---
title: "Comparison"
description: "Comparison with Alternative Libraries"
type: "docs"
category: "doc"
tags: []
authors: [Anonymous]
date: "2026-09-09"
last_update: "2026-09-09"
time_minutes: 4
draft: false
unlisted: false
url: "https://www.derafu.dev/docs/data/spreadsheet/comparison"
---

# Comparison with Alternative Libraries

When choosing a spreadsheet library for PHP, it's important to understand the differences between available options. This guide compares Derafu Spreadsheet with some popular alternatives.

## Derafu Spreadsheet vs PhpSpreadsheet

[PhpSpreadsheet](https://github.com/PHPOffice/PhpSpreadsheet) is the most widely used PHP spreadsheet library and is actually used internally by Derafu Spreadsheet for some format handlers.

### Advantages of Derafu Spreadsheet

- **Simplified API**: The API is more streamlined and consistent across formats.
- **Customizable type casting**: Has a custom and flexible type casting system.
- **Format-agnostic code**: Write code once that works with any spreadsheet format.
- **Easier data access**: Direct methods for working with rows and cells.
- **Native handling of JSON/YAML**: Built-in support for these data exchange formats.
- **JSON inside**: Allows you to easily store and retrieve JSON data inside spreadsheets.
- **Modular approach**: Use only the format handlers you need.
- **Less overhead**: Simpler in-memory structure for data representation.

### When to use PhpSpreadsheet instead

- **Advanced Excel features**: If you need complex Excel features like conditional formatting, charts, etc.
- **Cell styling**: If you need detailed control over cell appearance.
- **Formula calculation**: If you need to evaluate Excel formulas.
- **Mature ecosystem**: PhpSpreadsheet has been around longer and has more examples and community code.

## Derafu Spreadsheet vs league/csv

[league/csv](https://csv.thephpleague.com/) is a focused library for working with CSV files. Internally, Derafu Spreadsheet uses it, as default, for CSV format handling.

### Advantages of Derafu Spreadsheet

- **Multiple format support**: Work with many formats using the same code.
- **Automatic type casting**: league/csv returns everything as strings.
- **Higher-level abstractions**: Work with the concepts of sheets, rows, and cells.
- **Easy format conversion**: Convert between CSV and other formats seamlessly.

### When to use league/csv instead

- **CSV-only projects**: If you only need to work with CSV files.
- **Memory efficiency for large files**: league/csv has specialized streaming capabilities.
- **CSV-specific features**: If you need advanced CSV features like RFC compliance options.
- **Simplicity**: If you want a more focused, single-purpose library.

## Code Comparison Examples

### Basic Reading Example

**Derafu Spreadsheet**:
```php
use Derafu\Spreadsheet\SpreadsheetLoader;

$loader = new Loader();
$sheet = $loader->loadFromFile('data.xlsx')->getActiveSheet();

foreach ($sheet->getDataRows() as $row) {
    $id = $row[0]; // Already cast to proper type (int).
    $date = $row[1]; // Already a DateTimeImmutable.
    // Process...
}
```

**PhpSpreadsheet**:
```php
use DateTimeImmutable;
use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory;

$spreadsheet = IOFactory::load('data.xlsx');
$sheet = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet();

foreach ($sheet->getRowIterator(2) as $row) {
    $cellIterator = $row->getCellIterator();
    $rowData = [];
    foreach ($cellIterator as $cell) {
        $rowData[] = $cell->getValue();
    }
    $id = (int)$rowData[0]; // Depending on your app and code, manual casting needed.
    $date = new DateTimeImmutable($rowData[1]); // Manual conversion.
    // Process...
}
```

**league/csv**:
```php
use DateTimeImmutable;
use League\Csv\Reader;

$reader = Reader::createFromPath('data.csv');
$reader->setHeaderOffset(0);

foreach ($reader->getRecords() as $record) {
    $id = (int)$record['id']; // Depending on your app and code, manual casting needed.
    $date = new DateTimeImmutable($record['date']); // Manual conversion.
    // Process...
}
```

### Format Conversion Example

**Derafu Spreadsheet**:
```php
use Derafu\Spreadsheet\SpreadsheetLoader;
use Derafu\Spreadsheet\SpreadsheetDumper;

$loader = new Loader();
$dumper = new Dumper();

// Load XLSX and save as CSV.
$spreadsheet = $loader->loadFromFile('data.xlsx');
$dumper->dumpToFile($spreadsheet, 'data.csv');

// Load CSV and save as JSON.
$spreadsheet = $loader->loadFromFile('data.csv');
$dumper->dumpToFile($spreadsheet, 'data.json');
```

**With alternative libraries**:
```php
use League\Csv\Reader as CsvReader;
use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory as PhpSpreadsheetIOFactory;
use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\Csv as PhpSpreadsheetCsvWriter;

// Load with PhpSpreadsheet, save as CSV.
$spreadsheet = PhpSpreadsheetIOFactory::load('data.xlsx');
$writer = new PhpSpreadsheetCsvWriter($spreadsheet);
$writer->save('data.csv');

// To convert CSV to JSON, would require:
$csv = CsvReader::createFromPath('data.csv');
$csv->setHeaderOffset(0);
$records = iterator_to_array($csv->getRecords());
file_put_contents('data.json', json_encode($records, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT));
```

## Feature Comparison Table

| Feature                    | Derafu Spreadsheet                              | PhpSpreadsheet                 | league/csv |
|----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------|------------|
| **Formats Supported**      | XLSX, XLS, CSV, ODS, JSON, XML, YAML, HTML, PDF | XLSX, XLS, CSV, ODS, HTML, PDF | CSV only   |
| **API Consistency**        | Excellent                                       | Complex                        | Simple     |
| **Memory Efficiency**      | Can be better with streaming support            | Poor for large files           | Excellent  |
| **Streaming Support**      | Soon                                            | Yes                            | Excellent  |
| **Customizable Casting**   | ✅                                              | ❌                             | ❌         |
| **PSR-7 Integration**      | ✅                                              | ❌                             | ❌         |
| **JSON/YAML Support**      | ✅                                              | ❌                             | ❌         |
| **Formula Support**        | ❌                                              | ✅                             | ❌         |
| **Cell Styling**           | ❌                                              | ✅                             | ❌         |

## Conclusion

Derafu Spreadsheet is focused on simplicity and ease of use for handling the data inside spreadsheets, not the styling. It excels when you need:

1. **Unified handling** of multiple file formats.
2. **Clean, intuitive API** for spreadsheet operations.
3. **Automatic type handling** to reduce boilerplate code.
4. **Format conversion** capabilities.
5. **Modern PHP architecture** with a focus on developer experience.

Other libraries may be better suited for specific use cases:

- **PhpSpreadsheet**: For complex Excel features and formatting.
- **league/csv**: For CSV-specific operations and streaming large files.

Choose the tool that best matches your specific requirements and constraints.



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Last updated on 09/09/2026