require simply loads a feature, assuming it exists. use-package can do a whole lot more, including installing the package, configuring auto-loads, setting up k

require simply loads a feature, assuming it exists. use-package can do a whole lot more, including installing the package, configuring auto-loads, setting up key-bindings, pre- and post-load configuration, etc. It's a third-party package itself at this point, but I believe it's going to be included in Emacs before too long.