Your team has picked Laravel. Now someone has to pick the admin side. Filament comes up in every thread, and LaraDashboard comes up when people want a CMS too. You need to know which one fits the work you actually do.
Here is the short answer to LaraDashboard vs Filament. Pick Filament when you are building the admin panel for your own app. It turns Eloquent models into admin screens fast. Pick LaraDashboard when you want a finished Laravel CMS and admin shell, with content, users, roles, and modules already in place. The rest of this post shows where each one wins, where each one hurts, and how to decide in an afternoon.
A quick disclosure first. We build LaraDashboard. We still point people to Filament when it is the better fit, and this guide says so plainly.
LaraDashboard vs Filament: what each one is
Filament calls itself a server-driven UI framework for Laravel. You describe forms, tables, and pages as PHP objects. Filament renders them with Livewire, Alpine.js, and Tailwind CSS. Most teams use its panel builder to add an admin panel to an app they are already building.
LaraDashboard is a Laravel CMS and admin dashboard you install as the app itself. It ships with posts, pages, categories, media, users, roles and permissions, translations, a visual page builder, and a module system. You extend it with modules instead of starting from an empty panel.
Both are open source under the MIT licence. Both run on Livewire 4 in their current versions. The difference is the starting point. Filament starts from your models. LaraDashboard starts from a working product.
LaraDashboard vs Filament side-by-side
The table below uses each project's own docs and code as of October 2026. Check the linked docs before you lock a decision, since both projects ship often.
Read the table as two different shapes of tool. Filament is a builder. LaraDashboard is a base product you build on.
Admin panel kit vs full CMS
This is the question that settles most of the choice. Do you need an admin for your app, or do you need an app that already has an admin?
Filament assumes you own the app. You already have models like
Order, Customer, and Invoice. You want staff screens for them. Filament gives you tables with filters, forms with validation, actions, notifications, and dashboard widgets. You wire those to your models in PHP.Filament's own docs are honest about the gap. Their overview page suggests Statamic if you need an out-of-the-box CMS. Filament does not ship a blog, a page builder, or a media library screen by default.
LaraDashboard assumes you want a CMS on day one. Editors can log in and write posts before any developer adds a feature. Developers then add product modules next to the content. That suits SaaS products, client portals, and company sites where marketing and product live in one Laravel codebase.
CRUD speed: resources vs module CRUD
Both tools can give you a working list, create, and edit screen in minutes. The speed difference shows up later, in how much you customise.
In Filament,
php artisan make:filament-resource Customer creates a resource class, list, create, and edit pages, a form schema, and a table class. A --simple flag gives you a single page with modals. You then describe columns and fields in PHP. The form and table builders cover a wide range of field types, relation managers, and bulk actions.In LaraDashboard,
php artisan module:make-crud generates a model, controller, service, form request, datatable, and views inside a module. You can pass a migration to parse columns from, or a field list such as title:string,status:select:Active|Inactive. The generated code is plain Laravel that you edit by hand.Our take from building admin screens both ways: Filament is faster when the screen is a classic table and form. LaraDashboard's generator is faster when the feature also needs routes, a service layer, and permissions that live with the module. We covered the trade-offs in more depth in our guide to CRUD generators for Laravel admin panels.
Roles, permissions, and access
RBAC (role-based access control) means users get roles, and roles grant permissions. Every admin needs it sooner or later.
Filament leans on Laravel itself. A user must implement the
FilamentUser contract and its canAccessPanel() method to reach a panel in production. Access to each resource follows your Laravel model policies. If you want a role editor screen, teams usually add a plugin such as Filament Shield.LaraDashboard ships roles and permissions screens out of the box. They sit on spatie/laravel-permission, the package many Laravel teams already know. Modules can register their own permissions. Our post on role-based access for client portals shows that setup in practice.
Neither approach is safer by default. Filament's docs warn that tenancy and access rules are your job to get right. The same holds for any LaraDashboard module you write. Test your policies and permissions like any other feature.
Content, media, and pages
Here the gap is wide. If editors need to publish, it matters a lot.
LaraDashboard includes posts, pages, categories, tags, and a media library built on spatie/laravel-medialibrary. Its page builder has more than 26 block types, undo and redo, and email-safe output for templates. Translation management covers more than 30 languages.
Filament gives you the parts to build those screens. A file upload field and an official Spatie Media Library plugin exist. You still design the content model, the editor flow, and the front-end rendering yourself. For a team with a designer and a front-end plan, that freedom is the point. For a team that wants a blog live this week, it is extra work.
One note from our own setup. This blog runs on LaraDashboard, and posts arrive through its MCP tools as pending drafts. An editor reviews them before anything goes live. That flow needed no custom screens.
Modules, plugins, and the marketplace
Both ecosystems let you add features without forking the core. They package those features differently.
Filament plugins are Composer packages. The Filament plugin directory lists hundreds, and most are free. Filament's docs note that the core team cannot vouch for community plugins. Review the code and release history before you install one.
LaraDashboard modules are self-contained folders built on nwidart/laravel-modules. Each one carries its own controllers, models, views, routes, assets, and Composer dependencies. You can install a module from a ZIP in the admin. The marketplace sells some modules, such as the CRM, and module authors can list their own. If you like keeping a feature and its code in one place, read our take on modular Laravel apps.
MCP and AI workflows
AI agents now write a fair share of admin code. The two projects help them in different ways.
