The Best Compare and Contrast Topics for Essays

High school, college, and university students often encounter writing essays as part of their assignments. A compare and contrast essay is a commonly assigned task whose primary purpose entails finding and analyzing the similarities and differences (variations) between two subjects that belong to the same category.

Like any other assignment, choosing the best topics for a compare and contrast essay is a common challenge almost all students face. There is so much that one can write about, and doubts about whether choosing certain subjects would count towards writing a high-class essay often arise. 

Recognizing this fact, our custom writers have brainstormed, researched, thought, and shared creative, engaging, and reliable compare-and-contrast essay topics that you can consider for your assignment.

General Topic Ideas and Compare and Contrast Topics for Essays

When writing a compare-and-contrast essay or research paper, think about how you can compare their similarities vs. differences using the same frame of comparison. You can choose topics relating to sports, history, geography, transport modes, arts, literature, biology, medicine, chemistry, and everything around you. Here are some of the best topics that you can select:

1. iPhone vs. Samsung Phones


2. Hostel vs. Motel


3. Camping vs. Hiking


4. Silver vs. Gold


5. Mouthwash vs. Toothpaste


6. Lust vs. Love


7. Ethereum vs. Bitcoin


8. Poetry vs. Prose


9. Essays vs. Research Paper


10. Nurses vs. Doctors


11. Plastic bags vs. Paper bags


12. Communism vs. capitalism


13. Adulthood vs. Childhood


14. Monarchy vs. Presidency


15. Jazz vs. Blues


16. Capital punishment vs. Lifetime jail sentence


17. Pop vs. Rap music


18. Bonds vs. Stock


19. Octopus vs. Squid


20. Sea Lions vs. Seals


21. Reptiles vs. Mammals


22. Donkeys vs. Zebras


23. Mules vs. Horses


24. Birds vs. Birds


25. Homeownership vs. Renting


26. Fahrenheit 451 vs. 1984


27. Whites vs. Black Americans


28. North pole vs. South Pole


29. Oil vs. Watercolor


30. Frogs vs. Toads


31. Summer vs. Winter


32. Bicycle vs. Motorcycle


33. Vacation vs. Staycation


34. Apples vs. Strawberries


35. America vs. Europe


36. Basketball vs. Handball


37. Football vs. Rugby


38. Mall vs. Hypermarket


39. Reading vs. Writing


40. Skiing vs. Cycling


41. Tiles vs. Carpets


42. Dogs vs. Cats


43. Lion vs. Jaguar


44. Peace vs. War


45. Cold vs. Hot weather


46. Hurricanes vs. Tornadoes


47. Inline Skating vs. Skateboarding


48. Hoverboard vs. Skateboard


49. Scooters vs. skateboards


50. Balance bikes vs. tricycles


51. Balance bikes vs. pedal bikes


52. Road bikes vs. Mountain Bikes


53. Tour de France vs. The Great Britain Tour


54. Cheetah vs. Leopard


55. Elephant vs. Rhino


56. Whale vs. Sharks


57. Dolphins vs. Sharks


58. Basketball vs. Baseball


59. Long hair vs. Short hair


60. Engineer vs. Technician


61. Xbox One vs. Ps4


62. iPhone 14 vs. Samsung Galaxy S22


63. Owl vs. Cats


64. Geese vs. Ducks


65. High school exams vs. College exams


66. Men vs. Women


67. Toddlers vs. Teenagers


68. Van camping vs. Tent Camping


69. Marathon vs. Sprinting


