$http is for universal purpose. It is an Ajax call.

$resource warps $http for use in RESTful web APIs.

$http is built into the AngularJS framework.

$resource needs to add the module separately.

$http is good for quick retrieval.

$resource is good for conditions slightly more complex than $http.

$http is injected directly into an AngularJS controller by the developer.

$resource does not allow us to do much with data once it is consumed in the application. It is in the final state when it is delivered to the HTML DOM. The data is the same that the $http method will receive.