| Inorganic fertilizers | Organic fertilizers / biofertilizers |
| 1. They are nonrenewable nutritional resources. | 1. They are renewable nutritional resources. |
| 2. Inorganic fertilizers are synthetic and are in the form of chemicals. | 2. They are biological in origin. |
| 3. They are mixtures of mineral salts of NPK in definite proportions. | 3. Organic fertilizers are farmyard manure, green manure and compost. Whereas, bio fertilizers are live bacterial, cyanobacterial (mostly N2 fixing) or fungal formulations which enhance the nutrient quality of soil. |
| 4. Excessive use of inorganic fertilizers results in pollution of soil, groundwater and air. | 4. They do not cause pollution. |
| 5. They are not part of sustainable agriculture. | 5. They are part of organic farming and sustainable agriculture. |
