Laravel: whereBetween vs whereBetweenColumns vs whereValueBetween

When working with Laravel’s query builder, filtering records based on ranges is a very common requirement—think prices, dates, scores, limits, or thresholds.

Laravel offers three closely related methods for this purpose:

• whereBetween

• whereBetweenColumns

• whereValueBetween

They look similar, but each one solves a different type of range problem and produces different SQL.

In this post, we’ll explore when to use each method, with real-world examples and their raw SQL equivalents.

1. whereBetween

What it does

Checks whether a column value falls between two fixed (constant) values.

Real-world use case

Filter orders placed within a specific date range, or products within a price range.

Example: Products priced between $500 and $1,500

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

SQL Translation

select * from `products`
where `price` between 500 and 1500;

When to use it ✅

• Comparing one column against two known values

• Date ranges, numeric ranges, pagination limits, etc.

This is the most commonly used range method in Laravel.

2. whereBetweenColumns

What it does

Checks whether a column value falls between the values of two other columns in the same row.

Real-world use case

Validate dynamic limits stored in the database, such as salary ranges, allowed scores, or capacity thresholds.

Example: Employees whose salary is within their allowed range

$employees = DB::table('employees')
    ->whereBetweenColumns('salary', ['min_salary', 'max_salary'])
    ->get();

SQL Translation

select * from `employees`
where `salary` between `min_salary` and `max_salary`;

When to use it ✅

• When both bounds are columns

• Comparing values row-by-row

• Business rules stored directly in the database

This is powerful for enforcing dynamic constraints.

3. whereValueBetween

What it does

Checks whether a fixed value falls between two column values.

Real-world use case

Determine whether a specific value (like today’s date, a user’s age, or a requested price) fits within stored limits.

Example: Check if a price of $1,000 fits within a product’s allowed price range

$products = DB::table('products')
    ->whereValueBetween(1000, ['min_price', 'max_price'])
    ->get();

SQL Translation

select * from `products`
where 1000 between `min_price` and `max_price`;

When to use it ✅

• Comparing a fixed value against column ranges

• Validation-style queries

• Feature availability checks

Think of this as the reverse of whereBetweenColumns.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right range method makes your queries:

• More readable

• More accurate

• Easier to maintain

Remember:

• Use whereBetween when your limits are known values

• Use whereBetweenColumns when limits come from other columns

• Use whereValueBetween when checking a specific value against column ranges