This is the mobile age. The amount of web traffic that is identified from mobile devices like mobile phones and tablets is increasing day-by-day. In such cases, users are looking for exceptional experiences on their mobile devices, at par with their desktop experiences.

There are multiple methods using which websites are developed for mobile. Two of the most popular methods are creating responsive websites and using mobile templates, i.e., m. sites. Let’s see how they fare in comparison with each other.

Responsive Web DesignMobile Templates
Have almost all the functionality and features of the desktop site Have features that are mobile friendly; this is usually a subset of the desktop site's features
You can use the same domain (URL) as your desktop site to display your website on a mobile device You will need separate domains for each mobile template that you will have
All mobile traffic contributes to the SEO of the website link The organic search traffic gets split between the different URLs of the different websites
A single responsive website will work for all screen sizes You will require different templates for different devices
You require a single site and content repository. Changes will need to be made only at the single repository for it to get reflected across all devices. Different site and content repositories will be required for each site. A single change will have to be made in all repositories for it to be shown across all devices.
Creating a responsive website from the scratch requires higher investment as the existing website, if not responsive, will need to be redesigned. A new website can be developed without affecting and independent of the existing website.
Developing & designing a responsive website requires more technical expertise and knowledge of Media Queries. Designer need not have as much technical expertise as required for a responsive website.
Design of responsive websites needs to be kept simple and include less design elements. As the design elements increase, making the site responsive becomes more difficult. Complete creative freedom is allowed on the website as the mobile site is a responsive version.
A responsive website will adapt to future devices as well as media queries are written for screen resolutions. A separate website will need to be developed for each new device that is launched.
Website does not have any redirects. Page starts loading as soon as Enter is hit or link is clicked. Initial load time is slow because of redirects to the mobile site according to the device used.
Same link can be shared for all devices. Sharing the m. link from a mobile phone and opening it in a desktop will open the mobile site on the desktop.
Design and load speed are affected by integrating third-party applications Since the site is built for mobile devices, it will load faster and the display will be better

As you can see, both design styles have their own pros and cons. What style you want to adopt should be decided on the basis of your requirements.