Network encryption, or transport encryption, protects data in transit between one point to another – for example, between mobile application and its backend, between website and web server. Examples of transport encryption protocols are TLS, IPSec, SSH. Transport encryption only works during transmission.
Application level encryption works on a different level – the data is encrypted within the application, such encryption depends on a context. Often, ALE requires extra work – encryption code should be added to the application, developers should define when to encrypt and when to decrypt the data. ALE protects from more risks than transport encryption, but at the cost of tradeoffs.