| Characteristics | Moderates | Extremists |
| Objective | They aimed to achieve more inclusion of Indians within the British administration and they didn’t want to overthrow the British rulers completely. | Their objective was to oust foreign rule from India and attain complete Independence. |
| Social Base | Zamindars and upper middle classes in towns. | Educated middle and lower middle classes. |
| Ideological Inspiration | Western liberal thoughts and European history. | Inspired by rich Indian history, cultural heritage, and Hindu traditional symbols. |
| View on Mass participation | They believed that the masses were not yet ready for participation in political work and thus the movement should be limited to the middle-class intelligentsia. | Had immense faith in the capacity of the masses to participate and to make sacrifices. |
| Believed political connections | Emphasized the connections with Britain to India’s social, political, and cultural interests. | Believed that political connections with Britain were responsible for the exploitation of India. |
| Loyalty | Professed loyalty to the British Crown | Believed that the British Crown did not deserve Indian loyalty. |
| Means of revolt | Insisted on the use of constitutional methods like Prayer, Petition, Persuasion, and Philanthropy. | They resorted to the use of extra-constitutional methods like boycotts and passive resistance to achieve their objectives. |