Magisk vs KernelSU vs APatch: Which Root Tool Should You Use?

The short answer

How each tool works

All three need an unlocked bootloader, and all three are installed by patching an image with their app and flashing it with fastboot. The difference is where root comes from.

Magisk

Magisk patches the ramdisk, the small part of the start-up image that runs first. When the phone starts, Magisk sets itself up before Android does and adds root without changing the system partition. Depending on the phone, you patch the boot, init_boot, vendor_boot or recovery image. Magisk works on Android 7.0 and newer, and includes Zygisk for modules that run code inside apps.

KernelSU

KernelSU gives root from inside the Linux kernel. It's officially supported on phones with a GKI (Generic Kernel Image) kernel, which most phones launched with Android 12 or later have. It installs in one of two ways:

• LKM mode: the KernelSU app patches your boot or init_boot image so a kernel module loads at start-up. Your phone's own kernel stays in place. The KernelSU project recommends this for phones.
• GKI mode: you replace your phone's kernel with a KernelSU kernel that matches its kernel version. This also works on Samsung phones, where LKM mode doesn't.

KernelSU's App Profile sets exactly what each root app is allowed to do. Its modules use almost the same format as Magisk's, but mounting is handled by a separate "metamodule" that you install first, and Zygisk isn't built in.

APatch

APatch patches the kernel inside your boot image with its own kernel patching code. While patching, you choose a SuperKey, a password of 8 to 63 letters and numbers that controls root access. APatch only supports ARM64 phones with a kernel between 3.18 and 6.12, built with CONFIG_KALLSYMS enabled. It never patches init_boot.

APatch supports two kinds of modules: APModules, which work like Magisk modules, and KPModules, which add code to the kernel itself.

Side-by-side comparison

Which one should you choose?

• Choose Magisk if this is your first time rooting, if your phone is older or isn't on Android 12 or later, or if it's a Samsung phone or a Googlebook. It's also the safest choice when you want to follow a step-by-step guide like ours.
• Choose KernelSU if your phone has a GKI kernel that KernelSU supports and you want fine control over what each root app can do.
• Choose APatch if you have an ARM64 phone whose kernel KernelSU doesn't support, and you're comfortable managing a SuperKey.

How to switch from Magisk to another root tool

Only one root tool can be installed at a time.

1. Remove Magisk with Complete uninstall in the Magisk app. Our uninstall guide covers every method.
2. Check that your phone starts normally without root.
3. Install the new tool by following its official documentation. Reinstall your modules afterwards, because uninstalling Magisk removes them.

To go back to Magisk, remove the other tool the same way, flash your stock image, then install Magisk.

Frequently asked questions