ENTJ vs. INTJ comparison focuses on how these two personality types differ from each other. It symbolizes their differences in terms of cognitive functioning and overall behavior patterns. 

ENTJs are naturally outspoken, energetic, and sociable. They derive their mental energy from social interaction and communication in large groups. 

INTJs are the exact opposite in terms of how they derive their mental energy. They prefer spending time alone and thus derive their mental energy from deep inside themselves. 

Both these types have many common elements. They are organized, planned, and meticulous. Moreover, both are intuitive thinkers which mean they use their gut feeling to understand future possibilities. And perhaps they both are smart and intelligent.

In this post, we will talk about the various contrasting shades of these two similar looking personality types.

ENTJ vs. INTJ

INTJs are naturally thoughtful and analytical. They prefer to remain quiet most of the time but surely offer their insight into a conversation whenever needed. These individuals have an imaginative inner world that is unique and thinks at its best. INTJs are sometimes known as the architect. They are logical thinkers who can analyze each and every detail before arriving at a conclusion.

ENTJs are typical extroverts and they are ever talkative, social, lively, and bossy. People with ENTJ preferences are logical and intuitive. Just like an INTJ, they seek future possibilities and work towards bigger goals in life. These individuals lack patience and prefer to reach goals without much interference in their style of working.

These two types share a lot of common personality traits. It is difficult to separate them unless we know the subtle functional differences that set them apart. INTJs are inward-focused while ENTJs do not mind being the star performer. They prefer the spotlight on them and feel stressed out if they somehow go unnoticed in the public space.

INTJs may feel hesitant to kick start with a work that they have not done before but an ENTJ will take up new challenges easily. Socially, ENTJs are more active. They have command over language and thus they can make themselves clearly to others pretty easily.

INTJs and ENTJs are intelligent and incredibly competitive. They believe in personality development and work hard to overcome their weaknesses and develop their skill set for achieving big goals in life.

Both this personality type has neat homes. They are organized and prefer to build closed spaces of comfort that are well-planned and beautiful. These two personality types are hard to pin down. Their level of ambition is unmatched and they can put in maximum effort to make things happen.

As far as their emotional maturity is concerned, INTJs and ENTJs differ significantly. INTJs have a better understanding of their finer emotions, although they prefer to keep their feelings deep within. They are less expressive than ENTJs. 

On the flip side, ENTJs do not know the finer emotional aspects of themselves. Instead they react much more than responding thoughtfully in a situation. Therefore, we can say that INTJs are emotionally mature and they have the ability to control their overwhelming emotions better than an ENTJ.

Both these types are efficient, organized, and plan things perfectly. They are goal-directed and task-oriented. These qualities also make them able leaders. ENTJs and INTJs are inspiring professionals. They set a good example before others in terms of their ability to accomplish goals on time. 

Last but not the least, both ENTJs and INTJs are direct communicators. They prefer straight talk and will not convey anything under cover. You will not beat along the bush to understand what they are trying to convey you through the message.

In the next section, we will bullet the points of similarities between these two Myers Briggs types in a detailed manner.

The Points of similarities between an ENTJ and INTJ personality types

Although both these personality types are logical thinkers with great communication abilities, they have certain other similarities that also make them look alike.

ENTJs have extraverted thinking as a dominant cognitive function. They possess introverted intuition as a secondary function. Likewise, an INTJ personality type has introverted intuition (Ni) as a dominant function and extraverted thinking (Te) as an auxiliary function. 

Therefore, these two personality types have many common features that make them appear similar from the outset.

  • Both ENTJs and INTJs are independent thinkers.
  • ENTJs and INTJs are driven towards a long term goal. They are career driven and always prefer to dream big in life.
  • Both these personality types have very high expectations from themselves and others. In some situations, they behave like a perfectionist and tend to achieve higher pursuits that many others would never dare to accomplish in life.
  • ENTJs and INTJs are meticulous, neat, and well-organized. They have orderly homes that look beautiful. Maybe each corner of the house has its own finesse and style.
  • Both these personality types are intimidating by nature. They are critical, nitpicky, and may start finding faults with others or the system in general. 
  • These two types are not always socially savvy because of their emotionally cold nature.
  • INTJs and ENTJs are intelligent, sharp thinkers. They prefer to acquire knowledge from diverse learning sources.
  • INTJs and ENTJs are in need of constant intellectual stimulation. 
  • Both prefer thoughtful conversations that are insightful and interesting.
  • These two personalities are logical and never allow emotions to play any role in their decision making process.
  • Both ENTJs and INTJs are an imaginative and creative bunch. They see big possibilities that are achievable and work relentlessly towards their goal.
  • Both love to take risks and get things done.
  •  Their problem solving ability is unmatched. ENTJs and INTJs have creative problem solving abilities that sets them apart from other 16 personality types. 
  • They can perform well under pressure.
  • ENTJs and INTJs are attracted to hard things in life. They have never desired the life of a commoner. They prefer to challenge themselves to achieve the most difficult goals in life.
  • Both these types are quick thinkers and can think much ahead of the present time. They’re future-focused and believe in creating a beautiful life for themselves.

ENTJ vs. INTJ – The key differences

In the previous section, we have pointed out the fundamental similarities of ENTJ and INTJ personality types. Here we will enumerate the basic differences that can help you understand which type you belong to. 

Notifying the finer contrasts of these two types also helps in understanding why these two types behave differently in various social setups. 

