Non Root Install
Non root install is the normal route. Patch the target app, install the finished file through the standard installer, and use the patched copy like any other app. It works on an ordinary phone with no modifications, and it is the route this site recommends for first time patchers. This page is part of the Morphe manager patching collection.
The only cost of non root install is the update step. Each update is a fresh patch and install, and the keystore must stay the same or the new copy cannot replace the old one. That is a small price for a phone that stays completely stock.
Root Install
Rooted phones get a mount based installer option. Instead of installing a separate copy, the patched app is mounted over the stock app, so the stock app icon and data stay in place while the patched code runs. Updates survive without data loss, because the mount is reapplied rather than the app being replaced.
Root install suits patchers who already run a rooted phone and want patched apps to behave exactly like stock apps, including keeping the original icon and data. It is not a reason to root a phone on its own, because non root install covers the same patches.
For the next step, see Morphe Backup Settings and Keystore in the guides, which continues this setup from where this page leaves off.
Choosing
Choose non root unless your phone is already rooted and you understand mount based installs. Non root keeps the phone stock, keeps the original app untouched, and keeps troubleshooting simple: a bad patched copy is deleted, not unmounted.
Choose root install only when the phone is already rooted and the mount behaviour matters to you, such as keeping one icon and one data set for an app. Either way, the patch choices are the same, and the patched result plays the same.
Related reading: Morphe Best Patch Picks, which covers the neighbouring part of this workflow.
Conclusion
Non root for almost everyone, root install for phones that are already rooted. The patches do not change between the two routes, only the way the finished copy lands on the phone.