The Most Overrated Programming Languages, Ranked by Real-World Use

Not all programming languages live up to the hype. Some are praised in forums, featured in tutorials, or recommended by influencers. But when it comes to real-world application, they often fall short.

Here’s a ranked list of the most overrated programming languages, based not just on opinion but on how often they are actually used in production environments.

1. Rust

Why it is overrated:
Rust is fast, memory-safe, and well-designed. But despite the buzz, it still has limited adoption in most industries. It is popular in system-level programming and some startups, but it has not broken into the mainstream like Python or JavaScript.

Real-world use:
Low. Most teams stick with C, C++, or Go for performance-critical applications.

2. Haskell

Why it is overrated:
Haskell is praised for its purity, strong typing, and academic elegance. But it has a steep learning curve and minimal commercial demand.

Real-world use:
Very niche. Rarely seen outside research, academia, or a few fintech companies.

3. Scala

Why it is overrated:
Scala promised the best of both object-oriented and functional programming. It gained popularity with early adopters and big data projects like Apache Spark. But over time, its complexity and difficult tooling made many teams switch back to Java or move to Kotlin.

Real-world use:
Falling. Many companies are migrating away due to maintenance challenges.

4. Elm

Why it is overrated:
Elm offers a clean, no-runtime-error frontend development experience. But its ecosystem is tiny, and it lacks the flexibility most real-world frontend teams need.

Real-world use:
Minimal. JavaScript frameworks like React dominate production use.

5. Erlang

Why it is overrated:
Used in telecom and praised for concurrency, Erlang has loyal fans. But outside niche use cases, it is rarely adopted due to unfamiliar syntax and limited developer availability.

Real-world use:
Rare. Elixir, which runs on the Erlang VM, has more modern appeal.

Honorable Mention: PHP

Why it is controversial:
Some say PHP is underrated because of its wide use in WordPress and server-side applications. Others argue it is outdated, inconsistent, and hard to maintain.

Real-world use:
Still high. Despite the criticism, it powers a large portion of the web.

The Bottom Line

A language being hyped does not mean it is the right tool for your next project. The best programming languages balance community support, ease of use, and real-world adoption.

Before learning a new language, ask yourself:

• Is it used in production?
• Is it backed by a strong ecosystem?
• Can I find jobs that use it?

Overrated does not mean bad. It just means not as broadly useful as people claim.