Differences between Adobe Flash Player and AIR

By Elena Iordache Last updated Mar 23, 2022

Adobe Systems is a multinational software developing company that offers a great array of programs that you can use for various purposes. Some of their most well-known and widely used software are:

Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Originals
Adobe Presenter
Adobe Premiere Elements
Adobe Animate
Adobe PDF Reader
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Shockwave Player
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Adobe Flash Player
Adobe AIR

You wouldn’t believe it, but the last two programs on this list get confused by users all the time. However, there is a significant difference between Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR, even though both of them belong to the Flash family of Adobe Systems. Keep reading to find out what makes them different from one another.

The Differences

Both these pieces of software are basically used for the same thing, mainly loading and displaying flash content. However, the palpable difference between Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR in this case is that one is used for desktops, the other for mobile platforms. Can you guess which is which?

Well, of course Adobe Flash Player is used for desktops. You can use it either as a plugin or as a standalone app and it helps you watch Flash SWF content on your desktop or computer browser. For the desktop, Adobe Flash Player can only be used in app form, while within your browser it runs as a plugin.

Adobe AIR on the other hand connects to your mobile device’s resources. Said mobile device can either be a smartphone or a tablet, generally. Adobe AIR is either downloaded straight to a device or embedded into an app in order to help that app run Flash SWF content independently. So, to recap, Adobe Flash Player is for desktops and Adobe AIR is for mobile devices. That’s about it.

Adobe Flash Player AIR