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Utilities
Software
Compression
What are the best file compression tools?
27
Options
Considered
187
User
Recs.
Jan 18, 2024
Last
Updated
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22
Options
Considered
Best file compression tools
Price
Platforms
License
77
7-Zip
FREE
Windows, Unix-like (only CLI)
LGPL-2.1-or-later
--
PeaZip
FREE
Windows, MacOS, Linux, BSD
LGPL-3.0-only
--
PowerArchiver
$23-$24995
Windows, Mac
-
--
Winrar
Shareware
Windows, Linux, BSD, Android
Proprietary
--
Bandizip
-
WIndows, macOS
-
See Full List
77
7-Zip
My Rec
ommendation
for
7-Zip
My Recommendation for
7-Zip
All
19
Experiences
4
Pros
10
Cons
4
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
Free and open source
7-Zip is licensed under GNU LGPL, and the *.7z format has support across all major operating systems. There should be no trouble opening the archives under any operating system, and no need to deal with messages bugging you to register or pay for the app. Source code can be found here.
See More
Top
Con
•••
GUI looks dated
Could use a new fresh user interface.
See More
Eric Turner's Experience
I’ve been using 7-Zip for a while now. It’s fast, free, and efficient. What else could you want?
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Specs
Platforms:
Windows, Unix-like (only CLI)
License:
LGPL-2.1-or-later
Top
Pro
•••
Lightweight
Starts quickly.
See More
Top
Con
•••
XZ/LZMA2 format inadequate for long-term archiving
LZMA2 is unsafe and less efficient than the original LZMA. Use: 7Z LZMA Non-Solid, RAR 5 LZSS/PPMd Non-Solid, or ZIP Deflate. See here.
See More
Vonex's Experience
it compress files better than zip and also compress in zip and 7z format with encryption
See More
Top
Pro
•••
High compression .7z format
Their own file format .7z that ships with 7-Zip is one of the best compression formats. 7z file format is usually more compact than Zip.
See More
Top
Con
•••
Weird syntax
The syntax of the non-gui versions is different to any other major compression programs.
See More
FONZACUS's Experience
literally the best human (not machine) compression tool. the dev also started building generic linux binaries so the same level of 7zip is also available in lin. what i mean by human is it doesnt require too much rtfm to actually use. the cli is also pretty straightforward (which is a must in lin, no gui) the syntax is a bit weird tho, but doesnt everything has its quirks?
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Top
Pro
•••
Supports standard ZIP and tar.(gz|bz2|xz) files too
You're not locked in to only their format.
See More
Top
Con
•••
Does not support data recovery
It's not possible with 7-zip to add data recovery records to the archive which could repair minor integrity errors.
See More
FascinatingCronus's Experience
all in one, is compress universal
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Top
Pro
•••
Very fast compression/decompression.
7z is muli-threaded, allowing it to do very fast compression and decompression.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Unobtrusive
No nag screen.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Explorer right-click menu integration
Makes it easy to open any archive file, or create new archives, without having to go open another program first.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Very fast compression/decompression
7z is muli-threaded, allowing it to do very fast compression and decompression.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Developer started porting to generic Linux binaries
Same good 7zip as is on Linux (except GUI).
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Customize the size of blocks compression
You can choose the size of blocks when compressing instead of pre-set options.
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See All
FREE
Recommend
60
2
--
PeaZip
My Rec
ommendation
for
PeaZip
My Recommendation for
PeaZip
All
12
Experiences
3
Pros
6
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
Open Source (LGPLv3)
Since some time PeaZip is licensed under LGPLv3.
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Top
Con
•••
Very clumsy interface
Big buttons and no support for back/forward button on the mouse.
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VersatileBuarainech's Experience
the best archive manager ,file manager ,file encryption and multi compression type.
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Specs
Platforms:
Windows, MacOS, Linux, BSD
License:
LGPL-3.0-only
User Interface:
GUI
Top
Pro
•••
Supports over 180 archive types
See More
Top
Con
•••
Only a frontend
It is only a frontend and has no own packaging format.
See More
InsightfulPhilotes's Experience
Not as fast as 7zip to begin compression or extraction. But PeaZip allows for archiving each file/folder to its own archive without using the cmd line which 7zip still doesn't have (this feature can also be found on Bandizip which is also good). Also allows users to set up WinRAR as a custom archiver that bypasses the annoying WinRAR popup (this feature is not found on Bandizip). PeaZip wins on features. Just is a bit slower to kick-off.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Multi-platform
PeaZip is available for Windows and Linux.
See More
JovialTawhirimatea's Experience
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Top
Pro
•••
Allows for Archiving Multiple Files/Folders to Separate Archives
Allows for selecting multiple files/folder and archiving to separate archives through the UI and context menu options.
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Top
Pro
•••
Supports PAQ8
PAQ8 is the algorithm that is reported as giving the smallest file size on average (but it's very slow to compress).
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Supports WinRAR as Custom Archiver
Can setup WinRAR (.rar) as a custom archiver option that bypasses WinRARs UI which bypasses the annoying WinRAR popup.
