Rehoboth Beach boardwalk:

It is 1 mile long rather than over 4 miles in Ocean City.

Thrashers, Dollies and Fishers Popcorn are all well represented here too.

There are a few arcades but carnival/midway rides are absent.

Mileage is marked to encourage exercise walkers.

There are lots of hotels and rental cottages and condos vs the slightly seedier looking accommodations out on the Ocean City Boardwalk.

It feels newer, more environmentally conscious, a bit more relaxed and closer to nature.

The town, Rehoboth Beach, is all about shopping.  I am certain that I have not seen a higher concentration of clothing, home décor and whatnot shops anywhere.  The entertainment district spills all the way out to Rte 1 where they try to lasso in vacationers who might else wise head to Ocean City.

We strolled the 2 miles and grabbed some lunch while we watched the dolphins and ships pass by.

We have had a pretty limited sampling of both boardwalks but my current thinking is: If I go boardwalk I say go gaudy and loud, Ocean City.