The Silk Road connected China with the West and facilitated trade between the different territories that stretched through the region. On the other hand, the Indian Ocean trade route connected Asia to Africa, from Java to Zanzibar and Mombasa. The route also facilitated trade exchanges between the different regions. The Silk Road route was predominantly on land and crossed water ways at the Mediterranean Sea while the Indian Ocean trade route moved predominantly on water (Indian Ocean) between ports. The Silk Road got its name from Silk because this was a major export from China which received wool and other textiles from Rome, while on the other hand the Indian Ocean trade route also known as the Cinnamon Route got its name because of the trade items which were majorly spices.

The Silk Route and the Indian Ocean trade route were both aimed at linking the West to the East. The products that went across both routes included silk and spices from the East and processed textiles from the West.

Many of their similarities appear in the goods that were transported and many of their major ports of call were also similar.  The dangers faced as they traversed their routes were obviously somewhat different, but they both faced pirates and thieves and they also had to deal with difficult weather conditions and terrible storms.

The Maritime route, or perhaps what you are referring to as the "Indian Ocean route" also allowed an extension of the silk (and spice and horses and everything else that was traded along the route) farther north through the Mediterranean Sea to Italy and other parts of Europe, a route that had not been established quite as thoroughly overland at the time.