70. Online learning vs. Hybrid learning


71. Typing vs. handwriting


72. Judaism vs. Christianity


73. Jewish vs. Muslims


74. E-books vs. textbooks


75. Winter vs. Summer


76. Fruits vs. Vegetables


77. Nature vs. Nurture


78. Superego vs. Ego


79. America vs. Australia


80. India vs. Pakistan


81. Telescope vs. Microscope


82. Suicide vs. Homicide


83. Soccer vs. Rugby


84. Cricket vs. Tennis


85. Ping Pong vs. Table Tennis


86. Chess vs. Checkers


87. Cloning vs. genetic engineering


88. Rice vs. Wheat


89. Comedy vs. Drama


90. Credit Card vs. Cash Payment


91. Opera vs. Vivaldi


92. Opera vs. Musical


93. Opera Mini Vs. Google Chrome


94. Apple vs. Samsung


95. Paris Hilton vs. Kim Kardashian


96. Popsicles vs. Lollipops


97. Pizza vs. Pasta


98. Oprah Winfrey vs. Ellen DeGeneres


99. Vaccination vs. Medications


100. Training vs. Surgery


101. Morning vs. Evening Exercises


102. Crocodile vs. Alligators


103. Strength training vs. Endurance training


104. Batman vs. Superman


105. Spiderman vs. Hulk


106. Comic books vs. Manga


107. Graphic novels vs. comic books


108. Bible vs. Quran


109. Horror movies vs. Thriller Movies


110. The Witcher vs. Game of Thrones


111. Netflix vs. Amazon Movies


112. Charter schools vs. Public Schools


113. Teachers vs. Teaching Assistants


114. Dentists vs. Doctors


115. Neurosurgeons vs. Cardiologists


116. Alan Moore vs. Emma Goodman


117. Parental absenteeism vs. Helicopter parenting


118. Zoom meetings vs. Google Meet


119. Swimming vs. Running


120. Alcohol vs. Marijuana


121. Bill Clinton vs. Barrack Obama


122. Putin vs. Hitler


123. Ukraine vs. Russia


124. Tom Mboya vs. Martin Luther King


125. Trump vs. Barrack Obama


126. Joe Biden vs. George Bush


127. Africa vs. Europe


128. America vs. China


129. Rich vs. Poor


130. Educated vs. uneducated parents


131. Prezi vs. PowerPoint


132. Nightgown vs. Pajamas


133. Face-to-face meetings vs. online meetings


134. Pen pals vs. Facebook friends


135. Birthday vs. Christmas day celebrations


136. Circus vs. Zoo


137. Online TV vs. Mainstream TV stations


138. Magazines vs. Blogs


139. Google vs. Yahoo


140. Computers vs. Tables


141. Smartphones vs. Pay Phones


142. Breakfast vs. Lunch


143. January vs. December


144. Police vs. Army


145. Firefighters vs. Paramedics


146. Earth tremors vs. Earthquakes


147. Hydrogen vs. Oxygen


148. Elon Musk vs. Steve Jobs


149. Jeff Bezos vs. Andrew Carnegie


150. Mansa Musa vs. Aliko Dangote


151. Kenya vs. South Africa


152. Sweden vs. Italy


153. New York vs. Colorado


154. State vs. Federal Laws


155. Flowers vs. Fruits


156. Mushrooms vs. Potatoes


157. Ground nuts vs. Cashew Nuts


158. Lemon vs. Orange


159. German Shepherds vs. Pit bulls


160. Humanities vs. Social Sciences


161. Sandy vs. Ice Deserts


162. Zeppelin vs. Hot air balloon


163. Ziplining vs. Bungee Jumping


164. Homeschooling vs. attending private school


165. Baby boomers vs. Millenials


166. Fiction books vs. Self-development books


167. Mars vs. Earth


168. Self-driving trucks vs. driver-operated trucks


169. Grades vs. standardized tests


170. Fantasy vs. Fiction


