Which is better for a startup MVP?

For most startup MVPs, Laravel ships faster because the common features an MVP needs (auth, payments, admin, email, queues) are first party packages rather than npm assembly. The startup gets to product faster and spends less of limited runway on plumbing. The exception is an MVP whose core differentiator is real time (a live collaboration tool, a real time multiplayer product) where Node.js or a hybrid fits the headline feature better. Most MVPs are conventional enough that Laravel is the faster path; see our Laravel for startups page for the MVP approach.