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
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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.