Similarities: Both the water cycle (or hydrological cycle) and nitrogen cycle are global biogeochemical cycles. That is, both the cycles represent nutrient (which is essential for living organisms) movement at global scale and this movement takes place through the biological components (living beings, such as plants, animals, etc.) and geological components (soil, rocks, etc.) of our environment.
Differences: In water cycle, water changes its state as it cycles through various components of our environment. It converts from liquid water to solid ice through freezing and converts back through melting. Water also converts from liquid water to water vapor (gas phase) through the process of evaporation and converts back through precipitation. No bacterial action is involved.
In comparison, the nitrogen cycle represents the conversion of nitrogen into its various chemical forms, such as ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc. Many of these conversions take place with the help of bacteria (nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria).
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