Load times

Load time performance varies significantly between responsive and adaptive designs. Adaptive websites typically load faster on mobile devices because they serve device-specific content and resources.^[1] The server detects the user's device and only sends the assets (images, styles, scripts) necessary for that specific layout, reducing unnecessary data transfer.

Responsive websites often face greater load time challenges because they send the same code to all devices, even if certain elements won't be displayed on smaller screens. While responsive images and lazy loading can help mitigate this issue, the initial page load still includes CSS and JavaScript needed to handle various screen sizes. This can particularly impact users on slower mobile connections or devices with limited processing power.