[Windows] Best free file archiver (aka file compression program or ZIP utility)
October 31, 2012 34
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Are you looking forward to mailing a large file but the upload speed is just freaking your mind out? Or do you have multiple files and you want to archive them together? Or maybe you have downloaded a ZIP or RAR file and you want to unextract it? Well, if you are using Windows, you have plenty of options of software that will help you accomplish just that. You can go for different software as there are plenty of them, but the good freeware software is not that easy to find. This article looks at the top free software that you can use for compressing, archiving, or ZIPing/unZIPing your files.
This review is part of our Best Free Windows Software section. Check out more articles on the best free Windows programs from here.
Table of Contents
Best Free File Archiver
Program Name: 7-Zip
Developer: Igor Pavlov
Download Size: 1.09 MB
Version Reviewed: 9.22 beta
Requires: NT/98/Me/2000/XP/2003/Vista/Server 2008/7
Pros
- Is able to extract (aka “unzip”) files from over 22 archive formats, including ZIP and RAR
- Allows users to encrypt archive contents
- Can split archives into multiple pieces
- Can be integrated with Outlook
- Adds itself to the right-click context menu of Windows Explorer, providing users with quick access to common 7-Zip commands
- Can create self-extracting archives
- Very good compression ratio
- Has helpful online forums
Cons
- Interface is ugly
- Can extract from 22 archive formats but is limited to a handful of formats for creating archives
Discussion
7-Zip is the best archiving/compression/ZIP program you will find. Not only can it extract contents over 22 archive formats — ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, CramFS, DEB, DMG, FAT, HFS, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MBR, MSI, NSIS, NTFS, RAR, RPM, SquashFS, UDF, VHD, WIM, XAR, ZIP, 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, and TAR. — but it can also create archives of 7 formats: 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP and WIM. In fact, 7z is an archive format popularized by 7-Zip, an archive format that allows compression and encryption at a level that far surpasses the more popular ZIP and RAR formats.
7-Zip works mainly from the right-click context menu of Windows Explorer. After installation, a “7-Zip” submenu is added to the right-click context menu for Windows Explorer and from that submenu you can perform common functions like extract, create archive, explorer archive, etc. If you don’t like using 7-Zip out of the right-click context menu, you can open up 7-Zip File Manager which is similar to WinRAR and can be considered 7-Zip’s “main program window”. Overall this 7-Zip
Aside from simply extracting and creating archive, 7-Zip has useful features such as the ability to split archives into multiple pieces, encrypt archives (AES-256 for 7z and ZIP formats), compress archive (7-Zip has a great compression ratio, especially if you use 7z format), and can even create self-extracting 7z archives (i.e. you can send the archive to someone who doesn’t have 7z installed and they will be able to extract it).
Really the only major issue I found with 7z is its limit of choice when it comes out creating archives. Sure most people will be happy with being able to create ZIP or 7z archives, but I would really like to see 7-Zip have the ability to create RAR archives, too. However, that likely isn’t going to happen since RAR is owned by WinRAR, a rival commercial program.
All in all, 7-Zip is great free software that is the answer to all your archiving problems. It’s no doubt an excellent free, and in my opinion superior, alternative to the likes of WinZip and WinRAR.
Runner Up
Program Name: IZArc
Developer: Ivan Zahariev
Download Size: 154.45 K
Version Reviewed: 4.1.7
Requires: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7
Discussion
IZArc is another file archiver with some a amount of features that stands up to your expectation. Similar to 7-Zip, IZArc can extract and create archives, encrypt archives, integrated with Windows Explorer, and create multiple volumes by splitting archives. As added benefits IZArc has the ability to convert one archive format to another, has a portable version, and has a version available on iOS. However, the real attraction to IZArc is that it supports many, many archive formats — even more than 7-Zip.
In total, IZArc can extract from roughly 50 archive formats and create 12 archive formats:
7-ZIP, A, ACE, ARC, ARJ, B64, BH, BIN, BZ2, BZA, C2D, CDI, CAB, CPIO, DEB, ENC, GCA, GZ, GZA, HA, IMG, ISO, JAR, LHA, LIB, LZH, MBF, MDF, MIM, NRG, PAK, PDI, PK3, RAR, RPM, TAR, TAZ, TBZ, TGZ, TZ, UUE, WAR, XPI, XXE, YZ1, Z, ZIP, ZOO
IZArc even supports disk images:
ISO, BIN, MDF, NRG, IMG, C2D, PDI, CDI
Indeed I don’t remember any other software with such a great list of formats supported.
The only major issues with IZArc is that:
- It comes bundled with AVG Toolbar.
- IZArc fails in some basic — but non-critical — functionality, such as there is nothing that would indicate to you that archive creation has been completed.
Overall, IZarc is an excellent file archiver program. If you are unhappy with 7-Zip, IZArc is an excellent second option. In fact, some may consider it even better than 7-Zip — to try to rank the two programs as “#1″ and “#2″ is akin to splitting hairs.
Honorable Mention
Program Name: ZipGenius
Developer: Matteo Riso
Download Size: 8.1 MB
Version Reviewed: 6.3.2.3110
Requires: Windows NT/98/Me/2000/XP/2003/Vista/Server 2008/7
Discussion
Take average compression software and add tons of extra features to it — this is what you get with ZipGenius.
Apart from carrying out the normal zipping and unzipping function, ZipGenius provides support to archive 21 other formats — most of which can be archived and unarchived although some, like RAR, can only be unarchived. (Full list of supported formats is available here.) The software is completely integrated with Windows Explorer right-click context menu and the interface of the application is also better than the previously mentioned 7-Zip and IZArc.
