These days, everybody uses zip files to package and send large files across the internet, so having a reliable tool like WinZip or WinRar is important. WinZip and WinRar are two of the best tools to compress and extract files for easy data transfer. But for some reasons, if you don’t like WinZip and WinRar, there are plenty of great free WinZip and WinRar alternatives on the internet as well.
I like the idea where various good software rises to take place as an alternative to popular software. As a consumer, all we need is: good quality products to get things done. Fortunately, there are plenty of free WinZip and WinRar alternatives. If you’re not a fan of WinZip and WinRar, make sure to read through the suggestions I have listed below. Download links are available for all of these free alternative zipping programs.
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Top 10 Best Free WinZip and WinRar Alternatives
Check out the top 10 best alternatives to WinZip and WinRar. Take a look through our list below and click on the corresponding download links to try out the programs that interest you.
10. 7-Zip
7-Zip is one of the best free WinZip and WinRar alternatives. It’s considered to be one of the most popular archive tools available. 7-Zip offers speed archiving and unzipping, it can compress files to smaller sizes, and it’s incredibly easy to use.
7-Zip also supports a variety of different archive types. More importantly, 7-Zip has it’s own .7z file type that is considered to be one of the top ways to compress files into the smallest archive possible. 7-Zip runs smoothly on Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7. If you’re interested in downloading 7-Zip for free, you can visit the download link here.
9. jZip
If you’re looking for quick, portable and free WinZip and WinRar alternatives, jZip may be the tool for you. With jZip, you’re able to archive or unzip files quickly. jZip’s customization options are very limited when compared to other options available as WinZip and WinRar alternatives, but there are benefits to this as well.
For example, the jZip file size is small, so you could easily carry it around on a USB stick if necessary. The jZip program also works incredibly smoothly. It’s perhaps one of the most straightforward unzipping tools currently available too. jZip can also support all of the major file formats, and because it’s based on the same technology used in 7Zip, you can also use it with .7z files.
jZip is free to install but includes adware that you can optionally opt out of while installing the program. Download jZip for Windows here.
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8. PeaZip
PeaZip is a tremendous open source unzip tool that is built from the ground up to suit the Windows power user. With PeaZip, it’s possible to extract or zip multiple archives simultaneously. You can also choose to extract single files from within archives, or quickly extract the entire contents of an archive to a new location.
PeaZip’s decompression benchmarks suggest that it’s one of the fastest tools of its kind as well. So if you’re looking for a quick unzipping, this could be the tool for you. PeaZip has been around for a long time, so it supports most versions of Windows and some versions of Linux as well. Download PeaZip here.
7. Hamster
Have you ever noticed how most of the best free WinZip and WinRar alternatives look old, outdated and have absolutely no visual appeal to them whatsoever? Hamster changes things up a little by giving users a bit of color. With Hamster, you get all of the archive tools you could hope for, all within a neat and colorful interface.
Hamster is easy to use – you can quickly decompress files or package folders within seconds. You can also add passwords to protect your files and archives if necessary. Hamster supports all of the popular archive file formats. Hamster also has support for uploading files directly to some cloud hosting options. You can download Hamster here.
6. Bandizip
Bandizip is perfect for those looking for free WinZip and WinRar alternatives that do their job quickly, without any unnecessary additional features in the background. Bandizip’s small file size means it’ll download quickly and it doesn’t come with any adware or packaged software so you’ll be able to download it and get unzipping quickly.
Bandizip can also utilize your CPU to make compressing and decompressing faster, so if you’ve got a high-end PC, you’ll love the speed of which you can churn out .zip files with Bandizip. As expected, Bandizip supports many alternative archive file types as well.
The interface on Bandizip is quite nice as well, but like mentioned before, the main benefit to Bandizip is that it just works. You can download Bandizip here for free.
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5. B1 Free Archiver
B1 Free Archiver is one of the most feature-packed WinZip and WinRar alternatives on the market. If you’re looking for an archive tool filled to the brim with power, then this archiver is for you.
