The basic difference between an inverter and a UPS lies in the switch-over time when there is a power cut. The switch-over time is the time taken by the device to supply current to the home appliances when there is load-shedding. A UPS takes minimal time which ranges in between 3 to 5 milliseconds. On the other hand, the standalone inverter takes 10 to 100 milliseconds. This relatively high delay in the inverter is acceptable for household appliances such as fans and lights. But for sensitive devices such as computers, this delay may lead to system crash and rebooting and in the process, loss of data. This delay in an inverter is due to the reason that a standalone inverter does not come with an inbuilt battery, unlike a UPS. Therefore, it has to draw power from an external battery and make the transformation from DC to AC. Secondly, in a UPS, the devices or appliances are connected directly through plug holes, but it is not the case with an inverter. The inverter uses the main supply line for sending the power from the battery to the appliances and hence, there is a relative delay in comparison to a UPS.