No: a preface is written by the real author, speaking directly to the real reader, usually about the book's background, while a prologue is part of the story itself, written in the voice and world of the book, usually a scene that happens before or outside the main narrative. They sit in roughly the same position, right before Chapter 1, which is almost certainly why the two get confused so often, but they're doing fundamentally different jobs.
This is part of The Parts of a Book: A Complete Front Matter Guide.
A preface is nonfiction, even in a novel: it's the author, as themselves, talking about the book, why they wrote it, how it came to be, what they hope readers take from it. It's genuinely front matter, separate from the story.
A prologue is fiction: it's a scene, written in the story's voice, often set before the main timeline, in a different point of view, or revealing information the rest of the book will build toward. Technically, a prologue isn't front matter at all; it's the beginning of the story, even though it typically appears in the same physical location, right before Chapter 1.
A preface makes sense when there's genuinely useful context about the book's origins that a reader would benefit from knowing before starting, common in memoir, and in novels based on real events or personal experience where the author wants to establish that connection upfront.
A prologue makes sense when there's a scene, moment, or piece of information that needs to happen outside the main narrative's usual time, place, or point of view, but that meaningfully sets up what follows. It should function as a real scene, not as a disguised way to dump backstory or information the main narrative could convey more naturally.
Prologues have a mixed reputation in publishing, and some readers, agents, and editors actively distrust them, often because many prologues in practice are backstory or worldbuilding dressed up as a scene, without pulling their weight as genuine narrative. A prologue that exists mainly to explain things the writer felt uncertain about conveying naturally in Chapter 1 is usually a sign the prologue isn't needed, or that the information belongs elsewhere. See Does Your Novel Need a Prologue? for a fuller breakdown of when a prologue earns its place.
Ask: is this written in the voice of the story, about a moment in the story, even if it's a different time or perspective than the main narrative? If yes, it's a prologue. Is this the real author speaking directly and honestly about the book itself, outside its fictional world? If yes, it's a preface. If what you're writing does neither, it might not need to exist as a separate section at all.
Rarely, and it's usually unnecessary. Since a preface explains the book's real-world background and a prologue is part of the fictional story, having both risks front-loading a reader with two separate pieces of framing before the actual narrative even starts, which can dilute the momentum a strong opening chapter needs. If you find yourself wanting both, it's worth asking whether one of them could be cut or folded into the other.
Not Sure If Your Prologue Is Working?
Beta readers can tell you honestly whether your prologue is earning its place, or whether readers are more engaged once the main story actually starts.
Not technically. A prologue is part of the story itself, even though it usually appears in the same position, right before Chapter 1, as true front matter elements like a preface.
It's possible but rare, and usually unnecessary. Having both risks front-loading two separate pieces of framing before the reader reaches the main story.
A preface is written by the real author, speaking as themselves. A prologue is written in the voice and world of the story, as part of the fiction itself.
Because many prologues in practice function as disguised backstory or worldbuilding rather than a genuine scene, which can feel like a stall before the real story begins.