The major difference is the 5/3/1 Plan is that it is slow. It's not like the other popular ones, say...P90X, which claims to get you ripped in 13 weeks, 7 days a week of workouts. 5/3/1 isn't going to change much in 13 weeks, but the progress is constant and steady. Give it 6 months, and you'll notice you made substantial progress.

Slow changes are much longer lasting. It's also a lot more reasonable in terms of time spent in gym. Highly useful when you have a demanding job or a family (or both).