A client pays a professional or firm for services such as legal advice, accountancy, design or therapy, often as part of an ongoing relationship. A customer buys goods or services from a seller, which can be as simple as a single purchase at a shop. A law firm has clients; a bakery has customers.
The core difference
A client is served by a professional or firm on an ongoing basis, while a customer simply buys goods or services from a seller.
- client — pays a professional or firm for services such as legal advice, accountancy or design: she takes on three new clients a month.
- client — in computing, a program or device that connects to a server: download the desktop client to sync your files offline.
- customer — buys goods or services from a seller: she's been a customer of this bakery for years.
How to tell them apart
Client suggests a relationship built on advice or expertise — a solicitor, an accountant, a designer, a therapist. It also covers people receiving support from a social worker or care agency. Customer suggests a more straightforward transaction: goods or services bought from a seller, whether that is a bakery, a shop or an online store.
The mix-up often shows up in business writing, where firms sometimes call every buyer a client to sound more professional, even when the relationship is really a simple purchase. If money changes hands for advice or a bespoke service, client fits; if it is a straightforward sale, customer is the natural word.
