Distinction Between ITIL and PRINCE2

1. ITIL

ITIL (formerly an acronym for Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a set of detailed practices for IT service management (ITSM) that focuses on aligning IT services with the needs of business.

2. Prince2

PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a structured project management method and practitioner certification programme. PRINCE2 emphasises dividing projects into manageable and controllable stages.

Distinction Between ITIL and PRINCE2

ITIL	PRINCE 2
The IT Infrastructure Library (or ‘ITIL’) is an IT-specific service management framework. ITIL pertains to IT service management	PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a process-based method for effective project management.
Service management is maintaining and developing the services that are currently provided.	PRINCE2 is a de facto standard used extensively by the UK Government and is widely recognised and used in the private sector, both in the UK and internationally
ITIL does not sufficiently train Service Managers to bring projects to a satisfactory close, its focus being rather on the provision of long-term services	The method PRINCE2 is in the public domain, offering non-proprietorial best practice guidance on project management.
ITIL assists Project Management by defining the guidelines that each release must adhere to with regard to testing, acceptance scheduling, securing code etc.	A project has by definition, only a temporary lifespan
ITIL is an IT approach to maintenance and supporting certain situation	PRINCE2 does not cover the support and development required of an IT Service Manager after the design and implementation of the initial product
ITIL will take over from PRINCE2 to support and maintain the results	Project Management is focused on the delivery of projects (which may or may not result in a release) within a defined scope, budget and timeframe
ITIL is a Process Management certification.	(PRINCE2) is a project management certification
With the ITIL you set up IT standard	Prince2 is about generic project management, so not specific to IT and is applicable to any industry.
ITIL requires something to guide it; that is, ITIL is the “what” not the “how”.	Prince2 is applied on a IT project, after the project is finished and the result is used by the organisation
ITIL focuses on operations, and mostly ignores development/solutions. ITIL seldom ventures into project management or portfolio management, and it skips a lot of aspects of request management.	With the use of PRINCE2 you can run any project and not necessary an IT project