Induction motor is a simple, rugged and one of the most popular motors in the electrical industry. Whereas synchronous motor is a complex, comparatively costly motor which requires a lot of maintenance as compared to the induction motor. Both machines are widely employed in the electrical industry and are used for their specific applications. Given below are the top ten differences between induction and synchronous motor.
| Induction Motor | Synchronous Motor |
| No dc field current is required for excitation | A separate DC field current is required for excitation |
| Simple construction | Complex construction |
| Always runs at speed that is less than synchronous speed | Always runs at synchronous speed |
| Speed control is possible | Speed control is not possible |
| Cannot be used for power factor improvement | It can be used for power factor improvement |
| Sudden load changes has no significant effect | Sensitive to sudden load changes |
| Doesn’t requires lot of maintenance | It requires a lot of maintenance |
| Motor runs at lagging power factor only | Motor can run at leading as well as lagging power factor |
| An increase in load decreases the speed of motor | With increase of load, the speed still remains same |
| Is inexpensive as compare to synchronous motor | Costly |