Backpack vs Filament
So... you need to build an admin panel for your Laravel app, and you're looking for the best tool to build it. You're on the right trac...
Cristian Tabacitu
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So... you need to build an admin panel for your Laravel app, and you're looking for the best tool to build it. You're on the right trac...
So... you need to build an admin panel for your Laravel app, and you're looking for the best tool to build it. You're on the right track — with so many Laravel admin panels out there, it rarely makes sense to build from scratch. Two heavyweights in this space are Filament and Backpack. Both can help you ship an admin interface faster that doing it from scratch, but each software takes a different approach. Choosing the right one depends on your project needs, coding style, and how much you enjoy or master their tech stacks choices.
This article breaks down Backpack vs Filament using practical criteria: stability, features, cost, learning curve, and more. By the end, you'll know which admin panel suits your project and preferences best. But first... let's talk about the criteria itself - let's determine what's usually important, in an admin panel library, to make it easy to narrow down what's important for you.
Here’s the rundown of what really matters, when picking an admin panel for your Laravel app:
Stability & Reliability: You want something rock-solid and maintained for years to come. It's unrealistic to rewrite your admin panel later - justifying that expense is almost impossible.
Feature Set: What’s built in? Does it cover your particular needs (CRUDs, authentication, dashboards), or will you be need to write a ton of extra code?
Cost: Budget matters. Some tools are free; others come with a price tag.
Learning Curve: You don’t want to spend more time learning than building. Which tool lets you get productive faster?
Speed of Development: How quickly can you go from zero to functional admin panel? Is setup smooth, or are you wrestling with endless configs?
Customization & Flexibility: When you’re deep in the weeds, how easy is it to tweak things and build components that match your particular needs? Do you risk banging your head agains the desk, wishing you had built it from scratch?
Documentation: Clear docs = less Googling. Which one gives you straight answers, fast?
Community & Ecosystem: More users usually mean more support. But quality matters — are forums and third-party packages reliable, or a risky bet?
Tech Stack: Do you know and like the technologies the admin panel uses? Their dependencies become your dependencies, so you should be ready to adopt them as your own - for years to come.
Design & Performance: What will your admins think? Is it sleek and intuitive? Does it run smoothly, or slow them down?
Remember, while all these criteria matter, some will be more important for your project. Think about your specific needs, your preferences, and what’s right for you — not just in theory, but in practice.
When you’re choosing an admin panel, stability is non-negotiable. You need a tool that won’t break on the next update, a tool that you (and your clients) can depend on for years.
Backpack has been around since 2016, and it shows. It’s a mature product with a solid track record of reliability. The codebase is battle-tested, and updates are thoughtful rather than rushed. Because Backpack follows Laravel conventions closely, it tends to play well with Laravel updates. If something does break, you can count on quick fixes from the core team and community.
Backpack’s commitment to stability also shows in its first-party add-ons. You’re not at the mercy of third-party packages that may or may not be maintained — most features you need are officially supported, which adds another layer of dependability.
Filament is the newer kid on the block, launched in 2020. It’s made impressive strides and has gained a loyal following. The core team is active, competent and releases frequent updates. However, being newer means it hasn’t faced as many big projects yet - it seems to be used more for hobby and smaller projects. It also relies heavily on a modern frontend stack (Livewire, Alpine.js, and TailwindCSS), which introduces more dependencies — and more points of failure.
Filament’s community is growing fast, but because it leans on third-party packages for extended functionality, you’re always dependent on those packages being kept up to date. That said, the core is solid, and Filament itself has proven to be reliable - especially for smaller projects.
If long-term stability and minimal surprises are your priority, Backpack has the edge here. If you're working on a newer project and want to bet on a fast-moving, modern tool, Filament could still be a great choice.
When it comes to admin panels, you want the essentials baked in. The less time you spend building basic functionality, the more time you have for the custom (and probably more fun) stuff. Let’s see how Backpack and Filament stack up.
