Magisk has replaced SuperSU on thousands of Android devices, but is it the best method to root Android in 2019? In this post, we will take a look at Magisk vs SuperSU to find out what is the best method to root Android now in 2019.
Android is the most widely used operating system on mobile devices all around the world. Since its birth, Android has greatly improved. Over the course of the past few years, Android has been becoming better and secure. Although Android OS, in its stock form, is highly customizable, the rooting solutions gave users more privilege to modify their phones. Rooting solutions have existed since the birth of the Android ecosystem. The open nature of Android allowed the development enthusiasts to mold Android into whatever they wanted.
For those who have no idea about what root is, let’s look into the answer. The term root originates from Linux OS. Since Android is like an offshoot of Linux, the term rooted got replicated for Android as well. The purpose of the root is the same on both the Linux and the Android i.e. to give user access to the system files of the operating system.
Android users root their phone to get various outputs. The root access paves a way for some really useful applications that can completely tweak an Android phone. Users can modify the UI of their phone using such applications. They can also enhance the performance of their phone. The CPU of an Android phone can be overclocked or underclocked. Some users took the opportunity to perform battery optimizations by playing with the system files of Android. Some of the greatest root-access-inventions include applications like Titanium Backup and Greenify. As of 2019, there’s a never-ending list of apps for rooted phones that can enhance your Android experience by leaps and bounds.
Superuser vs SuperSU
Back in the good old days, we had amazing developers taking care of all things custom for Android. A custom recovery named as ClockworkMod was developed for Android. This recovery allowed users to flash superuser which easily rooted the phone. The superuser was developed by Koush, the guy who was behind ClockworkMod recovery and SuperSU was developed by Chainfire, who is also known as the root-God in the Android world.
The fame of SuperSU
Both the superuser and SuperSU offered almost same features. SuperSU turned out to be more famous because of continuous updates and its stability. With each new iteration of Android, Chainfire updated his SuperSU package and it kept working smoothly. Chainfire also introduced a CF-Autoroot package for the Samsung Galaxy and Google Nexus phones. Users only had to flash this single file on their phone in order to root it. Typically, users need a custom recovery and the SuperSU.zip file to root the phone. Samsung and Google Nexus users were quite lucky in this regard as they had a cooked all-in-one zip file.
Starting from Android Lollipop, Google focused more on Android security. When Google reached Android Marshmallow, it tried to restrict the users from rooting their phones. The security updates patched some of the root methods. Chainfire had to update his SuperSU to work with the new Android system. However, at this stage, it was evident that Google will keep trying to kill the root access so it was the time for Android users to brace themselves.
SuperSU acquired by a Chinese Company & Google introduced SafetyNet
Back in 2015, a Chinese Company bought SuperSU from Chainfire. However, Chainfire announced that he will keep working on SuperSU in collaboration with the company for a couple of years. At this stage, SuperSU was still working well. And then came the year 2016, when Google introduced SafetyNet. SafetyNet simply restricted the applications from working on rooted phones and that’s when problems for root users started pouring in.
Birth of Magisk
In October 2016, the famous XDA developer released a script named Magisk. The script was capable of bypassing SafetyNet and laid the base for systemless root on Android handsets. Magisk turned out to be a new life for Android while the users were getting sad about the probable end of SuperSU approaching them.
Magisk rose to fame when it allowed gamers to play Pokemon Go on rooted Android phones. Magisk also hides the root from all the apps that refused to work on rooted Android phones. It came with its own Magisk Manager which allowed root users to install mods on the go. There are thousands of modules available for Magisk Manager today.
SuperSU updates halted
In the meanwhile, Chainfire also updated the SuperSU for systemless root. The years of SuperSU’s support by Chainfire were passing by and in May 2019, In his Google+ post, Chainfire announced that he is retiring. Chainfire’s retirement didn’t mark the end of SuperSU, SuperSU is still here and working flawlessly on millions of Android phones. SuperSU will just not see any further Android updates and, so will other root applications of Chainfire. The developer is busy working on his other projects.
SuperSU and Magisk in 2019
So, as of writing this post, there are two most popular root solutions i.e. Magisk and SuperSU. Since the birth of Magsik, a huge number of users have opted for it and they are not relying on SuperSU anymore. So, if you are going to root your Android phone for the first time, the only question that’s going to tickle your mind is what script you should use. This is where you have to see Magisk vs SuperSU comparison. The answer to this question is really simple and I will just list a few points to explain it.
SuperSU vs Magisk
| SuperSU | Magisk |
| Modified system back in the day, Systemless root came later on. | Systemless Root |
| SuperSU - Limited Control | Magisk Manager - Extended control over root behviour |
| Only roots the phone and does nothing else. | Magisk Modules - Install thousands of Modules to modify your phone on the go. |
| Acquired by Chinese Company called CCMT | Being run by topjohnwu and a number of Android enthusiasts |
| Bypassed SafetyNet after Suhide release, it took a lot of time. | Bypassed SafteyNet with its initial release. |
| Closed Source | Open Source- Updated very frequently |
Conclusion: SuperSU was/is Legendary, but Magisk is the winner in 2019
After Chainfire’s retirement and SuperSU being closed source, it is clear that this script is not going to see further updates. At some point, the SuperSU might stop working and it will fade out. On the other hand, Magisk’s development is just getting more and more improved. Magisk is currently supporting Android P’s developer previews as well. The development is not only active, but it’s also fast. Keeping in view how easy Magisk has made the things for Android users once again, it will not be wrong to say that Magisk is here to stay for at least a decade.
So in 2019, the best method to root Android undoubtedly is Magisk!
Download Magisk | Download SuperSU | Magisk Thread | SuperSU Thread
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