171. Fiction vs. Non-fiction books


172. Rain vs. Hail


173. Storm vs. typhoon


174. Lightning vs. Thunderstorms


175. Canned soda vs. Plastic Soda


176. Home-cooked food vs. Hotel Food


177. Contact lenses vs. Glasses


178. TOEFL vs. IELTS


179. C-section vs. Normal Birth


180. Coca-Cola vs. PepsiCo


181. BBC vs. CNN


182. Fox News vs. MSNBC


183. Iraq vs. Iran


184. Canada vs. America


185. Gatsby vs. Fantine


186. Amazon vs. Walmart


187. Racism in America vs. Racism in Europe


188. Immigration laws in America vs. Europe


189. The education system in the UK vs. Australia


190. Healthcare Systems in Australia vs. Canada


191. Voluntarism vs. Fatalism


192. Modigliani vs. Picasso


193. Subway vs. MacDonald's


194. Amazon vs. Alibaba

If you are wondering which is the most effective topic for a compare and contrast essay, the list of 192 topics above should answer your question comprehensively. We have mixed fun, informative, easy, and current topics so that you have a comprehensive list from which you can select the best topic for your paper.

Culture Compare and Contrast Topics

1. Mexican Cuisine vs. Spanish Cuisine


2. Chinese culture vs. Jewish Culture


3. European culture vs. Latin American Culture


4. Christian traditions in Israel vs. Egypt


5. American vs. South African Family systems


6. Spanish vs. Finnish educational culture


7. Marriage rites in Indian vs. Australian Culture


8. Saving culture in India vs. the UK


9. Latin American music vs. Mexican Music


10. Brazilian dances vs. Indian dances

Arts Compare and Contrast Topics

1. Abstract art movement vs. Op art movement


2. Mozart vs. Beethoven


3. Donatello vs. Michelangelo.


4. Oil paint vs. Acrylics


5. Luminism vs. Impressionism era


6. Salvador Dali vs. Van Gogh


7. Neoclassical vs. Renaissance Painters


8. Georges Seurat vs. Paul Signac


9. Frida Kahlo vs. Diego Rivera


10. Michelangelo vs. Leonardo Da Vinci


11. Baroque art vs. Renaissance art


12. Romantic art vs. neoclassical art


13. Basil's Cathedral vs. Metropolitan Cathedral of Brasília


14. Sultan Ahmed Mosque vs. Mosque of Córdoba


15. Sydney Opera House vs. The Lotus Temple


16. Forbidden City vs. Angkor Wat

Compare and Contrast Topics in Psychology

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) vs. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)


2. Art therapy vs. Talk Therapy


3. Group counseling vs. Individual counseling


4. EMDR vs. CBT


5. Acute stress disorder vs. PTSD


6. Anxiety vs. Depression


7. Bipolar vs. Borderline Personality Disorder


8. Maniac depression vs. Bipolar


9. Psychiatry vs. Psychology


10. Homicide vs. Suicide


11. Down syndrome vs. Autism


12. Vaping vs. Smoking


13. Nurture vs. Nature


14. Cognitive theories vs. behavioral theories


15. Psychodynamic theories vs. humanistic theories


16. Biological theories vs. humanistic theories


17. Grand theories vs. developmental theories


18. Piaget's vs. Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development

Healthcare and Medicine Compare and Contrast Topics

You can consider the medical compare and contrast essay topics below and write an essay that meets the requirements to score a higher grade.

