It's a modified parachute connected by a rope to a boat. The driver of the boat determines where you go and where you land. Paragliders fly free. The hang glider has a rigid frame maintaining the shape of the wing, with the pilot usually flying in a prone position. The paraglider canopy shape is maintained only by air pressure and the pilot is suspended in a sitting or supine position.
Many pilots fly both.
The paraglider is more portable and suitable for back packing to launch sites. It folds down into a large pack but weighing as little as 23 pounds, complete. Paragliders are ready to fly in 5 minutes. It's also somewhat easier to learn to fly a paraglider. In BC, paragliders are flown by pilots from 16 to 72 years of age.