Is Ruby on Rails slower than Node.JS?

While its speed improves with every new version, Ruby on Rails is still a lot slower than Node.JS. Rails is an interpreted framework, which means the code is not compiled into machine language. This along with the memory-intensive multi-threading reduces the performance of an RoR website or web app.

What can I use instead of Rails?

There are many alternatives to Ruby on Rails available in the market. Like mentioned, although Rails is a robust framework, it does have its own problems. For a more lightweight and minimalistic solution, you can use Sinatra. Hanami is also an excellent Ruby-based alternative that is apt for single-purpose applications that want to avoid the performance issues of Rails.

No. NodeJS is the most popular backend environment of JavaScript. Most developers prefer Node.JS for its lightweight, scalable applications. Although there is a slight decline in its usage, there is no alternative to Node.JS that can compete with its wide range of functionalities. It is apt for developing either a website or web app.