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Difference between Binary Tree and Binary Search Tree

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Binary Tree Data Structure:

A tree whose elements have at most 2 children is called a binary tree. Since each element in a binary tree can have only 2 children, we typically name them the left and right children. 

Binary Tree Data Structure 

Binary Search Tree Data Structure (BST):

A binary Search Tree is a node-based binary tree data structure that has the following properties:  

  • The left subtree of a node contains only nodes with keys lesser than the node’s key.
  • The right subtree of a node contains only nodes with keys greater than the node’s key.
  • The left and right subtree each must also be a binary search tree.
  • There must be no duplicate nodes.

Binary Search Tree Data Structure 

Difference between Binary Tree and Binary Search Tree:  

Feature Binary Tree Binary Search Tree (BST)
Definition A tree data structure where each node can have at most two children nodes. A binary tree in which for each node, all elements in its left subtree are less than the node, and all elements in its right subtree are greater than the node.
Node Insertion Nodes are inserted without any specific order. Nodes are inserted according to their values, maintaining the BST property.
Node Lookup/Search No specific order; full tree traversal may be needed to find a node. Efficient lookup using the binary search property, reducing the search space by half at each step.
Time Complexity (average case) O(n) for insertion, deletion, and search. O(h) for insertion, deletion, and search, where h is height.
Space Complexity O(n) as it only depends on the number of nodes in the tree. O(n) as it only depends on the number of nodes in the tree.
Application Used in various tree-related algorithms and data structures. Ideal for applications where efficient search, insertion, and deletion are required, such as in databases and dictionaries

Last Updated : 04 Mar, 2024
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