Braxton hicks?

Are Braxton hicks just cramps? Well I mean are they low like where menstrual cramps are? And do they kinda feel the same. I've been having what I thought was just cramps every once in a while all week and tonight I had a painful one like a tightening in the same area last just a minute but it had me bending over. Just wondering if all these are Braxton hicks or just cramps.