1. Universal healthcare vs. Single-payer


2. UTI vs. Yeast Infection


3. Kidney stone vs. UTI


4. Female tube ligation vs. male vasectomy


5. Male contraceptives vs. female contraceptives


6. Vaccination vs. medication


7. Open surgery vs. closed surgery


8. Local hospital vs. mobile clinics


9. Gynecologists vs. obstetricians


10. Makeup vs. plastic surgery


11. Inpatient vs. outpatient care


12. Transplant vs. graft


13. Dialysis vs. Transplant


14. Organ donation vs. Organ trafficking


15. Free healthcare vs. Universal Healthcare


16. Health insurance vs. Out of pocket payment systems


17. Universal healthcare vs. Socialized medicine


18. Private hospitals vs. Public hospitals


19. Doctors vs. Nurses


20. Osteopathic vs. Allopathic medicine


21. Emergency Room vs. Intensive Care Unit


22. Male vs. Female Nurses


23. Diabetes vs. Smoking deaths


24. Universal Health Care Vs. Private Healthcare


25. AIDS vs. Cancer deaths


26. Covid 19 vs. Spanish Flu


27. Registered Nurses (RN) vs. Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN)


28. Registered Nurse vs. Physician Assistant


29. Paramedic vs. Registered Nurse


30. Affordable care act vs. private insurance


31. Covered California vs. Affordable Care


32. Coal power vs. Hydroelectric power


33. Renewable sources of energy vs. non-renewable sources of energy

You can find very many aspects of the healthcare system to compare. You can focus on processes, professions, procedures, and systems.

Movies Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

1. Netflix vs. HBO


2. Family movies vs. Animation


3. Christian movies vs. secular movies


4. Shows vs. series


5. 2D vs 3D movies


6. Game of Thrones vs. House of the Dragon


7. Vikings vs. Lord of the Rings


8. Wheel of time vs. Game of Thrones


9. Stranger Things vs. Squid Game


10. Cobra Kai vs. Miyagi Do


11. Power Rangers vs. Ninja Turtles


12. Amazon prime vs. Netflix


13. Watching movies vs. reading movie reviews


14. Horror vs. thriller movies


15. Thor vs. Loki


16. Orange is the new Black vs. Wentworth


17. High school musicals vs. Romantic Movies


18. Sci-Fi vs. Thriller movies


19. Bollywood vs. Hollywood


20. Marvel vs. DC


21. Movies vs. TV Series


22. Movies vs. Novels


23. The Black Cat: comparison between the movie and the book


24. Life is Beautiful vs. the Bible

Automotive or Vehicle Compare and Contrast Essay Topics and Ideas

1. Ford Escalade vs. Toyota Highlander


2. Toyota vs. Ford


3. Mercedes Benz vs. Audi


4. Subaru vs. Nissan


5. Ford vs. Jaguar and Land Rover


6. Tata vs. Hyundai


7. Honda Pilot vs. Toyota Highlander


8. Honda Odyssey vs. Pilot


9. PSV vs. TSV


10. SUV vs. Wagon


11. V6 engine vs. V8 Engine


12. Peugeot vs. Honda


13. Ferrari vs. Bugatti


14. Aston Martin vs. Lamborghini


15. Bentley vs. Maserati


16. Porsche vs. Jaguar


17. Mclaren vs. Maserati


18. Tesla vs. Rivian


19. Hellcat vs. Lucid


20. Hydrogen cars vs. electric cars


21. Gasoline cars vs. Electric cars

Compare and contrast topics for Kitchen Items

1. Cups vs. Plates


2. Pans vs. Oven


3. Open kitchen vs. closed kitchen


4. Compare two styles of kitchen


5. Cooking at home vs. taking away meals from hotels


6. Olive Oil vs. vegetable oil


7. Mustard oil vs. butter


8. Burger vs. Pizza


9. Fries vs. Chips


10. Spoons vs. forks


11. Dining table vs. Kitchen table


12. Air fryer vs. Oven


13. Electric pressure cooker vs. Conventional Pressure cooker


14. Electric Oven vs. Halogen oven

You can look around your kitchen and spot items, recipes, foods, or ingredients to explore their similarities and differences in a compare and contrast essay.

History Compare and Contrast Topics for Essays

When writing a compare and contrast essay, there is no limit to the extent to which you can explore and show your creativity. You can compare and contrast historical concepts, phenomena, or issues. For instance, you can focus on the historical era, events, personalities or figures, or issues that affected society differently. It would be good if you select a controversial or debatable topic. But you can also select little thought of or known topics if they are historically relevant.