See More
Hide
See All
FREE
Recommend
33
10
--
PowerArchiver
My Rec
ommendation
for
PowerArchiver
My Recommendation for
PowerArchiver
All
1
Specs
Specs
Platforms:
Windows, Mac
Hide
$23-$24995
Recommend
10
1
--
Winrar
My Rec
ommendation
for
Winrar
My Recommendation for
Winrar
All
8
Pros
2
Cons
5
Specs
Top
Con
•••
Ugly, old icon
It still looks like you are using Windows 3.1.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Can be used after trial period
See More
Specs
Platforms:
Windows, Linux, BSD, Android
License:
Proprietary
Top
Con
•••
Not open source
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Create and repair (proprietary) RAR format
See More
Top
Con
•••
Annoying reminder popup to buy license on each program launch
See More
Top
Con
•••
Shareware (Annoying popup)
Reminder to buy pro after trial period expired that pops up every time you open the program
See More
Top
Con
•••
Expensive
See More
Hide
See All
Shareware
Recommend
21
10
--
Bandizip
My Rec
ommendation
for
Bandizip
My Recommendation for
Bandizip
All
4
Experiences
1
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Con
•••
Nagware
See More
ColorfulHermus's Experience
good performance
See More
Specs
Platforms:
WIndows, macOS
Top
Con
•••
Adware
See More
Hide
See All
Get it
here
Recommend
9
1
--
FreeArc
My Rec
ommendation
for
FreeArc
My Recommendation for
FreeArc
All
1
Pros
1
Top
Pro
•••
Consume less than 7zip with almost same ratio
See More
Hide
Get it
here
Recommend
5
--
Compactor
My Rec
ommendation
for
Compactor
My Recommendation for
Compactor
All
4
Experiences
1
Pros
1
Cons
1
Specs
Top
Con
•••
Risks
Not all files can be compressed this way, read the documentation carefully.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Free
See More
RickZeeland's Experience
Compactor provides a user interface for Windows 10 filesystem compression.
See More
Specs
Platforms:
Windows
Technology:
Rust
Hide
See All
Free
Recommend
1
--
MCM file compressor
My Rec
ommendation
for
MCM file compressor
My Recommendation for
MCM file compressor
Hide
Get it
here
Recommend
1
--
Pcompress
My Rec
ommendation
for
Pcompress
My Recommendation for
Pcompress
All
2
Pros
1
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
Compression and Encryption
See More
Specs
Platforms:
Windows, Linux
Hide
Free
Recommend
1
--
Lzip
My Rec
ommendation
for
Lzip
My Recommendation for
Lzip
All
1
Specs
Specs
Platforms:
Unix-like, Windows
Hide
Get it
here
Recommend
1
1
--
XZ Utils
My Rec
ommendation
for
XZ Utils
My Recommendation for
XZ Utils
All
4
Pros
1
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Con
•••
No internal checksumming
Should not be used for archiving.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Many options
There are many options to choose.
See More
Specs
Platforms:
Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac etc.
Top
Con
•••
Complex
It needs some trial and error to find the best compression algorithm for your filetype.
See More
Hide
See All
Free
Recommend
1
1
--
ar
My Rec
ommendation
for
ar
My Recommendation for
ar
All
1
Specs
Specs
Platforms:
Unix-like
Hide
Free
Recommend
2
--
Innos Note
My Rec
ommendation
for
Innos Note
My Recommendation for
Innos Note
Hide
-
Recommend
1
--
gzip
My Rec
ommendation
for
gzip
My Recommendation for
gzip
All
1
Specs
Specs
Platforms:
Unix-like
Hide
Get it
here
Recommend
1
--
File Conveyor
My Rec
ommendation
for
File Conveyor
My Recommendation for
File Conveyor
Hide
Get it
here
Recommend
1
--
cpio
My Rec
ommendation
for
cpio
My Recommendation for
cpio
All
2
Pros
1
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
POSIX
Its a POSIX standard.
See More
Specs
Platforms:
Unix-like
Hide
Get it
here
Recommend
--
B1 Free Archiver
My Rec
ommendation
for
B1 Free Archiver
My Recommendation for
B1 Free Archiver
All
4
Pros
3
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
Webapp unarchiver available on their website
A great and unique utility for someone who is on a locked down public workstation, or on someone else's computer, one can unarchive using the B1 Online Archiver here.
See More
Specs
Platforms:
Windows, macOS, Andoid, Unix-like
Top
Pro
•••
Multiplatform
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Free
See More
Hide
See All
Free / paid
Recommend
1
--
bzip2
My Rec
ommendation
for
bzip2
My Recommendation for
bzip2
All
2
Cons
1
Specs
Top
Con
•••
Seems to be abandoned
See More
Specs
Platforms:
Unix-like, Windows, DOS
Hide
Free
Recommend
--
StuffIt
My Rec
ommendation
for
StuffIt
My Recommendation for
StuffIt
All
1
Specs
Specs
Platforms:
macOS
Hide
$20
Recommend
--
shar
My Rec
ommendation
for
shar
My Recommendation for
shar
All
2
Pros
1
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
A self extracting shell script
It can be run in any Bourne-Shell compatible shells.
See More
Specs
Platforms:
Unix-like
Hide
Free
Recommend
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