Filament vs react-admin
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A PHP framework for building Laravel admin panels and app interfaces quickly.
Open source · MIT
A TypeScript/React framework for building admin dashboards on top of REST or GraphQL APIs.
The short answer
Choose Filament if you need…
- Laravel developers building internal admin panels
- Teams that want data tables and forms without writing front-end code from scratch
- Developers who already use the TALL stack (Tailwind, Alpine, Laravel, Livewire)
- Projects that need dashboards with live, data-driven widgets
Choose react-admin if you need…
- Developers building internal admin panels or back-office tools on top of an existing API
- Teams already using React who want standard CRUD screens without writing everything from scratch
- Projects that want TypeScript support but can also be written in plain JavaScript
- Developers who want to plug in a data provider for a specific backend
Side-by-side
| Filament | react-admin | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Framework |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 32.4k | 27k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Filament
Filament is an open-source UI framework for Laravel, the PHP web framework. It provides ready-made building blocks such as tables, forms, read-only record views, notifications, dashboard widgets, and action modals, so developers can build admin panels and app interfaces without designing every screen from scratch. It is built on Livewire, Alpine.js, and Tailwind CSS.
react-admin
React-admin is a frontend framework for building single-page admin applications that run in the browser. It connects to existing REST or GraphQL APIs and provides ready-made components for lists, edit forms, authentication, and similar pieces. It uses Material Design by default, and its components can be replaced when you need something different.
Best for
Filament
- Laravel developers building internal admin panels
- Teams that want data tables and forms without writing front-end code from scratch
- Developers who already use the TALL stack (Tailwind, Alpine, Laravel, Livewire)
- Projects that need dashboards with live, data-driven widgets
react-admin
- Developers building internal admin panels or back-office tools on top of an existing API
- Teams already using React who want standard CRUD screens without writing everything from scratch
- Projects that want TypeScript support but can also be written in plain JavaScript
- Developers who want to plug in a data provider for a specific backend
Strengths
Filament
- Builds on a well-known Laravel stack, so existing Laravel knowledge transfers
- Provides a broad set of components (tables, forms, infolists, notifications, widgets) out of the box
- Open source under the MIT license with a large community (about 32,000 stars)
react-admin
- Backend agnostic: the README lists more than 45 data provider adapters for REST and GraphQL
- Built from loosely coupled components and hooks, so parts can be replaced individually
- Comes with official examples, documentation, a tutorial, and an active community on Discord and StackOverflow
Not ideal for
Filament
- Non-PHP projects, since it requires Laravel and PHP (the README lists PHP 8.2+ and Laravel v11+)
- People who want a no-code tool; this is a developer framework
- Projects needing a completely custom visual design system, since it ships with its own opinionated UI
react-admin
- Non-developers looking for a finished admin tool they can use without coding, since it is a framework that must be built into an app
- Projects that do not use React, because the framework is built on React
- Public-facing consumer websites, since it is designed for admin-style interfaces
Trade-offs
Filament
- Requires familiarity with Laravel and PHP; it is not beginner-friendly for people new to web development
- Tied to the Laravel and Livewire ecosystem, so it is a poor fit for other back ends
- The README is truncated here, so details on version compatibility and upgrade paths are not confirmed in this entry
react-admin
- Requires working knowledge of React and a build setup; not suited to people who only want a configuration-based tool
- Default look is Material Design, so a different visual style takes extra customization work, as the README notes
Getting started
Filament
Install via Composer
git clone https://github.com/filamentphp/filamentreact-admin
Install react-admin from npm
npm install react-adminFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Filament and react-admin?
Filament: A PHP framework for building Laravel admin panels and app interfaces quickly. react-admin: A TypeScript/React framework for building admin dashboards on top of REST or GraphQL APIs. Filament suits laravel developers building internal admin panels, while react-admin suits developers building internal admin panels or back-office tools on top of an existing api.
Are Filament and react-admin free?
Filament: Free and open source. react-admin: Free and open source.
Is Filament or react-admin more popular?
Filament has more GitHub stars (32.4k) than react-admin (27k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Filament and react-admin?
Other options people compare them with include React Hook Form, Rich, daisyUI, Puck, TW Elements.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.