[Android General] kyokeun1234:
If you are a root user, you probably know what recoveries are, and you probably know what CWM and TWRP are. If you don't, please Google it, since this thread isn't about what recovery is...

I've been using CWM since my first Android device, Nexus S. However, after I switched to Galaxy Nexus, I've noticed this new recovery, which was TWRP, Team Win Recovery Project (Correct me if I'm wrong :)).

Since I've used both as my daily recovery, I thought it'll be helpful for people to create a thread that compares these two :)

TWRP:

CWM:

These are version of recovery that I'm going to compare:

CWM version 6.0.1.0 Touch version for Galaxy Nexus

TWRP 2.2 for Galaxy Nexus

UI

Let's start with User Interface of these two recoveries. TWRP offers this fresh look that is not only easy to use, but also very intuitive. It has these big, yet polished buttons that makes using it a pleasure. I personally think that the UI is one of the strongest points of TWRP. CWM, on the other hand is just simple. It is just lines of options. For some, this might be great, but for a lot of people, including myself, it just not polished.

Navigation

Navigation is probably one of the most important elements of recoveries. TWRP offers really great navigation. Its "Swipe to Confirm" is one of my favorite, since this reduces the chance of flashing or wiping by mistake. It also offers this Back and Home button, which looks very familiar. CWM offers just easy-to-use navigation. That's it. Nothing too complicated. I find CWM to be just pick-it-up and flash kind of recovery.

Features

Now this is where TWRP shines big time. It offers soooooo many to the table than CWM. It has built in keyboard for naming backups and such. It has built in terminal, which can be pretty useful. It has built-in battery indicator and time, which is really handy. It also has built in file manager. It does all that with "basic features" such as flashing zip, factory resetting, mounting, and backup and restore. CWM just offers basic featues, nothing more. Of course, not a lot of people are gonna use terminal or file manager on recovery, but it is good to have a choice.

Compatibility

This is where CWM shines big time. Since, CWM was the only recovery until TWRP showed up, every mod and ROM is designed for CWM. Of course, since I am comparing Touch version, I have to mention that handful of mods doesn't work on CWM touch and only works on non-touch. This doesn't mean TWRP is only compatible with handful of mods. TWRP also works on most of the mods, but if there's a mod that you really want but only works on CWM, that can be a real pain in the rear end. Also I don't know if this also happens on other devices, but for Galaxy Nexus, if you want to flash stock ROM from Google developer site, TWRP won't let you.

Verdict

So which one is better? That's your personal opinion. Plus, I didn't create this thread to say which one is the best. I only created this thread so you guys know what each recoveries is right for you. I personally find CWM to be a little more stable and I find that CWM just works. However, TWRP offers these new and fresh features that advanced, and even just basic users and appreciate, but I still find that TWRP needs to work on some parts.

So which recovery do you use? I would like to know ;)