Abstract: This paper compares the essential substance, design concept and applicability of stress-based pipeline strength design with strain-based pipeline strength design. Results display that the stress-based pipeline strength design that originated from traditional material strength theory is an elastic design that under load with force as a control parameter, such as internal pressure, temperature difference, etc., and the strain-based pipeline strength design that originated from limit design concept is a plastic design, applicable to the load with displacement as control parameters for major geological disasters, the latter is used when the former can not satisfy the strength requirements of pipelines, and is supplementary to the former. It puts forward the applicable conditions for strain-based design method and the problems that need attention, and has certain guiding significance for using this method in future pipeline design.