I'm aware of installation differences; in the past there was a difference between the CD and download versions of the desktop software with respect to the number of transactions that you could import (and report).
"In prior years, the CD version allowed a higher number than the download version:
A short note about transaction limits
Importing [brokerage] data requires TurboTax Premier or better. Also, there are transaction limits when importing your transaction data (Form 8949 & Schedule D) with Turbotax Online and TurboTax CD/download software. TurboTax Online has a ≈1,500 transaction limit. TurboTax CD/downloadable software has a ≈2,000 transaction limit per brokerage account with a total sales volume of less than $10 million."
That said, it appears that the new limit is 10,000 transactions for either version (and probably the online version as well:
https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/import-export-data-files/[product key re...