With B1 Free Archiver, you’re given a detailed interface with dozens of controls and options. With B1 Free Archiver, you get the ability to zip and unzip dozens of different file formats, and you can even use the online tool on the B1 website to archive files without downloading any software whatsoever.
However, if you want to get the absolute best experience, I recommend you to install the standalone desktop software for B1 Free Archiver. You’ll quickly notice that B1 is filled with options, commands and additional features that other archive tools like WinZip and WinRar do not include. Download B1 Free Archiver here.
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4. ExtractNow
ExtractNow is the absolute best WinZip and WinRar alternative for somebody looking for a tool that can extract tools quickly. If you don’t need to archive your files but simply need a tool that can unzip downloaded content, ExtractNow will work for you.
Because ExtractNow only includes the unzip feature, the file size and interface are incredibly simple. There’s no way you’ll get lost within the ExtractNow interface. Alternatively, with ExtractNow installed, you can simply right-click any archive file to unzip it without opening the ExtractNow program.
I’ve found ExtractNow to be one of the fastest options for unzipping archive files. You can download ExtractNow here.
3. Universal Extractor
Universal Extractor is another excellent tool for those looking for something to unzip archive files. Unlike other WinZip and WinRar alternatives in this list, the Universal Extractor cannot zip files – it can only unzip them.
Thought it offers a similar experience like ExtractNow, we found UniversalExtractor to be even more lightweight than ExtractNow – you won’t even notice a standalone system app for it once it’s downloaded. Instead, you simply need to right-click any archive file to unzip it.
As the name suggests, Universal Extractor is designed to extract any archive file, so if you’ve found yourself with an archive file that your default archive tool can’t unzip, then this makes for another reason to give UniversalExtractor a spin. It’s comfortable, convenient and doesn’t throw any unnecessary features for the average user out of the Windows. You can download Universal Extractor for Windows here.
2. ZipItFree
If you’re the kind of person that’s continually unzipping and zipping files, ZipItFree will give you the experience you’re looking for. ZipItFree comes with a small program that you can minimize by double-clicking the top toolbar. When you need to use it again, you can just double-click the toolbar to bring the program into view.
Keeping other zipping tools in the background can be a little clunky – they can get in the way of other programs if kept in view, but switching back and forth between them can slow down operation. ZipItFree can be kept in view at all times, but it’s small enough to stay out of the way of whatever task you may be performing on your PC.
ZipItFree is also packed to the brim with features and unzipping or zipping files through ZipItFree is super fast. We found that it’s great for unzipping a variety of different archive file types as well.
ZipItFree also offers basic encryption and password features for those looking to add a little bit of extra security to their archive files. You can download ZipItFree here.
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1. Ashampoo Zip Free
Are you looking for the best free WinZip and WinRar alternatives software tool? Ashampoo Zip Free is one of the best aesthetically pleasing archive tools out there. Talking about Ashampoo – this software has a tile-based interface that’s based on Windows 8. It’s perfect for mouse, keyboard and touch input.
The large, colorful tiles make it easy for users to find the features they’re looking for. As expected, Ashampoo Zip Free comes with all of the basic archive tools you could hope for – unzipping, compression, support for multiple file types and basic encryption.
There is a pro version of Ashampoo Zip, but we have found Ashampoo Zip Free to be just as good as it needs to be. You can download Ashampoo Zip Free here.
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The Pro Review from TechReviewPro
This wraps up our review of the top 10 best alternatives to WinZip and WinRar. Each of these programs has their pros and cons. Some of them are lightweight and feature-free, with a focus on providing quick unzipping potential. Others are designed for the power users and are typically filled to the brim with extra features such as password support and encryption.
Are you looking for lightweight tools? I would suggest ExtractNow, Universal Extractor, or Bandizip. However, if you are looking for power-user unzipping tools, try Hamster, PeaZip, Ashampoo Zip, or B1 Free Archiver. Which are your favorite WinZip and WinRar alternative software tool? Let us know in the comments below.
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