Parasites that live inside the body of the host are called endoparasites and those that live on the outside are called ectoparasites. An epiparasite on the other hand is a parasite that feeds on another parasite.

Social parasites do not directly feed on the tissue of their hosts like true parasites instead they gain benefit from their host by convincing the host to provide food or other benefits. A good example of a social parasite occurs when there are generalized non-specific mutualisms between classes of organisms. For example some plants can behave as "mycorrhizal cheaters", establishing mycorrhiza-like interactions with a fungal symbiont, but taking carbon from the fungus (which the fungus, in turn, gets from other plants) rather than donating carbon. Another example is the cockoo bird which leaves its young with a host to raise. This type of parasitism is often called brood parasitism.