Difference between cron and anacron

Both cron and anacron  can schedule execution of recurring tasks to a certain point in time defined by the user.

Major differences are:

1. cron gives minimum time set can be in minute while anacron gives it in days
2. cron job can be scheduled by any normal user while Anacron can be scheduled only by the super user.
3. cron expects the system to be up and running while the anacron doesn’t expect the system to be up and running all the time. For anacron, if a job is scheduled and the system is down that time, it will execute the job as soon as the system is up and running so cron is ideal for servers while anacron is ideal for desktops and laptops.
4. cron should be used when you want a job to be executed at a particular hour and minute while anacron should be used in when the job can be executed irrespective of the hour and minute.