"Authoritarian communists" believe a state is needed to build communism, and as aspects of people's lives are made better with a socialist state, the influence and impact of the state will wither away as the systems of community direction become more robust and helpful.

Anarchists believe the state is a fundamentally broken tool, and that it will only seek to maintain power, rather than wither away.

Both believe in the end goal of a stateless, classless, and moneyless society.