Do you need an archiver at all?
For plain ZIP files, often not. On a Mac you Control-click a file and choose Compress, and double-clicking a ZIP expands it. Microsoft says Windows 11, version 24H2 supports ZIP, RAR, 7z and TAR, and you create a ZIP with Send to, Compressed (zipped) folder. In the browser, our create ZIP tool and unzip tool work without uploading anything.
A separate archiver pays off when you want the 7z format, passwords with strong encryption, split archives, or RAR files on an older system.
Formats compared
What each archiver can create and what it can only open, from the official pages:
| App | Creates | Opens RAR |
|---|---|---|
| 7-Zip | 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP, WIM | Yes, unpacking only |
| PeaZip | 7Z, ARC, Brotli, BZ2, GZ, PEA, TAR, WIM, Zstandard, ZIP | Yes; creating RAR needs WinRAR installed |
| NanaZip | Based on 7-Zip, adds Brotli, LZ4, Zstandard and more | Not stated on the page |
| The Unarchiver | Extracts only | Yes, including encryption and multiple volumes |
| Ark | tar, gzip, bzip2, zip, 7z and more | Listed |
Opening RAR is easy for free, creating it is not: PeaZip needs WinRAR installed for that, and 7-Zip lists RAR under unpacking only. If someone asks you for an archive, send ZIP or 7z.
Which format to send
ZIP is the safe choice when you do not know the recipient's computer, because Windows and macOS open it without extra software. 7z usually packs smaller: 7-Zip states a high compression ratio in 7z format with LZMA and LZMA2, and for ZIP and GZIP a ratio 2 to 10% better than PKZip and WinZip. Photos, videos and MP3s are already compressed, so an archive barely shrinks them. Our guide on lossy and lossless compression explains why. For a large PDF, the PDF compressor saves more than zipping it.
To check whether a file will fit an email attachment limit, convert the size with the data storage converter. For files too large for email, see the free file transfer list.
Passwords and safety
7-Zip offers AES-256 encryption in 7z and ZIP formats. Send the password through a different channel than the archive, for example by phone or text message, not in the same email.
Be careful with archives you did not expect. A ZIP or RAR file can hide a program with a document name, so look at the file extensions inside before you open anything, and delete archives from unknown senders. When you archive your own files for a backup, give them clear names first: our guides on file naming conventions and backing up your files help with both.
Frequently asked questions
Is 7-Zip free for business use?
Yes. The 7-Zip site says you can use it on any computer, including a computer in a commercial organization, without registering or paying. Most of the code is under the GNU LGPL, some parts under the BSD 3-clause license, and the RAR code has unRAR license restrictions.
How do I open a RAR file for free?
7-Zip, PeaZip and The Unarchiver all open RAR files, and Microsoft says Windows 11 version 24H2 supports RAR along with ZIP, 7z and TAR. Creating RAR files is different: PeaZip says that needs WinRAR installed, and 7-Zip lists RAR under unpacking only.
What is the best free archiver for Mac?
The Unarchiver is free and opens RAR, 7z, Zip, Tar and many other formats on macOS 10.13 or later. For ZIP files alone you need nothing extra: Finder compresses and expands them. PeaZip runs on macOS too if you also want to create 7z archives.
Does 7-Zip run on Mac or Linux?
Only as a console version. The 7-Zip download page lists console builds for Linux and for macOS on arm64 and x86-64. The graphical app is for Windows. PeaZip offers the same graphical interface on Linux, macOS and Windows.
Does the free version of Bandizip have ads?
Bandisoft lists the license as advertising-supported software or commercial software, and says Bandizip is free to use in business environments. Features like the password manager, archive repair and password recovery are exclusive to the Professional Edition.