Free ZIP and RAR Software — The 10 Best Tools to Open and Compress Archives
Search for “free ZIP or RAR software” and you get dozens of lists, many outdated or written by a competing vendor. We read the main comparison pages on the web — iTechGuides, TechRadar, Movavi, Fast.io, Compresto, AlternativeTo, SoftPicker, Pureinfotech and the Wikipedia comparison table — and in October 2026 we checked every tool ourselves: licence, platforms, which formats it creates and which it only opens.
What about WinRAR? It is not free. It is a 40-day trial, after which a paid licence is required — even if it keeps running behind a reminder. The good news: you do not need WinRAR to open a RAR file, and every tool on this list opens RAR for free. Only one thing cannot be done for free: creating a new RAR archive, because only WinRAR creates RAR. In practice ZIP and 7z are enough.
Comparison table: the top 10
| Tool | Platform | Licence in plain words | Creates | Opens | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-Zip | Windows | Open source, commercial use OK | 7z, ZIP, TAR and more | Almost everything, including RAR | Maximum compression and encryption |
| PeaZip | Windows, macOS, Linux | Open source, commercial use OK | 7z, ZIP and dozens more | 200+ formats | People who work on several systems |
| NanaZip | Windows 10/11 | Open source, commercial use OK | 7z, ZIP, TAR and more | Same as 7-Zip, including RAR | A modern Windows 11 experience |
| Bandizip | Windows | Free with ads, commercial OK | ZIP, 7z, TAR, ISO | 30+ formats, including RAR5 | Speed and a clean interface |
| Keka | macOS | Free from its website, paid on the App Store | 7z, ZIP, TAR, DMG, ISO | RAR too | Creating archives on a Mac |
| The Unarchiver | macOS | Completely free | Nothing | RAR, 7z and legacy formats | Extraction only on a Mac |
| Ark | Linux (KDE) | Open source, commercial use OK | ZIP, 7z, TAR | RAR and ISO too | The KDE desktop |
| File Roller | Linux (GNOME) | Open source, commercial use OK | ZIP, 7z, TAR | RAR and ISO too | Ubuntu and Fedora |
| 7-Zip-zstd | Windows | Open source, commercial use OK | 7z with Zstandard and more | Everything 7-Zip opens, plus more | Fast compression of big data sets |
| ezyZip | Browser | Free with ads and a size limit | ZIP, 7z, TAR.GZ, ISO | 350+ formats | PCs where you cannot install software |
The 10 best free ZIP and RAR tools
1. 7-Zip
The first choice on every list. Its 7z format compresses very well, which shows when sending a large drawing set. It opens almost any format and integrates with the Windows right-click menu.
Advantages: open source and free for any use; excellent compression with 7z; AES-256 encryption and splitting; a full command line, with a console version for Linux and macOS too.
Disadvantages: a dated interface; the graphical version is Windows only; it cannot create RAR.
2. PeaZip
Second on almost every list. PeaZip supports more than 200 formats, runs on Windows, Linux and macOS, and has a portable version that needs no installation.
Advantages: the widest format support of any free tool; the same program on every operating system; strong security — AES-256, two-factor protection with a password and a key file and secure deletion.
Disadvantages: a busy interface; creates RAR only if the paid WinRAR is installed.
3. NanaZip
NanaZip is built on the 7-Zip source code, appears directly in the new Windows 11 right-click menu without “Show more options”, supports dark mode, and adds formats such as Zstandard, Brotli and LZ4.
Advantages: open source and free for any use; 7-Zip compatible; native Windows 11 integration and automatic updates from the Microsoft Store.
Disadvantages: Windows 10 and 11 only; cannot create RAR; fewer advanced options than PeaZip.
4. Bandizip
Praised for its speed and clean interface. It uses several CPU cores, creates ZIP, 7z, TAR and ISO as well as self-extracting EXE files, and opens more than 30 formats, including RAR5.
Advantages: fast, with a clean interface; the free Standard edition is allowed for personal and commercial use.
Disadvantages: the free edition shows ads; the password manager, ZIP repair and password recovery are paid-only; the Mac version is paid.
5. Keka
The archiver to get on a Mac. Drag files onto its window or Dock icon and you get 7z, ZIP, DMG and more. Keka also opens RAR, can encrypt a 7z archive with AES-256, and splits large files into pieces small enough for email.
Advantages: free to download from the official website for any use; a native macOS feel; encryption and splitting.
Disadvantages: macOS only; cannot create RAR; on the Mac App Store it is paid (only to support the developer), so download it from the website.
6. The Unarchiver
macOS opens ZIP on its own, but not RAR or 7z. MacPaw’s The Unarchiver fills the gap: RAR, 7z, ZIPX, ISO, CAB and legacy formats such as StuffIt.
