PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is one of the most popular web programming languages used by millions of websites. According to W3Tech's survey, PHP is used by 82% of web servers. The reason PHP is so popular is its highly interactive features, great HTML, and seamless database integration. Also, it doesn't guarantee a steep learning curve which is a big deal for beginners. And just like other popular web languages, PHP also has some great features that make your development insanely fast, more productive, and protect you from low-level errors. Not only that, it also ensures that your website has the much-needed protection against attacks like SQL injection and XSS attacks. So, if you are looking for the best PHP framework to develop versatile web apps, these are the best free PHP frameworks of 2020.

Recently, we lined up the best front-end frameworks for Bootstrap alternatives. Check them out if you need one. Keeping in mind the requirements of the professionals and beginners alike, we have selected a variety of PHP frameworks designed to develop all types of web applications. Developed by well-known communities around the world, they provide a fast and intuitive experience. Moreover, these PHP frameworks also offer tons of customization so that you can get the job done at your own pace. With that said, let's get to work!

Simply put, Laravel is one of the most popular PHP frameworks used by developers today. Despite being relatively new than many other rivals (introduced in 2012), it has caught the attention of well-known developers. The latest version of Laravel comes with individual composer packages. It has good routing, easy authentication, migration support and leaf template engine. Not to mention the intuitive syntax that makes Laravel quite a useful framework for web applications.

Symfony is a flexible, scalable yet powerful PHP framework for MVC applications. There are plenty of reusable PHP components that can be used like security, templates, translation, validator, form configuration and more. Like Laravel, it is also modularized with a composer. Its goal is to make your web application creation and maintenance faster with less repetitive coding. Overall, if flexibility and easy-to-use tools are what you're looking for, consider Symfony.