Why PHP Is Less Popular: What’s Really Going On

When you hear people say PHP, a server-side scripting language built for web development since 1994. Also known as Hypertext Preprocessor, it’s the engine behind WordPress, Wikipedia, and Facebook’s early years. isn’t popular anymore, they’re not wrong—but they’re also not telling the whole story. PHP isn’t dying. It’s just not the shiny new thing anymore. And that’s okay.

Back in the 2000s, if you wanted a website, you used PHP. It was cheap, easy to host, and worked with almost every server. Today, Python, a versatile language known for clean syntax and strong support in data science and automation has stolen the spotlight among new developers. Why? Because Python feels more modern. It’s used in AI, machine learning, and scripting—areas that grab headlines. Node.js, a JavaScript runtime that lets developers use the same language on the server and client also pulled attention away because it lets one person handle both frontend and backend. That’s appealing when you’re starting out.

But here’s what no one talks about: PHP still runs over 77% of websites with known server-side tech. That’s not a fluke. It’s not legacy tech clinging on—it’s still the fastest, cheapest, and most reliable way to build content-heavy sites. WordPress, which uses PHP, powers nearly 40% of the entire web. You can’t ignore that. The reason fewer new devs pick PHP isn’t because it’s bad—it’s because they’re drawn to tools that feel more exciting, even if they’re overkill for simple sites. Companies still hire PHP developers because the maintenance, updates, and custom plugins for existing sites never stop.

It’s not about which language is better. It’s about fit. If you’re building a blog, an e-commerce store, or a business site, PHP is still the quiet workhorse. If you’re building an AI-powered dashboard or a real-time analytics tool, Python might be the better pick. And if you’re doing full-stack work with JavaScript, Node.js makes sense. The real shift isn’t PHP disappearing—it’s that developers now have more choices, and they’re picking based on what feels fresh, not what’s proven.

So when someone says PHP is dead, they’re really saying they don’t want to learn it anymore. But the websites built with it? They’re still here. And they still need people who know how to fix them, speed them up, and keep them secure. That’s not going away anytime soon. Below, you’ll find real breakdowns of why PHP still matters, how it compares to Python and JavaScript, and what it actually takes to work with it today—no fluff, no hype, just what you need to know.