Backpack gives you a solid set of features out-of-the-box to cover most admin panel needs. You get:
For more advanced functionality, Backpack offers first-party add-ons - these are created by the same team that created the core, and follow the same strict quality controls and coding style. Some are free, while others are paid (e.g., PRO add-ons). These 1st party add-ons include features like drag-and-drop reordering, revision history, and advanced fields. Because they’re maintained by the core team, you get no compatibility worries and reliable support.
Filament also delivers a comprehensive feature set out-of-the-box, including:
For additional functionality, Filament relies on its community-driven ecosystem of third-party packages. Some are free, while others are paid. This provides a wide variety of extensions (many more than Backpack!), but the quality and realiability can vary... since each addon is made by a different vendor. Some you can trust, some you will find are dragging their feet, exactly when you need them the most.
Both Backpack and Filament do a great job covering the features most admin panels need. The key difference is how they offer these features:
If you prefer officially maintained add-ons and fewer surprises, Backpack is a solid choice. If you enjoy exploring community-driven extensions and are comfortable vetting packages, Filament gives you that flexibility and more choices.
Budget matters. Whether you're building a personal project or an enterprise-level app, the cost of your tools can influence your decision. Let's break down how Backpack and Filament handle pricing.
Backpack uses a freemium model. The core package is free and open-source, which means you can build a complete admin panel without spending a dime. For advanced features, you’ll likely need some of the premium add-ons:
This pricing isn’t just about features; it’s about sustainability. Backpack’s business model funds updates, support, and long-term maintenance. Because of this, you’re not just buying features — you’re investing in a tool, so that it continues to stick around for years. With first-party add-ons, you also get dependable support and fewer compatibility headaches.
Filament is completely free and open-source. You get the core package plus a growing ecosystem of community-driven extensions with ZERO licensing fees. If you're building a hobby or free project - this is a huge advantage!
However, Filament’s free approach means it hasn’t established a long-term way to fund maintenance and support. While the core team is active and reliable now, the lack of direct revenue could pose a challenge down the road. The team currently makes money from sponsorships and by doing consulting, but as many companies have proven - that's almost never enough to sustain a big project like an admin panel. Support also falls on the community’s shoulders, which can lead to hit-or-miss results when you need help.
Some third-party packages in the Filament ecosystem are paid, especially for advanced features. But because these are community-built, the cost, maintenance and quality of support can vary.
If you want a tool backed by a sustainable business model with guaranteed support, Backpack is a safe bet. If you prefer a completely free tool and are comfortable relying on community support, Filament offers great value.
You want to spend your time building, not wrestling with confusing documentation or steep learning curves. The faster you can get up and running, the better. Let’s see how Backpack and Filament compare when it comes to ease of learning.
Backpack is designed to feel familiar to Laravel developers. If you know Laravel, you’ll feel right at home. It follows Laravel conventions closely, so there’s no need to learn a new way of doing things. Controllers, routes, views — it’s all standard Laravel.
The documentation is clear and thorough, and since Backpack relies on first-party add-ons, you’re not left hunting for answers in third-party repos. Plus, there’s an AI-powered assistant trained on Backpack docs, discussions, and tutorials to help you out when you’re stuck.
But it's not just surface-level. The importance of an easy learning curve goes as deep as the Backpack core. Backpack avoids making dependency choices for you - it only ships with Bootstrap and vanilla JS. By keeping dependencies to a minimum, Backpack's learning curve is minimal and allows you to use whatever front-end library or frameword you are already comfortable with. Whatever you prefer, just add it on top of Backpack and use it for your custom components - jQuery, AlpineJS, Vue, React, Svelte etc - or even Livewire. Because the fewer dependencies you have to learn, the faster it is to learn overall - and the more you can tweak & customize the core, to do your bidding.
Filament takes a more opinionated approach and uses the very popular TALL stack (TailwindCSS, Alpine.js, Laravel, Livewire). It's impossible to decouple your admin panel from any of these technologies, so you're choosing to use them (like them or hate them) for the duration of your project. Which is not necessarily a bad thing! If you’re already comfortable with these tools, Filament will probably feel smooth and intuitive. But if you’re new to Livewire or Tailwind (or god forbid, Laravel)... each one of these technologies adds its own learning curve, making it overall pretty steep.
