HTML Button vs Input Button: Key Differences Explained

Introduction

If you are a beginner in web development, you might wonder what the difference is between <button> and <input type="button"> in HTML. Both look similar on a webpage, but they don’t behave exactly the same. In this article, we’ll compare HTML button vs input button, explain HTML button types, and show you which one you should use in modern web development.

1. Syntax

Input Button

<input type="button" value="Click Me">

👉 Text is added using the value attribute.

Button Tag

<button>Click Me</button>

👉 You can place text, HTML elements, or even images inside the <button> tag.

2. Content Flexibility

Input Button → Only plain text via value.
Button Tag → Can contain text, icons, images, or HTML elements.

Example:

<button><img src="icon.png" alt="icon"> Submit</button>

3. Default Behavior

<input type="button"> → Has no default action. Requires JavaScript to work.
<button> → Acts as a submit button by default when inside a form.
👉 To stop unwanted form submission, use type="button".

4. Accessibility

Button Tag → More semantic and accessible for screen readers.
Input Button → Works but is less flexible in accessibility and ARIA roles.

5. Styling in CSS

Both can be styled easily:

button, input[type="button"] {
  background: #007BFF;
  color: white;
  padding: 10px 18px;
  border: none;
  border-radius: 6px;
  cursor: pointer;
}

6. Which One Should You Use?

Use Input Button → When you just need a simple clickable element (legacy code).
Use Button Tag → For modern projects, forms, icons, and better accessibility.

Conclusion

The main difference between button and input button in HTML lies in flexibility and default behavior.

Input Button → Simple, requires JavaScript, limited to plain text.
Button Tag → Flexible, supports multiple HTML elements, default submit behavior, and is more accessible.

👉 Best practice: Use <button> for modern, semantic, and accessible web development.