Banks and credit unions have very similar product and service offerings. The biggest differentiator is banks are for profit while credit union are not for profit.
For Profit means banks are privately owned and publicly traded. Because of this, banks tend to focus on making a profit, rather than centering on the needs of the account holder. You’ll often find that banks charge more and higher fees and have higher lending rates.
Not for profit, not to be confused with nonprofit, means credit unions are owned by their members (or customers), so they are not focused on making a profit for private shareholders. Instead, any profits made are reinvested back to the members in the form of lower fees, lower loan interest rates and higher rates on savings products.