How does Symfony compare to Ruby on Rails for web application development?

Symfony and Ruby on Rails are two of the most powerful web frameworks available, but they differ in approach and ideal use cases. Symfony in PHP is modular and highly customizable, thus perfect for complex applications that are both scalable and maintainable. It provides many components and strict coding standards, making it appropriate for long-term projects. Ruby on Rails, written in Ruby, emphasizes convention over configuration and allows for rapid development. Ease of use makes it appealing for startups and smaller projects. Where Symfony provides control and flexibility, Rails is typically chosen for speed and simplicity in launching applications.