Django is a Python-based web framework launched in 2005 known for creating sophisticated, database-driven websites, while Ruby on Rails is an open-source framework emphasizing a model-view-controller architecture. Django offers scalability, a strong admin panel, and a rich ecosystem but struggles with handling multiple requests simultaneously, whereas Ruby on Rails is easy to edit and has a vibrant community but has inconsistent document quality and can be slow in run-time performance. In terms of performance, Ruby on Rails is slightly faster, but Django enjoys greater popularity due to Python's widespread use in education and industry.