Other notable features of ZipGenius include encryption of archives, a built-in mail client, and the ability to upload archives to the web via FTPGenius.
FTPGenius is actually a component of ZipGenius. You see ZipGenisu comes in two editions — Standard Edition and Suite Edition. Standard Edition is basic ZipGenius with core archiving features while the Suite Edition includes “extras” of FTPGenius, ZGAlbum, Cutter 4.5, and support for themes.
The compression speed of ZipGenius is also worth mentioning — it is fast. However, do note the software really doesn’t live up to expectation in terms of compression ratio. The compression ratio isn’t that impressive like its other competitors. Also, the software doesn’t provide a good easy help file, so if you are stuck you need to go online to find your answers.
Leaving aside other factors, I feel the software is worth going for its speed and interface. Combine that with a lot of features and ZipGenius is definitely on my list of top three file archivers.
Other Alternatives
- PeaZip
- Hamster Free Zip Archiver
- jZip
- QuickZip
- …and many more
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[@Mark]
Yup, I noticed your post.
I am 71 so I would forget my keys, if I did not have routines to make that impossible.
Ditto for me now remembering what I knew on the 17th Feb. IE I will have to do a wee bit of digging to refresh my memory.
I am just experimenting with the installation of today’s GlarySoft giveaway, to see if I can install it later than the deadline (in 80 minutes).
(It is a $40 video converter, that SoftPedia gives a good review on.)
After that deadline, I will dig out the info for you.
Don’t worry, the info is brief, and pretty simple, it is just me finding it.
[@RobCr]
I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks for the reply.
[@Mark]
Install this free program -
http://www.izarc.org/
Create your zip file as normal (using any zip program).
Take that zip file, or any existing zip file, and right click it.
Choose IZArc / Create Self Extracting (.EXE) File
In the dialog that pops up I think the only thing I changed, was to tick the -
Create an Autorun SFX
There are 5 checkboxes. The middle 3 are ticked, before I click OK.
If you have got it right (That is, the way I like it), you can give the EXE to any user.
When they double click it, the contents will be extracted into the same folder that the EXE is in. No nags, it just extracts.
PS You can make self extracting EXE’s from any of the following archives -
. . .
Currently IZArc can make self-extracting archives from 7-ZIP, ACE, ARJ, BH, JAR, LHA, LZH, RAR and ZIP archives.
[@RobCr]
Hi Rob! Sorry for the belated response and thank you very very much for your time and your help. Your instuctions were indeed brief and easy to follow and, yes, they work perfectly. Kind regards.
For the benefit of anyone else who might be interested and to, hopefully, clear any confusion they might face, I’ll recount how my test went (I used the portable IZArc2Go ver. 4.1.7.):
1) Created three archives; a .Zip, a .RAR and a .7z, all containing the same data, half a dozen wallpapers.
2) From the File menu clicked “Open Archive” and navigated to the .Zip archive.
3) From the Actions menu clicked “Make .EXE File”.
4) In the dialogue that appeared, checked “Create an Autorun SFX” so that out of the five checkboxes, the three middle ones were checked (meaning two were already checked).
5) Clicked “OK” and the .EXE was there (in the same folder as the input .Zip, in my case; desktop).
6) Was informed that the .EXE had been created, told that I should test it before distributing and asked whether I wanted to do that right away.
7) Gave a go ahead and the files were extracted promptly, without requiring any further interaction.
8) Just to make sure, closed the program, deleted the extracted files and ran the .EXE manually. Result was the same; files extracted silently to the same folder, no questions asked, no dialogues shown and no unnecessary folders created. Note, however, that my interaction WAS invoked when I ran the .EXE yet again and was asked to allow or deny the overwriting of existing files with the same name (from the previous extraction).
9) Tried the same procedure with .RAR and .7z archives as well but the dialogue popping up in step # 4) was different with no option for creating an autorun SFX (or any other option for that matter). Proceeded nonetheless and ended up expectedly with an ordinary, i.e., not-autorun, .EXE. Consulted the accompanying help manual but found nothing in it that would verify or otherwise my experience.
10) Conclusion: Looks like only .Zip archives can be converted to autorun SFX (might be a limitation of the portable version only). Good thing is that you can convert archives between various formats (from Tools>Convert Archive) including from .RAR/.7z to .Zip and make an autorun SFX out of that .Zip if you need to.
My apologies for a very lengthy post. Cheers.
I normally opt for portable, but I would recommend the installed version of IZArc
The reason being, that it greatly reduces the number of steps required.
I created a .7z file
I then right clicked the .7z file, and clicked the IZArc option – Create Self Extracting (.EXE) File
(It is not necessary to open up the IZArc program)
That is all the steps that are needed.
Rob
PS Doing it that way can handle .7z files
And if I had a .rar file, I reckon it would work with that as well
Hi again mate. One of the great plusses of 7-zip and I don’t think any other compression software does that is that it is multi threaded. It will make use of any available cores to accelerate compression :)
About the ugly interface. There is a software that can change the default 7-zip icons. Here you go :)
http://www.7ztm.de/
Does 7-Zip have an ugly interface ?
I don’t know because I virtually never need to use the interface.
I select files (highlight them in my File manager), then right click to choose one of 7-Zips context menu options (no interface used for that).
To unzip a file, I once again select the zip file, and use the right click context menu option to ‘Unzip Here’ (no Interface required).
[@Rob (Down Under)]
Me too. I always use the r-click from the context menu when using 7-zip……