Softwr

Web Development · head to head

Laravel vs Pulumi

Laravel logo

Laravel

Web Development

The PHP framework for web artisans

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Pulumi logo

Pulumi

Cloud & Infrastructure

Modern infrastructure as code using programming languages

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Laravel performance overhead from abstractions, middleware pipeline, and multiple layers can slow applications compared to minimal frameworks; Pulumi the free Individual plan allows one user and one concurrent stack update
  • They diverge on capability: Laravel covers Eloquent ORM, Pulumi covers Multi-language support.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Laravel and Pulumi actually diverge.

Attributes where Laravel and Pulumi differ
AttributeLaravelPulumi
PlatformsWeb, CLILinux, Windows, Mac, Api
CategoryWeb DevelopmentCloud & Infrastructure
Founded20112017

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Laravel

  • Eloquent ORM
  • Artisan CLI
  • Blade templating
  • Middleware
  • Authentication
  • Caching
  • Queue system
  • Event broadcasting

Only in Pulumi

  • Multi-language support
  • Multi-cloud
  • State management
  • Secrets management
  • RBAC
  • Stacks
  • Automation API
  • Policy as Code

Both cover

  • AWS

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Laravel

  • Web application developmentnot Pulumi
  • API developmentnot Pulumi
  • E-commerce platformsnot Pulumi
  • Content managementnot Pulumi
  • Enterprise applicationsnot Pulumi

Pulumi

  • Defining cloud infrastructure as code in TypeScript, Python, Go, C# or Java rather than a DSLnot Laravel
  • Managing Pulumi state and secrets in a hosted backend instead of self-managed storagenot Laravel
  • Policy, drift detection and deployment workflows for platform engineering teamsnot Laravel

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Laravel

  • Performance overhead from abstractions, middleware pipeline, and multiple layers can slow applications compared to minimal frameworks
  • Dependency management is complex with many interdependent packages requiring careful version coordination

Pulumi

  • The free Individual plan allows one user and one concurrent stack update
  • The Team plan is $40 per month base including 40 credits, and caps the organisation at 10 users
  • SAML/SSO, RBAC, audit logs and drift detection require the Enterprise plan at $400 per month base
  • The per-resource rate rises from $0.1825 per resource per month on Team to $0.365 on Enterprise, so upgrading raises the unit price as well as the base fee
  • Managed secrets are billed separately at $0.50 per secret per month on Team and $0.75 on Enterprise
  • Self-hosting, SCIM user sync, audit log export and 24x7 support are only in Business Critical, which is custom priced with no published rate
  • Team includes up to 500 resources and Enterprise up to 2,000, with everything beyond billed on demand as credits

Pricing, plan by plan

Laravel

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full framework
    • Artisan CLI
    • Eloquent ORM
  • Laravel Forge$12/month
    • Server management
    • Deployment automation
    • SSL certificates
  • Laravel Vapor$39/month
    • Serverless deployment
    • Auto-scaling
    • AWS integration

Pulumi

Free
  • Pulumi CommunityFree
    • Open source
    • Community support
    • Self-hosted
  • Pulumi Cloud$10/month
    • Hosted backend
    • Team collaboration
    • RBAC

Which should you pick?

Choose Laravel if

  • You need eloquent orm.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, CLI.
  • You also want artisan cli.
Laravel review

Choose Pulumi if

  • You need multi-language support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
  • You also want multi-cloud.
Pulumi review

Questions people ask

Is Laravel or Pulumi better?
Neither clearly leads. Laravel starts at Free and Pulumi at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Laravel or Pulumi?
Laravel starts at Free and Pulumi at Free.
Does Laravel or Pulumi run on more platforms?
Laravel runs on Web, CLI. Pulumi runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
Can I use Laravel for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Laravel best used for?
Laravel is most often used for web application development, api development, e-commerce platforms, content management. Of those, web application development and api development are not what Pulumi is typically brought in for.
What can Laravel do that Pulumi cannot?
Laravel covers Eloquent ORM, Artisan CLI, Blade templating, Middleware. Pulumi covers Multi-language support, Multi-cloud, State management, Secrets management. Both handle AWS.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Laravel: Is Laravel free and open source?

Yes, Laravel is completely free and open source under the MIT License. You can use, modify, and distribute it without restrictions.

Source
Laravel: What are the key features Laravel provides?

Laravel includes an ORM (Eloquent), database migrations, authentication, authorization, caching, queues, email, testing, and deployment tools. It supports multiple databases and provides starter kits for full-stack and API development.

Source
Laravel: Can I deploy Laravel on any server?

Yes, Laravel can be deployed on any PHP server. You can use shared hosting, VPS, or managed platforms like Laravel Cloud, which starts at $5/month with auto-scaling and git-like branching.

Source
Laravel: Does Laravel have testing and local development tools?

Yes, Laravel includes Dusk for browser testing, PHPUnit for unit tests, and Herd (free for basic use) for local development environments with built-in PHP, Composer, and Nginx support.

Source
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Laravel

More on Pulumi

Keep looking

Other head to heads