Parrot OS vs Kali Linux : which is best for Ethical Hacking

Parrot OS vs Kali Linux – Well, if we talk about the Linux OS then let me clarify that it is one of the well-known OS among developers and Security hackers. But, apart from this thing, today here in this article we will simply talk about the ParrotOS vs Kali Linux.

Well, first of all, let me clarify that I’ve already practiced both ParrotOS and Kali Linux operating systems for my work and pen-testing work. And I can say that Linux has a varied selection of patterns that are accessible in the industry. 

Whereas, the most well-known pattern employed by most of the security experts and penetration testers is Kali Linux. While the Parrot Security OS is considerably cloud-friendly, and it’s composed of ethical hacking, pen testing, and other computer criminological work. Thus, Comparing to other Linux distributions, ParrotOS is pretty lightweight Linux. 

Therefore, Kali has moved through several emphases in the pattern of updates, while different penetration testing cybersecurity-related organizations were also being exhibited throughout the world.

Thus in this article, we will distinguish Kali Linux with ParrotOS, and we’ll see which operating system is suitable for Ethical hacking. So, now without wasting much time let’s get started and simply explore the whole article.

Parrot OS vs Kali Linux

ParrotOS

Parrot OS is a free and open-source GNU/Linux distro which is based on Debian Testing sketched for security experts, developers, and privacy-aware people. Thus, when I speak about Debian based, it implies that the code containers adhere to Debian development models.

It holds a full transferable arsenal for IT security and digital forensics services. Still, it also holds everything that you require for developing your programs or preserve your privacy while browsing the internet. Thus the operating system crafts with the MATE desktop background preinstalled and is accessible in different classes to fit your requirements. 

Simultaneously with hundreds of pre-installed tools, you’ll get a chance to work and surf unidentified over the web. So fundamentally, we can assume that its a blend of Kali Linux and Frozen box OS. Thus this Operating System adopts Kali repo for updating its devices and additionally has its private repo for collecting custom packets.

FEATURES OF PARROTOS

Free – Well ParrotOS is a free and open-source, thus you can see source code and customize it as per your requirements.

Lightweight  – The ParrotOS Operating system has demonstrated to be remarkably lightweight and run amazingly active even on the ancient devices or with concise resources.

Secure  -  Well, ParrotOS is always updated, usually released, and wholly sandboxed.

Kali Linux

As we said earlier that Kali Linux is a Debian-based Linux distro which is directed at venerable Penetration Testing and Security Auditing.

Kali includes more than 600 pre-installed tools that are equipped with different data security tasks, like Penetration Testing, Security research, Computer Forensics, Web Application Testing, and Reverse Engineering. Moreover, Kali Linux is produced and managed by offensive Security, a leading and well-known information security training organization. 

FEATURES OF KALI LINUX

Free – It is free to utilize like BackTrack, and we will never have to pay for Kali Linux.

More than 600 penetration testing tools covered  –  It appears with different penetration testing tools from the installation itself, After analyzing every tool that was involved in BackTrack.

Multi-language assistance –  Penetration tools serve to be written in English to increase the practice of non-native English users. Thus, Kali involves an accurate multilingual guide, providing more users to perform in their regional language and determine the tools they require for the job.

Fully customizable – The original design of the Kali Linux is not up to the point as the appearance and feel are not so good. Thus to bypass that problem, Kali has done it as easy as attainable for our more adventuresome users to customize Kali Linux according to their desire.

Broad-ranging wireless device supporter - A constant sticking spot with Linux distributions has been approved for wireless interfaces. Thus Kali Linux holds as many wireless devices as possible it can, enabling it to run correctly on a wide diversity of hardware and getting it harmonious with various USB and other wireless devices.

Custom kernel, covered for injection -  As a penetration tester, we usually need to do wireless evaluations and testing, so our kernel has the most advanced injection applications.

Kali Linux vs ParrotOS

Well, after analyzing both the operating system, we can state that both operating systems are intended for similar purposes, like cybersecurity, and penetration testing. Hence, most of the determinants in such cases boil down to a topic of individual taste rather than an accurate comparison now, before we start analyzing ParrotOS vs. Kali Linux.

Comparison of hardware requirement

The hardware specification is something which we overlook most of the time, essentially because we understand that our systems are much more influential than the least hardware specifications computers.

Hence, Parrot needs lower specification hardware when compared to Kali, indicating that it can be operated on low powered laptops and computers.

Thus this is one of the reasons why I favor ParrotOS over Kali Linux, but I like and apply both of them as I stated its never about which operating system or tool you are utilizing, it all depends on your skills.

Parrot OS

• No Graphical Acceleration Required.
• Minimum 320MB RAM is needed.
• A minimum of 1GHZ dual-core CPU is needed.
• It can boot in both legacy and UEFI forms.
• At least 16GB of disk space is needed to install the operating system.

KALI LINUX

• Graphical Acceleration Required.
• Minimum 1GB RAM is needed.
• A minimum of 1GHZ dual-core CPU is needed.
• It can also boot in both legacy and UEFI forms.
• At least 20GB of hard disk space is needed to install the operating system.

COMPARISON OF LOOK AND FEEL

When it appears to look and feel of an operating system, I often prefer fancy ParrotOS over Kali Linux because the interfaces of ParrotOS is created utilizing the Ubuntu-Matte-Desktop-Environment. Hence, there are two distinct sections. 

On top, you can notice a pane that contains the Applications, Places, System, which is much like Kali itself. Thus, ParrotOS additionally gives some excellent information about CPU heat simultaneously with a usage graph. Thus bottom pane holds the menu manager and the workstation manager.

Comparison of Variations

Well, both the operating systems appear with a diversity of variations, but Parrot OS has many more in courses of variety.

KALI LINUX

• Kali Lite Edition
• Kali Full Edition
• Kali armhf/armel (IoT devices)
• Kali Desktop Variation (e17/KDE/Xfce)

PARROT OS

• Parrot Sec OS Lite Edition
• Parrot Sec OS Full Edition
• Parrot Sec OS Air Edition
• Parrot Sec OS Studio Edition

As we can see, Parrot has some different features with a relief concentrated on wireless penetration testing (AIR) and one that is tuned for multimedia content creation(studio). Thus it also has releases that have cloud assistance and assistance for IoT devices. As it gives the basic full and lite edition simultaneously with custom desktop interfaces(e17/KDE/Matter/LXDE). Further, Kali also has assistance for cloud and IoT devices.

Comparison of Performance

When we speak about the performance, Kali is a bit laggy, and when you manage it on a low-end system, sometimes it’s a horror experience when you have a brute-force making going on in the background, and you making something else. But Parrot is very lightweight and doesn’t lag much, as it runs on low specification systems as well.

Conclusion

Basically, here in this article, we tried our best to make you understand the topic about Parrot OS vs Kali Linux so, we hope that you got a fair idea about the Parrot security OS and Kali Linux as we explained pretty much the whole thing about both the operating systems in a specific manner.

But picking an operating system is depends on your taste and choice if you have a low specification system then we would hugely recommend you to go with Parrot OS and if you wish to explore more tools and experience the sophisticated environment, you can choose Kali linux.

So, what do you think about this? Simply share all your views and thoughts in the comment section below. And if you liked this post then simply do not forget to share this post with your friends, family and on your social media profiles as well.