OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) is a link-state routing protocol that uses the Dijkstra algorithm to compute the shortest path tree for each route. It supports an unlimited number of hops, making it suitable for larger and more complex networks. OSPF also supports only equal-cost load balancing, which means it can only balance traffic across paths that have the same cost metric.
EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol), on the other hand, is a distance vector protocol that uses the Diffusing Update Algorithm (DUAL) to achieve rapid convergence and ensure loop-free operation at every instant. EIGRP supports a maximum of 255 hops, which is typically more than sufficient for most enterprise networks. Additionally, EIGRP is capable of unequal-cost load balancing, allowing it to distribute traffic across multiple paths with different metrics, optimizing the use of network resources4567.
References := Cisco Community's Dynamic Routing Protocols, GeeksforGeeks' Difference between EIGRP and OSPF, Cisco Community's OSPF vs EIGRP, Cisco Learning Network's EIGRP vs OSPF