the pain is slightly different in my experience. it feels more like... well, have you ever eaten something really spicy and then had to pass it in your stool? it's like that but your bladder instead. with uti it feels more. idk. like my pee is infected, lol. another way to tell is to notice when the symptoms happen - what did you eat in the 24 hours before the symptoms started? mine is entirely related to my consumption of acids, so if i had something with cranberry juice, tomato, lemon, vinegar, etc, it's a pretty easy tell that it's ic and not a uti

The only difference I’ve noticed is when I have a uti my pee is very cloudy and might smell stronger. Sometimes you can get a bit of a fever as well

A uti makes your pee burn..I was having them so often was when I went to a urologist..he did the test,took pictures of the inside of my bladder,showed me the cracks..the pain of IC is located inside your bladder..not the urethra..thats the difference in the pain..for me..when the acid hits those exposed nerves, everything from my waist down hurts

I tend to feel IC more like throbbing or radiating pain in my right flank/side/mid back, in addition to pelvic area. UTI feels more centralized and sharp in lower pelvic area and has urinary pain, cloudiness, or a strong scent.