Laravel whereBetween, whereBetweenColumns vs whereValueBetween Explained with Examples

When working with Laravel’s query builder, filtering records within a range is a common requirement. Whether you’re checking booking dates, product prices, or attendance times, Laravel provides three powerful helpers: whereBetween, whereBetweenColumns, and whereValueBetween.

Let’s walk through each method, see practical examples, and understand when to use which.

Quick overview

• whereBetween :- A column’s value is between two fixed values.
• whereBetweenColumns :- A column’s value is between two other columns in the same row.
• whereValueBetween :- A fixed value is between two column values in the same row.

1. whereBetween

What it does:
Filters rows where a column is between two given values (inclusive).

Example: Fetch reservations made within a certain number of guests.

$reservations = DB::table('reservations')
    ->whereBetween('guest_count', [2, 6])
    ->get();

SQL:

SELECT * FROM `reservations`
WHERE `guest_count` BETWEEN 2 AND 6;

Use-cases:

• Hotel rooms priced between $100 and $300.
• Fetch sales between two specific dates.
• Attendance where “hours_worked” falls between minimum and maximum thresholds.

2. whereBetweenColumns

What it does:
Compares a column with two other columns in the same row.

Example: Find packages where the current weight is valid between stored min and max limits.

$packages = DB::table('packages')
    ->whereBetweenColumns('current_weight', ['min_weight', 'max_weight'])
    ->get();

SQL:

SELECT * FROM `packages`
WHERE `current_weight` BETWEEN `min_weight` AND `max_weight`;

Use-cases:

• Employees whose salary is between their department’s min and max salary columns.
• Flights where actual departure time is between scheduled start and end windows.
• Students whose marks fall within allowed grading thresholds.

3. whereValueBetween

What it does:
Instead of checking a column, you check a fixed value against two columns.

Example: Fetch events happening right now.

use Carbon\Carbon;

$now = Carbon::now();

$events = DB::table('events')
    ->whereValueBetween($now, ['start_time', 'end_time'])
    ->get();

SQL:

SELECT * FROM `events`
WHERE '2025-09-19 14:35:00' BETWEEN `start_time` AND `end_time`;

Use-cases:

• Show promotions valid on today’s date.
• Filter classes where the current time is between class_start and class_end.
• Fetch subscriptions where the given user age fits between min_age and max_age.

Real-world examples

Example A: Products within a price range chosen by user

$products = DB::table('products')
    ->whereBetween('price', [500, 1500])
    ->get();

Example B: Rooms available within stored seasonal ranges

$rooms = DB::table('rooms')
    ->whereBetweenColumns('capacity', ['min_capacity', 'max_capacity'])
    ->get();

Example C: Active coupons

$today = now();

$coupons = DB::table('coupons')
    ->whereValueBetween($today, ['valid_from', 'valid_until'])
    ->get();

When not to use them

• Complex logic requiring joins → may need whereRaw.
• Calculations inside comparisons → might not be index-friendly.
• Large datasets with unindexed columns → test performance.

Conclusion

• Use whereBetween → column checked against fixed values.
• Use whereBetweenColumns → column checked against other columns.
• Use whereValueBetween → fixed value checked against dynamic column range.

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