Fuses and circuit breakers are the two most common forms of circuit safety. All circuit breakers and fuses are doing the same job- to avoid overload or disconnect the circuit if conditions such as overcurrent occur. However, there are a few fundamental differences in how they both operate.

Fuse

• Fuse is an electrical safety device that eliminates power from the circuit when the current is too high at the electrical circuit. It consists of a filament embedded in glass porcelain or ceramic case which usually completes the circuit. In the case of a surcharge or the metal, the filament is shortened and the circuit becomes open.
• A fuse acts on the conductive materials with electrical and thermal properties. They do not give any indication, and there is no need for any auxiliary contact. They are independent of temperature in the atmosphere and protect against power overloads only. Their breaking capacity is low than the circuit breakers, and most importantly, their mode of operation is completely automatic. The downside of the fuse is that when they are exploded, they must be replaced.
• A fuse is a safety tool that must be replaced once the defect has been cleared. It is the simplest and most common form of safety circuit, used in most house wiring systems. The companies are providing fuses in hundreds of design ratings and shapes, but they all are the same in functionality.

Circuit breaker

• The circuit breaker works on the principle of electromagnetism and switching. To complete a circuit, the circuit breakers use a set of contacts, and their shifting system has a metallic trigger which can be operated by a bimetallic platform solenoid. The short-circuit pressures the solenoid to attracts the metal lever which runs on the system with magnetic circuit breakers.
• Circuit breakers are made of different types, from small devices to big switchgear to support home appliances and to protect the high voltage circuits. It is an over-current protection system meant to act as an interrupter and can be reset to restore normal operations (either manually or automatically).
• The circuit breakers provide power overload protection and short circuit safety. They are stable and reliable electrical devices. The auxiliary contact is required in circuit breakers and has high breaking capacity compare to fuse.
• In comparison to fuse, the cost of the circuit breaker is high, which depends upon applications.