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Adobe AIR vs. Apache Flex vs. Laravel PHP Framework

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Adobe AIR

    Score6.5 out of 10
    N/AN/AN/A

    Apache Flex

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AApache Flex (formerly Adobe Flex) is an open source application framework for building and maintaining expressive web applications that deploy consistently on all major browsers, desktops, and devices. It provides a modern, standards-based language and programming model that supports common design patterns suitable for developers from many backgrounds.N/A

    Laravel PHP Framework

    Score9.9 out of 10
    N/ALaravel is a free, open source web application PHP framework.N/A
    Pricing
    Adobe AIRApache FlexLaravel PHP Framework
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Adobe AIRApache FlexLaravel PHP Framework
    Free Trial
    NoNoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details———
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Adobe AIRApache FlexLaravel PHP Framework
    Considered Multiple Products
    Adobe
    No answer on this topic
    Apache
    No answer on this topic
    Open Source
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
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    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Adobe AIRApache FlexLaravel PHP Framework
    Likelihood to Recommend
    5.7
    (9 ratings)
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    10.0
    (21 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Usability
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Adobe AIRApache FlexLaravel PHP Framework
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Adobe
    I would recommend [Adobe AIR] because it works very well, I just wish there were more resources out there on it to help the onboarding.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Apache
    Apache Flex is an open-source SDK used to make rich Internet applications. It's developed with Action Script and MXML and works particularly well with Android and iOS ecosystems. Any flash-based application framework, such as Eclipse or the Flash above Builder, can be used to implement this. Free is best for mobile app developers, but suppose you have concerns, and consider Apache Flex's development team welcomes any questions via email.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    I would say that Laravel is not a suitable framework for high-frequency, high-volume, real-time interaction or processing millions of records in batch operations. It shines for standard database web applications (CRUD, Admin Panels, etc.) and is a fantastic multi-developer framework.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Adobe
    • Adobe AIR supports a lot of commonly needed features for mobile app development.
    • It is fairly stable and consistent once you learn how to use it.
    • It is cross-platform and is supported by some useful third-party plugins.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Apache
    • Runs on flash (at the time this was handy, not so much now. hah).
    • Good support from the company.
    • Ability to run offline.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    • Laravel utilizes the best possible PHP standards and coding practices.
    • Laravel uses many widely-accepted community libraries and builds upon them, rather than re-inventing everything.
    • Laravel has many components available from the community and is extremely easy to build custom components for, either with custom code or by integrating existing third-party PHP libraries.
    • Laravel is flexible enough to power pretty much any kind of application I can imagine.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Adobe
    • Over the course of months/years, various security exploits and other issues are discovered and patched in AIR, often requiring you to rebuild and resubmit mobile apps to the various storefronts. This happens often enough that it's worth mentioning as a major con.
    • While development on Adobe AIR seems to be fairly constant, there is very little communication between the community and Adobe regarding the future and general support of AIR. The track record of Flash (and particularly Flash Mobile) does not inspire much confidence that Adobe intends to support Flash/AIR for years to come.
    • Adobe AIR does not seem to perform as well (in terms of raw performance, memory usage, framerates, responsiveness, etc.) as other hybrid solutions for certain tasks. For example using shaders tends to be experimental still, and graphic/animation intensive projects often require the use of third party frameworks such as Starling.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Apache
    • It's heavy as it needs to load the Flash plugin first before rendering anything to the user.
    • Not future ready as there is no support for mobile and tablet platforms.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    • Laravel is updated regularly, which is great. However, in order to get the latest features, use the newest 3rd party libraries, have the most current security updates, and ensure that the newest features of PHP are usable, you have to continuously upgrade your Laravel application. This costs time and money, obviously, and if you don't stay on top of the updates you will quickly fall behind. This is the case with any open source software, but it needs to be considered for any team considering using Laravel or any other software.
    • Because of the size of the Laravel community, there are a LOT of 3rd party libraries. Some of these are great, some are less than great. Sometimes it's difficult to evaluate the quality of a library, making it difficult to trust many libraries. Developers need to be cautious and thoughtful when considering using new software.
    • Because of the rapid development of the Laravel framework, the size of the community, and the simplicity of being able to publish content online - it is very easy to find documentation, tutorials, or other "advice" that is not up to date, or that has outdated information.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Adobe
    No answers on this topic
    Apache
    No answers on this topic
    Open Source
    Laravel PHP Framework has continued to exceed my expectations. It supported me in the development of a high quality and stable web application that is mission critical for the organization. I cannot imagine wanting to use any other tool for web development. Documentation, unit tests, and numerous integration options make using Laravel PHP Framework a natural choice.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Adobe
    Although Adobe AIR is just an SDK without an actual "UI" it's commonly used within Flash, Flash Builder, or FlashDevelop. Considering the integration with Flash IDE, there are very few tools that can compete with its features.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Apache
    No answers on this topic
    Open Source
    As I mentioned earlier Laravel PHP Framework has lot of in built feature as well as there is vast set of packages available to add the features in your application. It has very large community who can help when you feel stuck somewhere. This is why this rating is justified.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Adobe
    Originally, Adobe AIR was the only game in town, and its blend of flexibility in platforms it could publish to (PC, Mac, iOS, Android), ease of use, and familiarity made it the clear choice. Now Adobe no longer supports it, and we’ve found the transition to Harmon unworkable for us.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Apache
    Apache Flex is a modern, standards-based programming language that supports common design patterns. It's an open-source SDK used to make rich Internet applications that work on different browsers and platforms. Any flash-based application framework, such as Eclipse or the Flash above Builder, can be used to implement this. So far, in comparison, it's much more crucial, especially for people working in fields like mobile development.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    Supporting unit testing is bigger plus point in Laravel than any other framework. Developing with Laravel is much easier. Other frameworks have value in market, but Laravel has taken the lead in popularity among PHP developers in recent years. The large community supports you if you have problems. Using Laravel, integration became easy with third-party libraries, but it was costly too.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Adobe
    • Allows easy porting of functionality and look and feel to many diverse platforms.
    • Shorten development and deployment time.
    • Reduced training and support costs by re-using common widgets.
    Incentivized
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    Apache
    • Positive: Easy to learn if you already knew AS.
    • Negative: Too heavy on flash knowledge (I know it's contradictory, but it was a plus & a minus).
    • ROI was great since it saves time on multiple devices compiling.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    • Positive: Our delivery time for PHP application is faster than usual.
    • Positive: Developers are happy and they write better code with their usual development tools. No tool-upgrade necessary.
    • Negative: Initial delivery took 6 months extra and had to rewrite project several times.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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