Head-to-head · Hard Drive Partitioning Software
Parted Magic vs GNU Parted
Parted Magic leads on 0 checks, GNU Parted on 1, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 2 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.
Our verdict
- Highest scoreParted Magic · 8.6/10
- Free planonly GNU Parted
Parted Magic scores higher on our rubric for hard drive partitioning software: 8.6 against 8.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #6.
GNU Parted offers free plan; Parted Magic doesn't.
Parted Magic is the better fit for technicians needing bootable disk maintenance and recovery. GNU Parted is the better fit for linux users comfortable with command-line partitioning.
- Parted Magic fits best
Technicians needing bootable disk maintenance and recovery
- GNU Parted fits best
Linux users comfortable with command-line partitioning
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Side by side
| Feature | Parted Magic 8.6/10 Visit ↗ | GNU Parted 8.4/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 8.6 | 8.4 |
| Ranking | #4 in Hard Drive Partitioning Software | #6 in Hard Drive Partitioning Software |
| Best for | Technicians needing bootable disk maintenance and recovery | Linux users comfortable with command-line partitioning |
| Pricing model | Paid | Free |
| Starting price | — | Free plan |
| Free plan | — | ✓ (best) |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Deployment | Desktop, Self-hosted | Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Linux | Linux |
| Support | Email, Docs | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Features Parted Magic 1/3 · GNU Parted 1/3 | ||
| Resize and move | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Disk cloning | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Bootable media | ✓ | ✓ |
| Specs | ||
| Supported OS | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Partition tables | Both | Both |
| Max disk size | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Our review | ||
| Pros |
|
|
| Cons |
|
|
| Our verdict | Parted Magic is a bootable Linux-based disk utility for home users, system administrators, IT departments, refurbishers, and recovery or asset-disposal teams. It runs from USB, optical media, or PXE rather than requiring installation on… Read the review → |
GNU Parted is free, open-source partitioning software for Linux, aimed at people who are comfortable managing disks from a command line. Its parted frontend works interactively or in scripts, and the included libparted library supports… Read the review → |
Strengths and trade-offs
Parted Magic — where it wins
- Handles MBR and GPT partition operations, including moving and resizing.
- Combines cloning, imaging, recovery, and secure drive erasure.
- Boots from USB, optical media, or PXE without host installation.
Where it doesn't
- Paid product with no free plan.
- Single Version includes no future updates.
- No documented operation for merging partitions.
GNU Parted — where it wins
- Creates, deletes, and resizes partitions across GPT and MS-DOS tables
- Checks alignment and supports a broad range of filesystem types
- Offers interactive, scriptable, and libparted interfaces
Where it doesn't
- Command-line operation is less turnkey than a graphical workflow
- Does not support moving or merging partitions
- Offline root-partition workflows point users to GParted Live
- Parted Magic8.6/10 · Paid
A broad bootable maintenance toolkit, sold through one-time and subscription licenses.
Visit Parted MagicFull verdict → - GNU Parted8.4/10 · Free plan
A scriptable Linux partitioning tool for users comfortable with command-line workflows.
Visit GNU PartedFull verdict →
More comparisons
- EaseUS Partition Master vs Parted Magic
- EaseUS Partition Master vs GNU Parted
- GParted vs Parted Magic
- GParted vs GNU Parted
- Paragon Partition Manager Community Edition vs Parted Magic
- Paragon Partition Manager Community Edition vs GNU Parted
- Parted Magic vs KDE Partition Manager
- Parted Magic vs Paragon Hard Disk Manager
All hard drive partitioning software comparisons → · Full ranking →
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update





