How is an executive order different from a law?

Answer 1

President signs an executive order and is not signed off by Congress.

A law is passed by Congress and signed by the president or overridden a veto.

This scenario can be applied to governors and state legislatures.

Answer 2

The executive order, signed by the governor or the president, only applies to the agencies within the executive branch of the government. The laws, passed by the legislature and then signed by the executive or made effective by the executives failure to sign within a certain time frame, apply to all the people of the state or nation. The law has a more general application than an executive order.

Answer 3

I have a different approach to this question.
We have the 3 branches of the Govenment; Congress or Legislative Branch (senators and representatives) pass the laws; the Judicial (with the Supreme Court of the United States at the top) decipher the laws [or interpret them]; the Administrators (President, Governors, Mayors, etc.) ENFORCE the laws.
That is it in simplicity: It is the Presidents ORDER to do or refrain from doing, whatever.

Answer 4

regerugged gave the right full answer. I want to add this because you may be confused about it.
Lately, executive orders are illegal according to the definition because they're applied outside the boundaries of the government administration.
Not a minor detail, it's the line that divides a real democracy (where law comes from the representatives of the people) and a tyranny (where the law comes from the tyrant).

Answer 5

An executive order is written by the President. It applies to the operation of his Administration.
A law is enacted and voted on in both houses of Congress. When signed by the President it becomes applicable to everyone in the country.