phalcon.
Source: trio.dev
Top 4 PHP Frameworks to use in 2019
Unlike other frameworks, Phalcon built on C and C++ coding. In its feature list, Phalcon has a universal autoloader, caching, security, asset management, translation, and much more. This framework uses low levels of architecture, which reduces overheating, typical of MVC-based apps.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Phalcon seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 7 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.

Yii Framework mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Yii Framework yet. Tracking of Yii Framework recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Phalcon mentions (7)

  • Top 12 PHP Frameworks For Web Development in 2024
    Phalcon is open-source with 10.7k stars and 2k+ forks on GitHub. It is a full-stack framework for PHP that is characterized by high performance and low resource consumption. It is written or implemented as a C-extension or in C, which is integrated into PHP to improve performance. It has a user-friendly interface that simplifies PHP development and enhances the developer experience. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Laravel, symfony or wordpress. What to choose
    There's also one more player in the scope, but, I don't know how much jobs can You find with. It is called Phalcon framework. It is delivered as C extension and really, in terms of performance, no other thing can compare with, as it is loaded together with PHP it self. Once installed, You just use it. There are few similar like Phalcon, but Phalcon is already well known and has its community and support. -... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • In your opinion, which existing PHP framework can become as popular as Symphony or Laravel?
    People should give Phalcon a try. - https://phalcon.io/en-us. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Any suggestions for lighter frameworks than Laravel?
    Not the lightest, but one of (if not) the fastest. - https://phalcon.io/en-us. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Recommend me a fast and reliable web framework
    How about reconsider additional option 5 ? Something like this -> https://phalcon.io/en-us. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Yii Framework and Phalcon, you can also consider the following products

Laravel - A PHP Framework For Web Artisans

CodeIgniter - A Fully Baked PHP Framework

CakePHP - The Rapid Development Framework for PHP

Symfony - A PHP full-stack web framework

Django - The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines

Ruby on Rails - Ruby on Rails is an open source full-stack web application framework for the Ruby programming...