Filament’s documentation is solid, but because it relies on community-driven packages for extended functionality, you might need to spend extra time digging through each third-party extensions docs - each with its own level of quality. The community is active and helpful, but the quality of support can vary.
If you prefer sticking to pure Laravel conventions and want a minimal learning curve, Backpack is a great fit. If you’re comfortable with the TALL stack or excited about Tailwind and Livewire, Filament could be your go-to.
When deadlines are tight, you want an admin panel that helps you build fast. Let’s see how Backpack and Filament perform when it comes to getting from idea to finished product quickly.
Backpack is designed to get you up and running quickly, especially if you’re familiar with Laravel conventions and simple programming notions like the MVC architecture (Model - View - Controller). Creating CRUDs is a breeze with Backpack’s CRUD Generator and built-in commands. Want a basic CRUD for your model? One command, and you're good to go.
The configuration is straightforward, and most customizations can be done in Controllers and Blade views — places you already know. You’re rarely forced to dive into unfamiliar concepts or new technologies. This keeps the learning curve low and the development speed high.
Filament also focuses on speed, but it takes a different approach. It leans heavily on its Livewire-based components to generate responsive, interactive CRUDs quickly. Filament’s Make commands help you scaffold resources and pages in seconds. Plus, its fluent syntax makes working inside most IDEs a pleasant autocomplete experience.
If you’re comfortable with Livewire and Alpine.js, Filament’s component-based approach lets you build dynamic interfaces fast. However, if you’re new to these tools, the initial setup and customization might slow you down... until you get the hang of it.
If you want to stick to pure Laravel and get going quickly, Backpack keeps things simple and efficient. If you’re comfortable with Livewire and want dynamic, interactive forms out-of-the-box, Filament helps you move fast.
At some point, every admin panel needs to go beyond the basics. You’ll want to tweak behaviors, add custom features, or modify the interface. Let’s see how Backpack and Filament handle customization.
Backpack is all about flexibility. It sticks to Laravel conventions, meaning you can customize your admin panel just like you’d customize any other part of your app. Controllers, routes, views — it’s all in familiar territory.
Want to tweak a CRUD operation? Just override the method in the controller. Need a custom field or widget? Create a Blade view or a custom class. You’re never forced into an unfamiliar structure or over-engineered classses. This makes deep customization straightforward, even if your changes are complex.
Because Backpack’s add-ons are first-party packages, customizing them is often easier than dealing with third-party code. You get clear documentation and official support, making it easier to tweak things without breaking them.
In addition to PHP components, Backpack also comes with an HTML template baked-in (with 300+ UI components). That means when you want to create a custom page or custom feature, you don't have to design it from scratch or go fishing for a new template... most likely the HTML template will have something for you. This helps keep you in the zone, focusing on building features, rather than researching UI kits or pushing pixels to make the UI pretty.
Filament offers strong customization options, but with a more complex architecture and opinionated structure. Your will lean on Livewire components and Alpine.js for most customizations, and understanding the Filament architecture overall. Once you get to know these tools, you can create dynamic, interactive elements - but it just won't be as easy.
Customizing CRUD operations in Filament involves extending its classes or modifying components. This approach is powerful, but it requires you to understand Filament’s entire architecture and Livewire’s way of doing things. For simpler tweaks, this amounts to a steep learning curve. But once you become an expert at it, you get used to it.
The good news is - for fields, actions, and widgets, Filament’s community offers a growing collection of third-party extensions. These can speed up development, because what you need might have already been built by someone else. But if it hasn't been built exactly the same way you need it... it will take quite a bit of tinkering to get it "just right".
In terms of UI, Filament doesn't come with a UI kit or HTML template, but it does come with TailwindCSS baked-in - which means you can pretty much copy any Tailwind block from any Tailwin UI Kit, and it'll show up inside your admin panel. That's incredibly powerful, but since each kit has its own style, it means you'll have to make it fit within the overall style of your admin panel yourself - you end up pushing pixels a lot.
In terms of flexibility, Backpack takes the cake - it's what it does best. If you need custom features and custom pages, Backpack gives you maximum flexibility. But... if you’re already comfortable with Livewire and Alpine.js, Filament also offers a powerful, component-driven approach to customization. It'll just take you more time to get to the same place.
