The difference between responsive and adaptive web design are that the responsive design will reconfigure all design elements whether it's viewed on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone.
While the adaptive design, different fixed layouts are created that adapt to the users screen size.
Adaptive design will (theoretically) ensure the best user experience according to whichever device the user is using to interface.
Unlike responsive design, where a screen “flows” from desktop design into a smaller device's, adaptive design offers tailor-made solutions.
Adaptive design refers to graphical user interface (GUI) design that adapts to different screen sizes.
Designers apply it in GUIs, such as webpages, which must function on devices of different sizes.
In other words, adaptive design uses a few fixed layouts, and then selects the best layout for the current screen size.
Responsive web design (RWD) is a web development approach that creates dynamic changes to the appearance of a website, depending on the screen size and orientation of the device being used to view it.
Responsive design relies on proportion-based grids to rearrange content and design elements.
Responsive web design is divided into three main components: the media query, the web browser, and the responsive web interface itself.
Responsive sites are designed to work on any size screen and device, from the biggest desktops to the smallest smartphones.
Instead of creating different layouts to fit different sizes and resolutions, responsive sites check the size of the device and adjust themselves automatically to fit.
Responsive design can help you solve a lot of problems for your website.
It will make your site mobile-friendly, improve the way it looks on devices with both large and small screens, and increase the amount of time that visitors spend on your site.
It can also help you improve your rankings in search engines.