They are not the same, if you are not interested in carrying members of the public then perhaps you can get yourself an RAA aircraft. There is a reason why so many hours are flown every year in all sorts of conditions in certified aircraft that are safer than the driving the trip to the airport.
SWH, your comment is ill informed to say the least. Most of the small capacity (4 seat and less) GA fleet will never see charter work again, they are simply private aircraft in private hands. My aircraft for example has only 2 seats and is not and never has been a charter aircraft. It never will be either. My previous 172 was built in 1964 and never did charter in its entire life. There needs to be a classification where VH registered aircraft that will not be used for charter can have the engineering order and TSO avionics requirement changed. Move them to RAA rego perhaps, whatever, it is beyond stupid that I can't fit decent safe reliable and well priced stuff just because bureaucracy is reluctant to change with the times. Updating simple radios is not rocket science.