| Feature | TCP | UDP | 
| Connection status | Requires an established connection to transmit data (connection should be closed once transmission is complete) | Connectionless protocol with no requirements for opening, maintaining, or terminating a connection | 
| Data sequencing | Able to sequence | Unable to sequence | 
| Guaranteed delivery | Can guarantee delivery of data to the destination router | Cannot guarantee delivery of data to the destination | 
| Retransmission of data | Retransmission of lost packets is possible | No retransmission of lost packets | 
| Error checking | Extensive error checking and acknowledgment of data | Basic error checking mechanism using checksums | 
| Method of transfer | Data is read as a byte stream; messages are transmitted to segment boundaries | UDP packets with defined boundaries; sent individually and checked for integrity on arrival | 
| Speed | Slower than UDP | Faster than TCP | 
| Broadcasting | Does not support Broadcasting | Does support Broadcasting | 
| Optimal use | Used by HTTPS, HTTP, SMTP, POP, FTP, etc | Video conferencing, streaming, DNS, VoIP, etc |