How is responsive design different from adaptive design?

Responsive and Adaptive design are two different designs which are aimed at the optimization of the user experience across different devices, adjusting for different viewport sizes, resolutions, usage contexts, and so on.

The principle of flexibility is the sole basis for Responsive Design. The technique is to have a single fluid design based upon media queries, flexible grids. Responsive images also can be used to create a user experience that flexes and changes based on multiple factors. The main benefit is that each user will experience a consistent design. The onlydisadvantage is that, it has a slower load time.

Adaptive Design can also be termed as progressive enhancement. Instead of one flexible design, adaptive design will detect the device and other features, and then it will provide the appropriate layout based on a predefined set of viewport sizes and other characteristics. The disadvantage is thatit can result in a lack of consistency across platforms and devices, but the load time is faster.