1) The scope of management accounting is broader than that of cost accounting.

2) Both the accounting streams are not a legal requirement.

3) Cost accounting provides only cost information for managerial use whereas management accounting provides all types of accounting information i.e., cost accounting as well as financial accounting information.

4) In Cost accounting, the main emphasis is on cost ascertainment and cost control whereas in management accounting the main emphasis is on decision-making.

5) The various techniques used by cost accounting are standard costing, budgetary control, marginal costing and cost-volume-profit analysis, uniform costing and inter-firm comparison, etc. whereas management accounting also uses these techniques but also uses techniques like ratio analysis, funds flow statement, statistical analysis etc.

6) Cost Accounting is a part of Management Accounting whereas Management accounting is an extension of managerial aspects of cost accounting with the ultimate intention to protect the interests of the business.