1. Compare and contrast American Revolutionary War versus French Revolutionary War


2. Civil war vs. American Revolution


3. Herman Cortes vs. Cristopher Columbus explorations


4. Agrarian Revolution vs. Industrial Revolution


5. Industrial Revolution vs. Green revolution


6. Compare and contrast Mexican War vs. Spanish American War


7. Occupy Wallstreet vs. Tea Party


8. Tea Party vs. Libertarian Party


9. Republican Party vs. Democratic Party


10. Industrial revolution in Europe vs. America


11. World War II vs. World War I


12. Franco vs. Mussolini


13. Consequences of World War I and World War II


14. Nikola Tesla vs. Thomas Edison


15. Ronald Reagan vs. Bill Clinton


16. Anti-slavery vs. Pro-slavery religion


17. Global South vs. Global North


18. Right-wing vs. Left-Wing Politics


19. Fascism vs. Nazism


20. Autocracy vs. Democracy


21. Communism vs. Socialism


22. John Rockefeller vs. Andrew Carnegie


23. Fukushima vs. Chornobyl Nuclear Disaster


24. Gandhi vs. Martin Luther King


25. Fascism and Totalitarianism


26. Abraham Lincoln vs. John. F, Kennedy Assassination


27. NATO vs. the Soviet Union


28. Persians vs. Ottoman Empire


29. Korean War vs. Vietnam War


30. Aristotle vs. Socrates


31. John Locke vs. Jean-Jacques Rousseau


32. Karl Marx and Friedrich Hegel


33. Stance on slavery by Frederick Douglass vs. William Lloyd Garrison


34. Black Lives Matter vs. Civil Rights Movement


35. Black Lives Matter vs. Me too Movement


36. Black Lives Matter vs. Black power movement


37. Theodore Roosevelt vs. Franklin Roosevelt


38. Winston Churchill vs. JP Morgan


39. America vs. Soviet Government


40. Influenza epidemic attacks vs. Covid 19


41. Black death vs. Bubonic Plague


42. Spanish flu vs. Black Death

These are just a few ideas and topics on which you can write your compare and contrast essay or research paper if it has a historical background.