Filament ships an Agent Skill for Laravel Boost. The skill teaches coding agents such as Cursor or Claude Code how to write idiomatic Filament code. Filament also sells Blueprint, a planning add-on that helps agents write detailed specs before they code. Both are aimed at building the app.
LaraDashboard ships an MCP server inside the CMS. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard way for an AI agent to call tools on a system. You enable it in settings, create an agent token, and connect Cursor or Claude. The agent can then list pending posts, update content, reply to tickets, or read logs, all through Laravel permissions. Our guide to LaraDashboard MCP for Cursor and Claude walks through the setup.
So the split is clear. Filament's AI tools help agents write Filament code. LaraDashboard's MCP lets agents run the site after it ships.
Hosting, ownership, and upgrades
Both tools are self-hosted Laravel code. You own the server, the database, and the repository. There is no vendor lock on hosting for either one.
The upgrade story differs. Filament publishes a clear version support policy. Version 4 gets bug fixes until 15 January 2027 and security fixes until 15 January 2028. Version 5 exists mainly to adopt Livewire 4, and Filament provides an automated upgrade script. Because Filament lives inside your app, you upgrade it alongside your own code.
LaraDashboard is the app, so you upgrade the core and your modules together. The project includes commands to check for core and module updates and to snapshot before an upgrade. Keep your custom code inside modules and those upgrades stay smaller.
When Filament wins
Filament is the better pick in plenty of cases. Check if your project is one of them.
- You already have a Laravel app and only need staff screens for its data.
- The admin is internal, with no public blog or marketing pages.
- Your team wants to define every form and table in PHP.
- You need panel multi-tenancy where users switch between teams.
- You want the largest pool of admin-panel plugins and tutorials.
- You plan several separate panels in one app, such as admin and customer.
In those cases LaraDashboard would add a CMS you do not need. Use Filament and keep the stack small.
When LaraDashboard wins
LaraDashboard fits a different shape of project. These signs point to it.
- You need a blog, pages, and media alongside the product.
- Non-technical editors will log in from week one.
- You want roles and permissions screens without picking plugins.
- Your features fit neatly into modules you can turn on and off.
- You want AI agents to operate content and support through MCP.
- You are replacing a WordPress site with a Laravel one.
Here Filament would mean building a CMS from parts. That is real work before your first product feature ships.
Which Laravel admin panel fits your team: a quick self-check
Answer these questions with your team. Most groups land on an answer by question four.
- Is the admin for an app you are building, or is the admin part of the product?
- Will anyone outside engineering publish content?
- Do you need a role editor screen, or are code policies enough?
- Do your features look like separate modules, or one shared domain?
- Who will run upgrades, and how often?
- Do you want agents to write code, run the site, or both?
Mostly "app admin, engineers only, code policies" points to Filament. Mostly "product with content, editors, role screens" points to LaraDashboard.
Can you use both?
Technically you can. Both are Laravel packages or apps on Livewire 4. In practice, two admin systems in one codebase means two navigation styles, two permission models, and two upgrade paths.
We would only mix them for a clear reason. One example is a separate internal tool that reads the same database. Even then, keep them in separate apps if you can. Pick one primary admin and stick to it.
Mistakes we see in this choice
- Judging by the demo alone. A demo shows the first hour. Ask how the tenth custom screen will feel.
- Ignoring editors. Engineers pick the tool, then marketing asks for a blog. Ask them first.
- Stacking plugins without review. Every plugin is code you now maintain. Check its last release date.
- Skipping access tests. Write tests for who can see what. Do it for either tool.
- Treating it as permanent. Both are plain Laravel underneath. Your models and data survive a switch.
For the user-experience side of Livewire admins, see our comparison of Livewire admin UX and classic WordPress admin.
Final verdict
In the LaraDashboard vs Filament choice, there is no single winner. Choose Filament when you are building your own Laravel app and want the best kit for admin screens on your models. Choose LaraDashboard when you want a Laravel CMS and admin that already handles content, users, roles, modules, and MCP. Your team then spends its time on product features.
Does the second description sound like your team? Try LaraDashboard on the live demo and see how much of your admin already exists. Tell us in the comments which way your team went, and why.
FAQ
Is LaraDashboard built on Filament?
No. LaraDashboard uses Laravel, Livewire, Tailwind CSS, and its own admin screens. It does not depend on Filament. You can check the dependencies in the LaraDashboard GitHub repository.
Is Filament free?
Yes. Filament is open source under the MIT licence. Some community plugins and the Blueprint add-on are paid.
Is Filament a CMS?
Not out of the box. It is a framework for building admin panels and other interfaces. Filament's own docs suggest a separate CMS if you need one ready to use.
Which is better for a SaaS admin panel in Laravel?
It depends on what the admin includes. For internal staff screens over your own models, Filament is a strong default. For a SaaS that also needs a blog, pages, role screens, and modules, LaraDashboard saves setup time.
Can I move from Filament to LaraDashboard later?
Yes, with some work. Your models, migrations, and data are plain Laravel, so they move over. You would rebuild the admin screens as LaraDashboard modules, often with
module:make-crud as a starting point.Do LaraDashboard and Filament both support roles and permissions?
Both support access control. Filament uses Laravel policies and plugins for role screens. LaraDashboard ships role and permission screens built on spatie/laravel-permission.