Good documentation is like a trusted guide. It helps you stay productive, solve problems quickly, and avoid frustration. Let’s see how Backpack and Filament stack up in the docs department.
Backpack’s documentation is clear, detailed, and structured. It covers everything from installation to advanced customization, with plenty of examples and code snippets. Since Backpack sticks to Laravel conventions, the docs are easy to follow if you know Laravel.
One standout feature is Backpack’s AI-powered assistant. It’s trained on Backpack’s docs, discussions, issues, and tutorials. If you’re stuck, you can ask the AI for help and get answers quickly — a huge time-saver.
The official support is reliable, and because most features are provided via first-party packages, you don’t need to search through third-party repositories for answers. Everything you need is in one place.
However, since Filament relies on a community-driven ecosystem for extensions, the quality and availability of docs for third-party packages can vary. Sometimes, you might have to dig through GitHub issues or community forums to find answers.
Filament’s community support is active and helpful, but it’s more decentralized. You’re often relying on Discord channels, forums, or third-party contributors for guidance on more complex topics.
If you value centralized, reliable documentation and quick support, Backpack has the edge. If you enjoy being part of an active community and don’t mind occasional digging, Filament’s docs and community resources are solid.
A strong community can be a game-changer. It means more learning resources, faster answers to questions, and a thriving ecosystem of extensions. Let’s see how Backpack and Filament compare in this area.
Backpack has been around since 2016, and over the years, it has built a loyal, professional user base. Many Laravel agencies and freelancers rely on Backpack for client projects, which means the community tends to be experienced developers working on real-world apps.
While Backpack doesn’t have the largest open-source community, it makes up for it with high-quality support:
Backpack’s ecosystem isn’t as wildly experimental as some open-source projects, but that’s a good thing if you value stability and long-term support.
Filament has a fast-growing and highly engaged community. Since launching in 2020, it has gained a strong following, especially among developers who love modern Laravel tooling.
Filament’s community thrives in places like:
Because Filament is free and community-driven, it has attracted many contributors building new packages. This means a wider variety of extensions than Backpack, but also more variation in quality and long-term support.
One potential downside is that support is decentralized. Unlike Backpack, which offers official support options, Filament’s model relies on the community, so getting help can be hit-or-miss depending on the complexity of your issue.
If you want a stable ecosystem with official support, Backpack delivers. If you love being part of an active, fast-moving open-source community, Filament is a great choice.
Your admin panel’s tech stack matters. It affects everything from how easy it is to customize, to how well it integrates with the rest of your Laravel app. Let’s break down what Backpack and Filament use under the hood.
Backpack is built on top of simple, mature and long-term technologies:
This means zero surprises if you already know Laravel. You don’t have to learn a new frontend framework or adopt a different way of structuring your application. Customizing Backpack is as easy as tweaking Blade templates, writing standard Laravel controllers, or adding middleware. Anybody who's done Laravel development for a few years can quickly get onboarded to a Backpack admin panel, without a lenghly training process or having to learn any new technologies.
Additionally, because it sticks to battle-tested tools that are already mature, Backpack is stable and integrates well with most Laravel projects, even older ones. And it will not need to change as your project evolves, because the tech stack itself is already stable - that means you can leave the project untouched for years and when you come back... not much has changed, it'll still work as it did in day one.
Filament embraces a modern Laravel tech stack that's very popular right now, built on:
This stack allows Filament to deliver snappy, interactive admin panels without requiring a full-blown JavaScript framework like Vue or React. If you’re already using Tailwind and Livewire in your project, Filament will feel right at home.
However, this modern approach comes with a lot of dependencies. If you’re not familiar with Livewire, Alpine.js, or TailwindCSS, you’ll need to learn them to customize Filament effectively. And because both Tailwind and Livewire are evolving rapidly, keeping up with changes will require occasional refactoring. When working on backoffice software for clients, refactoring is very tricky - it's difficult to tell a client why they should be spending money on that.
