1. Visual characteristics

Usually cotton bobbles more than its counterpart linen, meaning that over time the material, especially if it is being highly used at all times, gets small ball-shaped threads on the surface. It happens as cotton fibers are generally weaker than linen’s. However, fear not, because you can always find and buy a gadget that is specifically designed to remove unwanted fluff and bobbles.

Moving on, linen is evidently more wrinkly than cotton. Both materials can wrinkle easy because they are made from natural fibers, but linen has more stiffness, therefore, is more prone to wrinkles.

2. Durability

Both linen and cotton are very durable and completely natural textiles. Nevertheless, cotton is a slightly more flexible material than linen and can stretch better. Although cotton has the before mentioned qualities, linen is more durable than cotton.

If you take proper care of your linen products, they will last you up to several decades. If you take good care of your cotton garments, they will also last you well. It all depends on the quality of the material and how well you take care of it. Cotton can last from 3-5 years to several decades.

If you decide to buy finer cotton, like Egyptian, know that it is made from long-staple fibers of cotton. These kinds of fibers make this cotton softer and better lasting than standard cotton. Anyhow, on the matter of durability, cotton loses to linen.

You can easily note that linen is way more rigid than cotton, but it also lasts longer because the yarn, from which the material is made, has tightly wrapped cellulose fibers. The fibers are also longer than the ones in the cotton yarn.

3. Drying

The quick-drying ability is seen in both materials. Linen is well known for being able to “magically” wick the moisture. When it is hot and the body starts to sweat, linen material draws the liquid out of your skin and proceeds to dry quickly. It works with all kinds of liquids. As mentioned before, cotton also sports this ability to draw out the water, but linen dries faster than cotton.

4. Absorbency

Cotton and linen fabrics have a fascinating power of absorbency. It is also known that water strengthens the fibers of both materials. Cotton is a little better absorbent than linen. Generally, cotton can hold approximately 25% of its weight in water, while linen holds up to 20%.

5. Breathability

Both natural materials are known to be very breathable, although there are some differences between linen and cotton.

The breathability of cotton material depends entirely on how the fabric was made. It correlates directly with the weave of the fabric but not with the fibers of cotton themselves. Some materials of cotton, like denim or canvas are relatively less breathable, because they are thicker.

The breathability of linen depends on the flax linen fibers. The fibers are hollow, therefore, the linen material is highly breathable, meaning that air and water can circulate with ease. So it's obvious that linen is more breathable than cotton.