vs.. Which to use?

When to use which: Context Matters

Your choice between <input type="button"> and <button> should depend on the task at hand. <input type="button"> ensures consistency across older browsers, while <button> lets you jazz up your interfaces with enriched content. Let's weigh their pros and cons in different scenarios.

In a nutshell: Forms, functions, and more

Disarm the form bomb

Inside a form, a <button> with no explicit type appears to be innocuous but defaults to type="submit". Always use type="button" with <button> to avoid accidentally submitting forms.

The magic button

Thanks to JavaScript, <button> can be used like a magic wand to customize behavior. They work well for interactive UI components such as dropdowns, modals, and tabs.

Accessibility truth bomb

Both <button> and <input type="button"> are accessible. But <button>'s content flexibility allows more expressive UIs for screen readers, giving us another point to Team <button>.

Here be dragons: Cross-browser compatibility

When you're targeting older versions of Internet Explorer (we all make bad choices sometimes), choosing <input> can save you a few gray hairs; it renders consistently across all browsers.

All about aesthetics: Practical usage and style

Ornamental uniformity

Achieving consistent styling is a breeze with <button> due to its behavior as a block-level element. <input> buttons might give you a bit of sass with their stubborn default styles across browsers.

In living color

<button>'s support for HTML tags means it's a dream to work with for dynamic text presentation. A little bow for <strong>, <em>, or <span> tags is all part of the show.