Time will tell if this tech stack was a good choice for an admin panel software, for the long run. But so far, depending on NPM, Livewire and Alpine.JS to the core has not had a good track record. It's the downside of fast-moving tech, if you build a client project on top of it, leave it untouched for a few months or years... and you'll come back to an obsolete tech stack. Bleeding edge tech means... blood will be spilled.
If you prefer a safe approach with minimal dependencies, Backpack is a solid choice. If you’re excited about Livewire, Tailwind, and a modern UI, Filament will feel more aligned with your stack. But be prepared for refactoring every once in a while.
A good admin panel should not only look great but also feel fast. Your admins will be spending hours in it — a slow, clunky interface isn’t an option. Fortunately that's not the case for any of the tools we're looking at there, but let’s compare how Backpack and Filament handle design and performance.
Backpack follows a professional, enterprise-friendly design inspired by backoffices in successful startups like Stripe and Dropbox. The UI is clean, structured, and practical, making it a great fit for SaaS products, agencies, and corporate applications. It might not feel as trendy as Filament, but it’s designed to be familiar to business users, and it's been tweaked and improved since 2016 - not necessarity to impress, but to get the job done, with as few clicks as possible.
Customizing Backpack’s design is straightforward since it’s based on Bootstrap and Blade. Plus, it includes a built-in HTML component library with 300+ components, making it easy to create custom elements that match the overall design. You won’t have to worry about components looking out of place — everything is designed to fit together. If you've ever worked with a quality Bootstrap template, you'll feel right at home building custom Backpack pages and components.
Performance-wise, Backpack is optimized for large datasets. It only sends the necessary data over the wire, not entire HTML blocks, so even with millions of records, things remain snappy.
Filament takes a modern, hobby-friendly approach to design, with UI influences from WordPress, Notion, and Basecamp. It looks sleek out of the box, which is great if you want something fresh, but the design choices might not feel as structured or professional for enterprise use.
Because Filament uses TailwindCSS, you can copy any Tailwind component into your project, but you’ll need to manually adjust styles to make it blend with the rest of the panel. Unlike Backpack, Filament doesn’t come with pre-designed building blocks for custom components, so there’s more design work involved if you need something custom.
On the performance side, Filament’s reliance on Livewire means that entire HTML blocks are sent over the wire, not just data. This makes the UI feel interactive, but some developers have reported that Filament’s datatable component struggles with large datasets, leading to slowdowns.
If you want a polished, enterprise-ready UI with scalable performance, Backpack is the better fit. If you prefer a modern, WordPress-like feel with a more interactive UI, Filament delivers — just be prepared for some design tweaking and potential slowdowns with large datasets.
Both Backpack and Filament are excellent Laravel admin panels, and either one can help you build an admin interface faster than starting from scratch. But as we’ve seen, they take very different approaches.
Backpack is the better choice if you want:
✅ A professional, structured design inspired by successful startups like Stripe and Dropbox.
✅ Stability and long-term support, backed by a sustainable business model.
✅ Laravel-first architecture, with no extra dependencies like Tailwind, Livewire or Alpine.js.
✅ Optimized performance, especially when handling large datasets.
✅ First-party add-ons that are officially maintained and well-documented.
✅ An HTML component library with 300+ pre-built elements for easy customization.
If your project needs a scalable, reliable, and business-friendly admin panel for the long term, Backpack is the safer bet.
Filament might be the better choice if you want:
✅ A modern, interactive UI with a WordPress/Notion/Basecamp-inspired look.
✅ A free and fully open-source solution, with no licensing costs for a lot of features (though some packages are extra cost).
✅ Livewire-based components for a more dynamic, app-like experience.
✅ A fast-moving, community-driven ecosystem with lots of third-party extensions.
If you enjoy working with Livewire, TailwindCSS, and a fast-growing community, and don’t mind relying on third-party extensions for advanced features, Filament could be a great fit.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The best admin panel depends on your project needs, your team’s familiarity with the tech stack, and how much you value stability vs. innovation.
Either way, you’re making a solid choice. Pick the tool that aligns with your workflow and lets you build the best possible admin panel.
Hope this comparsion helps!
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