What is the difference between using echo include and readfile in PHP?

The main difference between using echo include and readfile in PHP is that echo include will include and execute the specified file's content within the current script, while readfile will simply output the contents of the specified file to the browser. If you want to include and execute the contents of a file within your PHP script, you should use echo include. If you simply want to output the contents of a file to the browser, you should use readfile.

// Using echo include
echo include 'file.php';

// Using readfile
readfile('file.php');