Compare and Contrast Topics about Technology

1. Android vs. IOS systems


2. WhatsApp vs. Telegram


3. WeChat vs. WhatsApp


4. AI vs. Supercomputer


5. Quantum computer vs. supercomputer


6. Censorship vs. Freedom of Speech


7. Landline phones vs. Mobile Phones


8. Smartphones vs. phones


9. Online books vs. Printed books


10. Facebook vs. Twitter


11. Instagram vs. Tik Tok


12. Google vs. Tik Tok


13. Mobile games vs. outdoor games


14. Streaming movies vs. watching movies in the theater


15. Robots vs. humans


16. Cryptocurrency vs. Fiat currency


17. Forex vs. Crypto Trading


18. Internet censorship in China vs. North Korea


19. Technological Capacity of China vs. USA


20. Patents vs. Copyrights


21. Physical vs. Digital Pictures


22. Google Home vs. Amazon Echo Dot


23. Siri vs. Alexa


24. LGA vs. PGA technology


25. Bixby vs. Siri


26. Google Assistant vs. Cortana


27. Windows vs. Ubuntu


28. Tablet vs. Computers


29. Laptop vs. PC


30. Huawei vs. Samsung Phones


31. Texting vs. Calling


32. Bar codes vs. RFIDs


33. Undersea cables vs. Satellite


34. Online banking vs. Physical banking


35. HP vs. DELL laptops


36. Apple vs. HP laptops


37. Ethernet vs. WIFI


38. DSLR vs. Smartphone Camera

Aviation-Related Compare and Contrast Topics

1. Airplanes vs. jets


2. Helicopters vs. jets


3. John F. Kennedy Airport Vs. Newark Airport


4. LaGuardia Airport vs. JFK airport


5. Private Jet vs. Plane


6. Pilots vs. Captains


7. Drivers vs. Pilots


8. Airports vs. Airstrips


9. Drones vs. UAVs


10. Flying cars vs. Planes


11. South West Airlines vs. American Airlines


12. Delta Airlines vs. JetBlue


13. United Airlines vs. Delta Airlines


14. Spirit Airlines vs. Frontier Airlines


15. FedEx Express vs. UPS Airlines


16. Atlas Air vs. Kalitta Air


17. Hawaiian Airlines vs. Allegiant Air


18. Space X vs. Boeing


19. Airbus vs. Boeing


20. Lockheed Martin vs. Boeing


21. Doug Parker vs. Scott Kirby


22. Ed Bastian vs. Oscar Munoz


23. FAA vs. ICAO


24. NTSB vs. CAA

Transportation Compare and Contrast Topics

1. Yacht vs. Cruise Ships


2. Ferry vs. Ship


3. Canal vs. River


4. Channel vs. Canal


5. Lorry vs. Pick Up truck


6. Salon car vs. Wagon


7. Road vs. Air transport


8. Air vs. Water transport


9. Train vs. Air transport


10. Pipeline vs. Tankers


11. Air freight vs. Sea Freight


12. Postal mail vs. Courier


13. Trucking vs. Plumbing


14. Trucks vs. Trains

Religion Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

1. Jewish birth rites of passage vs. Judaism


2. Christianity vs. Islam


3. Bible vs. Quran


4. Religious studies vs. Anthropology


5. Nuns vs. sisters


6. Bishop vs. Pope


7. Priest vs. Pastor


8. Religiosity vs. Spirituality


9.  

How to Choose a Compare and Contrast Essay Topic?

Are you still stuck with choosing the best topic for your essay? In most cases, college professors or instructors and high school teachers assign students topics for their essays. However, in instances where none is given, and you are required to demonstrate creativity, research skills, and critical thinking, you must choose an exciting and relevant topic.

When you select the right topic for your essay, you will likely write a high-quality essay that will attract a higher grade. However, the process is easier said than done. To make your compare-and-contrast essay memorable, engaging, and enjoyable, consider the following tips as you select the topic:

1. Read the instructions to understand if there are specific topics or subjects that you must focus the topic on.


2. Identify the topics that you are passionate about and find enjoyable to handle. The more interested you are in a subject, the higher the chances you will deliver to your instructor's or professor's expectations.


3. Check for samples of compare-and-contrast essays written by previous students or those published online.


4. Consider something that is trending for recent information and fresh ideas. You need to lean toward controversial topics and current trends because people are more interested in knowing things that are either controversial or new.


5. List down all the ideas you have identified and evaluate their suitability based on relevance, availability of supporting material (scholarly references), and your interest.


6. Ensure that the subjects you select belong to the same category so that you can compare and contrast their similarities and differences without bias.


7. Ensure that you have the audience in mind as you choose the topic because you will structure your writing to suit their needs and meet their expectations.

As you research the topics, brainstorm ideas from the findings. Take as many notes as possible and organize sources, making your writing process smooth and effective. Apart from the list of compare and contrast topics we have listed above, these tips can help you widen your perspective and angle of view to come up with unique topics. Whether you are a high school, college, or university student, these topics are well-researched, thought-out, and up-to-date.

Final Words!

You need to know everything about selecting an excellent compare-and-contrast essay topic. You can consider one of the topics listed above or contact us for assistance, for which you will pay some service fee.

Also, check our list of informative topic ideas and topic examples.

We have put together a compare and contrast essay guide to help you make great strides towards a better grade when assigned such a task. You can also get free textbooks and articles online.

If you select a topic here and require to hire someone to help you write your essay, you can always delegate the work to our custom essay writers. We write all essays at a small fee to facilitate our operations. All essays produced on our essay writing website are 100% plagiarism-free, well-researched, and proofread. Expect a paper that meets the rubric and essay requirements.