ENTJINTJ
The first difference is that of introversion-extroversion preferences, the way they derive their mental energy and use it precisely. ENTJs are extroverts. 
They are socially inclined and love to interact with others. ENTJs enjoy being around others and source their mental energy from various social interactions and communication. 
Group life gives them pleasure and heart’s content.		INTJs are reserved and inward-focused. This means they prefer to live alone and never get stuck into too much socialization. Their friends are well chosen and are a few in numbers. 
INTJs are introverts and they source their mental energy from deep within. Introverted qualities manifest in their quiet, sober, and reticent nature. 
Prefers one to one communication and lives a long time inside their thoughtful minds
ENTJs have extraverted thinking as a dominant function. They can also derive meanings from disparate ideas but not as good as the INTJs.
ENTJs are more comfortable working with actionable ideas that can be turned into reality. 		INTJs are deeply thoughtful. They have introverted intuition as a dominant fi=unction. This makes them more intuitive than ENTJs. 
INTJs can connect the dots and derive a whole meaning out of some hints. 
ENTJs are keen to try out new things more often than an INTJ. Their extroverted nature makes them highly energetic. They love to do things that are new and innovative. Trying out new things also gives them a sense of accomplishment. INTJs prefer to do things that they know the best. They avoid trying out new things because they fear setbacks and failures much more than an ENTJ.The INTJ type seeks less adventure as they prefer doing the same thing over and over again without any issues.
ENTJs and INTJs are able leaders. But the ENTJ is more upfront. They prefer to lead from the front. In doing so, an ENTJ can also appear dominating and commanding to their teammates.INTJs can become great leaders too. They prefer to stay behind the scenes and help other team members achieve success for the organization. 
They hate the public eye and prefer to follow an isolated leadership style as much as possible.
ENTJs prefer to learn by doing and actively participating in the learning process. They learn well through brainstorming discussions in groups. Hand-on learning style is their first preference.INTJs learn well through observation, analyzing data, and researching information on their own. 
These individuals prefer to learn on their own. Group activities are stressful for them as they find it cumbersome to relate with so many people together.
While discussing communication ability, ENTJs have an edge over INTJs. This is due to their extroverted qualities. 
ENTJs love to talk and make many friends. They are naturally tuned to the outside world, thus good communication is no big deal for an ENTJ.		INTJs are less talkative. They will use fewer words to convey their message to others. They are good with offering advice and giving suggestions to others in trying times. 
You will never find an INTJ engaged in small talk or gossip because they really do not know how to do it. INTJs are concise and direct, much more than an ENTJ as far as conveying a message is concerned.
ENTJs love a fast-paced and energetic working environment. They prefer to work with others in teams. INTJs love to work slowly, often in their slow-paced style. They are individual contributors and prefer calm work setups that are non-interfering. 
In workplaces, INTJs love minimal distractions and a lot of focus in the overall system to thrive well; otherwise they may feel overwhelmed and out of control emotionally.
ENTJs are spontaneous decision makers. They use their gut instinct but can decide pretty faster than an INTJ. Being an extrovert, ENTJs will never mull over options. They are fast and prompt decision makers.INTJs are thoughtful and cross check everything before making a concrete decision. They take longer to decide the important matters of their life. 
They will choose their options wisely before committing to a definite course of action.
ENTJs are organized and planned in all their endeavors. They never get bothered with details, instead focusing only on the big picture. They are meticulous with excellent time management skills. ENTJs are fewer perfectionists than an INTJ.INTJs are perfectionists. They will not settle for anything less than excellence. These masterminds are inventive, creative, and logical to the core. Thus, they will see each and every detail to become successful in life.
ENTJs are better at handling daily life stressors. They may feel overwhelmed at times but know how to get out of the rut.INTJs are reserved fellows. They tend to take things personally and cannot handle stress at all. They start behaving in odd ways, such as becoming more anxious and irritable; or getting into the groove of nervousness while handling daily pressures.
ENTJs are more adaptable in changing times as compared to INTJs. They are flexible and fast-paced. They will hate to sit back with one project at a time. They are open to multitasking and can stay flexible with others as well.INTJs are rigid and stubborn. They are non-compromising and fail to adjust with changing circumstances in life. 
Sometimes coping with new situations can be extremely overwhelming to an INTJ because they prefer to stick to known situations only.
In relationships, ENTJs lead their bonding and put a lot of effort in building the bond. ENTJs are good at initiating contact, taking the other person for a date, and communicating clearly before going ahead in the relationship.In relationships, INTJs remain quiet and prefer their partner to lead the relationship. 
INTJs will support their partners yet refers to having alone time in the relationship. They never like their privacy being encroached in a relationship.
In parenting also, ENTJs take charge and prefer to command and dominate the parenting relationship fully. As parents, they are always hands on and interfering.As parents, INTJs are patient and believe in giving more space to their child’s opinion and wisdom. They prefer to guide their children instead of controlling their each and every action.
ENTJs have diverse interests. They have multiple hobbies to spend their free time wisely.INTJs have limited choices. They prefer to either read, or listen to music, or do something else that soothes them fully in leisure hours. INTJs have limited interests and they are happy with it.
ENTJ vs. INTJ

To Sum Up

ENTJs and INTJs share many key qualities. Even their differences are complimentary. Both are able leaders but their style of managing people and systems vary greatly. People with ENTJ preferences have immense energy and exuberance that is completely lacking in INTJs.

Contrary to this, INTJs are thoughtful decision makers and can hardly make mistakes while making important life decisions; whereas ENTJs decide in haste and can go terribly wrong at times. They may have to pay a big price for their faulty decision making policies.