This is question that we get asked a lot and our response is that it’s a business decision that you’ll have to make based on your circumstances.  Reasons to file a provisional application over a regular application Some of the benefits of Provisional Applications are that they are much cheaper than regular applications (usually costing about 1/3 as much) and faster to prepare than regular applications which will allow you establish your priority at the patent office faster and at a lower cost so that you can go out and discuss, build, market, sell your invention to others and/or determine whether it’s worth the investment to file the full utility/regular patent application.  In short, similar to the regular application you’ll enjoy the “Patent Pending” status & secure your invention with the filing of the Provisional Applications. Reasons to file a regular application over a provisional application  Some of the benefits of proceeding with a regular application over filing a provisional application are that if you know that you’re eventually going to file for a regular application filing for a provisional application first results in just added cost and further delays in the examining and hopefully in the issuance of your patent.