Essential Comparisons

The curated shortlist — 32 comparisons every founder and operator actually gets asked about. One sentence each, in plain English.

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• ACV vs TCV (Business) — ACV is the annualised value of the contract; TCV is the total value across the entire contract term, including one-off fees.
• API vs SDK (Technology) — An API is the raw interface. An SDK is a packaged toolkit that wraps the API for a specific language or platform.
• B2B vs B2C (Business) — B2B sells to organisations through a buying committee; B2C sells to individuals through emotion and habit.
• CAC vs CPA (Marketing) — CAC vs CPA in plain English. Learn the difference between customer acquisition cost and cost per acquisition, and when to track each metric.
• CapEx vs OpEx (Finance) — CapEx vs OpEx in plain English. Where each one lands on your financials, how they are taxed, and which one to use. Built for operators, not accountants.
• Cash Flow vs Profit (Finance) — Cash flow vs profit in plain English. Learn why profit on paper is not the same as cash in the bank, and which one keeps your business alive.
• CEO vs CFO (Business) — The CEO decides where the company is going; the CFO decides whether it can afford to get there and reports honestly if it can't.
• CPC vs CPM (Marketing) — CPC vs CPM in plain English. Learn the difference between cost per click and cost per thousand impressions, and when to use each one.
• CTR vs CVR (Business) — CTR measures whether the creative earns a click. CVR measures whether the landing experience earns the action.
• DAU vs MAU (Business) — DAU measures how many people use the product on a given day; MAU measures how many use it at least once in a month — and DAU/MAU is the standard test of habit.
• EBIT vs EBITDA (Finance) — EBIT vs EBITDA in plain English. See what each number removes, what it measures, when investors prefer one, and what EBITDA can hide.
• Fixed Cost vs Variable Cost (Finance) — Fixed cost vs variable cost in plain English. Learn the difference, see examples, and understand how each one affects pricing and break-even.
• Gross Margin vs Net Margin (Finance) — Gross margin vs net margin in plain English. Learn which costs each one includes, what a healthy range looks like, and which number to watch for pricing, profit, and business health.
• IaaS vs PaaS (Technology) — IaaS gives you raw infrastructure to configure. PaaS gives you a managed platform that handles infrastructure for you.
• IPO vs M&A (Business) — An IPO takes the company public and keeps it independent; an M&A exit sells the company to another company and folds it in.
• IRR vs NPV (Business) — NPV tells you how much value the investment creates in today's dollars. IRR tells you the annualised rate of return.
• LLC vs S-Corp (Legal & Tax) — LLC vs S-Corp explained in plain English. Learn the difference between a legal structure and a tax election, and when each one saves you money.
• LLM vs GPT (AI & ML) — LLM is the general term for any large language model. GPT is one specific family of LLMs, developed by OpenAI.
• LTV vs CAC (Marketing) — LTV vs CAC in plain English. Learn how to calculate lifetime value and customer acquisition cost, what a healthy LTV to CAC ratio looks like, and how to improve both numbers.
• MQL vs SQL (Business) — An MQL has shown buying interest; an SQL has been verified by sales as a real opportunity worth working.
• MRR vs ARR (SaaS & Product) — MRR vs ARR in plain English. Learn why subscription businesses track both, when to use each one, and why one-time fees never count toward recurring revenue.
• NRR vs GRR (SaaS & Product) — NRR vs GRR in plain English. See how net and gross revenue retention differ, why NRR can exceed 100 percent, and why boards look at both together.
• OKR vs KPI (Business) — KPIs are the metrics you always measure; OKRs are the focused, time-boxed bets you make to move them.
• PE vs VC (Business) — VC funds bet on early-stage growth and expect most companies to fail; PE funds buy proven, cash-generating businesses and expect almost all of them to work.
• PLG vs SLG (Business) — In PLG the product acquires and converts the user. In SLG a salesperson does, with the product as proof.
• Revenue vs Profit (Finance) — Revenue vs profit in plain English. Learn why the top line and the bottom line are not the same, and why chasing revenue alone can kill your business.
• RFP vs RFI (Business) — An RFI gathers information to shortlist vendors. An RFP asks shortlisted vendors to actually propose a solution and price.
• ROI vs ROAS (Marketing) — ROI vs ROAS in plain English. Learn the difference between return on investment and return on ad spend, and when to use each metric to judge a campaign.
• SaaS vs PaaS (Business) — SaaS gives you a finished application. PaaS gives you a platform to build your own application on.
• SEO vs SEM (Marketing) — SEO vs SEM in plain English. Learn the difference between organic search traffic and paid search ads, and when to use each one.
• TAM vs SAM (Business) — TAM is the whole market in theory; SAM is the slice your product, geography and channels can actually serve.
• W2 vs 1099 (Legal & Tax) — W2 vs 1099 in plain English. See the real tax, benefits, and take-home difference before you go independent. Run the numbers with our free W2 to 1099 calculator.