The main difference is color temperature. Daylight bulbs measure between 5,000K and 6,000K, meaning they produce light that is perceived as bright white. Soft white bulbs measure between 2,700K and 3,000K, casting a warm, yellowish glow.

Soft white is warm and, as the name implies, softer, while daylight is cool and bright. (Though you may have pictured "daylight" as warm and sunny, it's more accurate to picture a blue sky.) The other two most common light bulb color temperatures are warm white and cool white, which fall between soft white and daylight on the spectrum.

Soft white light bulbs, which are between 2,000 and 3,000 Kelvins, are slightly lower in temperature and emit a warm and cozy light. Daylight bulbs come in a few notches higher on the scale—between 5,500 and 6,500 Kelvins—and therefore have a cleaner, more pure white tone.

Soft white lights are 2,700K to 3,000K and display warm light tones across the spectrum of orange, red, and yellow. Daylight bulbs are 5,000K to 6,500K, emitting a cooler, bluish tone.