PGP and GPG are two programs for the development of communication through electronic mode in a computer. Today almost everyone uses email as an important source for communicating with others. But it wasn’t safe before as anyone’s email details and information sent could be easily forged by anyone. To come by this problem, there was an intention of two programs that were PGP and GPG, which solved the security problem.
PGP vs GPG
The main difference between PGP and GPG is that the PGP is used by the software of the RSA and the algorithm of IDEA encryption, and, on the other hand, GPG is used in software having advanced encryption of NIST and AES, which are standardized forms of by nature.
PGP is the short form for Pretty Good Privacy. This software program was first invented and developed by Phil Zimmerman. Initially, it was copyright of freeware which came under Gnu publicly license, but later on, it was upgraded, which made it into a proper program. This is a freeware that was copyrighted before.
GPG is the short form of Gnu Privacy Guard. This is an upgraded version of the PGP. This software program does not make use of the IDEA algorithm of encryption. This makes it completely free of cost to use. GPG is actually based on a line of commands. Other than this, the Windows frontend is also available.
Comparison Table Between PGP and GPG
| Parameters of comparison | PGP | GPG |
| Full form | The full form of PGP is Pretty Good Privacy. | The full form of GPG is Gnu Privacy Guard. |
| Function | PGP is actually the original freeware that was copyrighted for programming. | GPG is the updated version and re-written version of PGP. |
| Algorithm used | The RSA and IDEA encrypted algorithm is used in the PGP program. | The NIST AED, the advanced standard encryption algorithm, is used in GPG. |
| Uses | PGP has restrictions when it comes to using for personal and commercial use. | GPG can be used in both personal and commercial uses by downloading the free digital signature and encrypted program. |
| Owned by | PGP is actually owned by a company called Symantec, which is a proprietary solution. | GPG is a source that is open to all in a standard form. |
What is PGP?
PGP is the short form for Pretty Good Privacy. This software program was first invented and developed by Phil Zimmerman. Initially, it was copyright of freeware which came under Gnu publicly license, but later on, it was upgraded, which made it into a proper program. This is a freeware that has been copyrighted before.
The reason that PGP had to undergo an upgrade was because of the trouble of loyalty and the cost of defense legally, which were related to the laws of export in the USA. The PGP Corporation is right now the one that holds the PGP Software. PGP is used by the software of the RSA and the algorithm of IDEA encryption. This software is considered to have a clean and polished interface of Windows.
This software was created long back in the year of 1990s. This is currently owned by a software security company named Symantec. Over these years, PGP has been updated and developed today for better encryption and improved performance, which makes it standardized in nature. PGP is observed to be using multiple a number of encryption such as hashing and data compression, which help in protecting the high-end information of the company.
What is GPG?
GPG is the short form of Gnu Privacy Guard. This is an upgraded version of the PGP. This software program does not make use of the IDEA algorithm of encryption. This makes it completely free of cost to use. GPG is actually based on a line of commands. Other than this, the Windows frontend is also available.
GPG is used in software having advanced encryption of NIST and AES, which are standardized forms by nature. GPG is basically an updated version of PGP and hence has better compatibility than PGP. GPG doesn’t actually have a patent as such. This makes it royalty-free to use for people.
Usually, this software is said to be restricted for commercial and personal uses. But one can use this for personal stuff by buying the digital signature and email encrypted versions, which are free that can be downloaded from GPG itself. GPG has an amazing feature that makes it easier to decode files that are encrypted by PGP too. It has the capacity to work smoothly with many products.
Main Differences Between PGP and GPG
- The full form of PGP is Pretty Good Privacy, and, on the other hand, the full form of GPG is Gnu Privacy Guard.
- PGP is actually the original freeware that was copyrighted for programming, and, on the other hand, GPG is the updated version and re-written version of PGP.
- The RSA and IDEA encrypted algorithm is used in PGP program whereas, NIST AED, advanced standard encryption, is used in GPG.
- PGP has restrictions when it comes to using for personal and commercial use, and on the other hand, GPG can be used in both personal and commercial services by downloading the free digital signature and encrypted program.
- PGP is actually owned by a company called Symantec, which is a proprietary solution, while, on the other hand, GPG is a source that is open to all in a standard form.
Conclusion
Both these software programs help maintain the privacy of emails as they allow people to get encrypted. Only people who are authorized will be able to read the messages and are really difficult to forge by a third party.
To make these programs run efficiently, the computer a person, is using should be secure.
If a computer is infected with a virus, it must be made secure to run such programs in their full strength. The most significant factor is that both the PGP and GPG are related and should work smoothly together, depending on the application a person uses to encrypt messages into the software.
References
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=wTx_xj12ZzsC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=pgp+vs+gpg&ots=ukVHwhRrWe&sig=WUNwjJiFQJYhnekhcX1tfdjoOdQ
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6021726/