Symfony vs Zend framework vs Cakephp vs Others

You are here because you are trying to compare these PHP frameworks to each other. You are spending your time for nothing. These frameworks are all have their own features and purposes. Zend framework is not actually framework, it is just library of useful PHP components, While cakephp and symfony are port of ROR into PHP. If you are familiar with PHP, you don't need to start new language, ruby. Instead you can use either of them. My choice was Symfony. Maybe you will like cakephp. Do not try to compare them. Just start from one of them and you will see how easy to switch among them after learning the general MVC structure and usage. Just start.