Hi Pat- Most folks use the terms interchangeably. Crock Pot is technically a name brand of slow cooker. So while all crock pots are slow cookers. Not all slow cookers– which come in many different brands– are crock pots. However, any recipe can be used in either interchangeably. Many people use the term crock pot informally like the use the word kleenex to refer to a tissue, even if the tissue is a different brand. Hope that helps!