Advantages: completely free, with no in-app purchases; opens a wide range of formats; very simple.
Disadvantages: extraction only, it cannot create archives; macOS only.
7. Ark
KDE’s archive manager. It creates ZIP, 7z and TAR, opens RAR, ISO and CAB, and lets you preview a file inside an archive without extracting everything.
Advantages: open source and free for any use; in-archive preview; available in every distribution’s repositories.
Disadvantages: pulls in KDE libraries outside the KDE desktop; some formats depend on command-line tools (for example unrar for RAR).
8. File Roller
Also known as Archive Manager, it comes preinstalled on most GNOME-based distributions such as Ubuntu and Fedora. It creates ZIP, 7z and TAR, opens RAR, ISO and DEB and RPM packages.
Advantages: already installed — nothing to download; open source and free for any use; simple and familiar.
Disadvantages: Linux only; few advanced options; formats such as RAR and 7z depend on command-line tools you may need to install.
9. 7-Zip-zstd
A community build of 7-Zip for Windows that adds modern codecs: Zstandard, Brotli, LZ4, Lizard and Fast LZMA2. When backing up simulation results, point clouds or large models, speed often matters more than size, and Zstandard is much faster than LZMA2.
Advantages: the same interface and open-source licence as 7-Zip; very fast compression of large data; opens everything 7-Zip opens.
Disadvantages: a 7z archive made with the new codecs will not open in standard 7-Zip — the recipient needs the same tool; the graphical version is Windows only.
10. ezyZip
A website that compresses and extracts archives inside the browser itself, so according to the site files are never uploaded to a server. It opens more than 350 formats, including RAR and 7z, and creates ZIP (password-protected too), 7z, TAR.GZ and ISO.
Advantages: no install and no account, so it works on locked-down PCs; files are processed on your own computer.
Disadvantages: ads and a size limit in the free version (2 GB per file according to its pricing table); huge archives depend on browser memory; removing the limits needs the paid ezyZip Pro.
Other free options
Xarchiver — a lightweight Linux archive manager tied to no desktop; suits low-powered machines. Open source.
Engrampa — the MATE desktop’s archive manager, a fork of File Roller, for Ubuntu MATE and Linux Mint MATE users. Open source.
Windows 11 built-in support — since version 23H2, File Explorer opens RAR, 7z and TAR with no extra software, and since 24H2 it also creates 7z and TAR. It has no encryption, splitting or archive repair.
RARLAB UnRAR — a free command-line tool from the makers of WinRAR that extracts RAR only.
Outdated advice you will still find online
“WinRAR is free forever.” Not true. It is a 40-day trial. Only the extract-only UnRAR is free.
“Bandizip is completely free and ad-free.” That used to be true; today the free edition shows ads.
B1 Free Archiver, Zipware, ExtractNow. Still listed, but not updated for years — Zipware since 2018, ExtractNow since 2017, and B1 appears abandoned.
IZArc. An old codebase with documented security vulnerabilities (for example CVE-2025-46652), with no sign of active maintenance.
Note too that some lists are written by software makers who rank themselves first.
Practical recommendations
By operating system. Windows: 7-Zip or NanaZip, and PeaZip if you want more. Mac: Keka to create and The Unarchiver to open. Linux: the tool that comes with your desktop — File Roller or Ark — and PeaZip when you need more.
Sending large sets of models and drawings. ZIP opens on any computer without installing anything, so it is the safe choice with clients and contractors. 7z compresses better, but the recipient needs 7-Zip or a similar tool (recent Windows 11 opens it). Do not use 7-Zip-zstd’s codecs with anyone who does not have the same tool.
Encryption. For sensitive files use AES-256 with a strong password, and send the password through a different channel. With 7z you can encrypt the file names too. Note that Windows File Explorer cannot open an AES-encrypted ZIP.
Splitting into volumes. When the file exceeds the email limit, split it into parts. The recipient needs all the parts in one folder and a tool that joins them.
Confidential files. Do not upload them to online extraction sites that process the file on a server. If a browser is the only option, ezyZip processes files on your own computer.
Sources
- iTechGuides — Best File Compression Software in 2026
- TechRadar — Best file compression software of 2026
- Compresto — 10 Best File Compression Software
- Compresto — NanaZip vs PeaZip
- Movavi — Best File Archivers in 2026
- Fast.io — Best File Compression Software
- Wikipedia — Comparison of file archivers
- AlternativeTo — The Best 7-Zip Alternatives
- SoftPicker — How to Open RAR Files Online Free
- Pureinfotech — 7z and TAR on Windows 11
All the tools in one place: free archive and compression software.