While the two names sound similar, they are in fact entirely different.

Python is a general purpose programming language that is on top of the popularity charts among programmers worldwide. IPython, on the other hand, is an interactive command-line terminal for Python. 

Standard Python runs in the interactive MODE by invoking it from the command terminal to start a REPL (Read, Evaluate, Print and Loop) with Python prompt >>>

IPython is an enhanced Python REPL with much more features as compared to standard Python shell. Some of the features are given below:

• SYNTAX highlighting
• Stores the history of interactions
• Offers features such as Tab completion of keywords, variables and function names
• Has object introspection feature
• Has magic command system for controlling Python environment
• Can be embedded in other Python programs
• Acts as a main kernel for Jupyter notebook.

IPython has been DEVELOPED by FERNANDO Perez in 2001. Its current version is IPython 7.0.1, that runs on Python 3.4 version or higher. IPython has spun off into Project Jupyter that provides a web based interface for the IPython shell.

IPython is bundled with Anaconda distribution. If you intend to install IPython with standard Python, use PIP utility

Or better still, you can install Jupyter. IPython, being one of its dependencies, will be installed automatically.

The following diagram shows the IPython console.

The Jupyter notebook frontend of IPython looks as below: