A reliable WinRAR alternative is great to have around especially when you deal with compressed files on a daily basis. Now if you thought that WinRAR was the only one of its kind out there well, think again. We’ve taken the liberty of listing out the acme lot of substitutes you can turn to for archive managing, encrypting, performing data backups, compression, and decompression, among a host of other activities. What’s more, the icing on the cake here is that all of the software strewn across here is proffered absolutely free of cost. All you have to do is download each of them directly to your PC and you’ll be able to enjoy all its unique features.
1 – 7-Zip:
The open-source software is noted to be a file archiver that boasts of a high compression ratio, according to the brains behind this endeavor. Some of the formats 7-Zip supports read as XZ, GZIP, ZIP, 7z, BZIP2, TAR and WIM for packing or unpacking. And if it only involves the latter, the software complies with formats like CAB, CPIO, DEB, FAT, ISO, LZMA, MSI, NTFS, RPM, UDF, WIM, ARJ, CHM, CramFS, DMG, HFS, SquashFS, and XAR.
A few of its other features include a powerful file manager, integration with Windows Shell, a plugin for RAR manager and localizations for around 80 languages. The program is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista, 7, XP, 2003, 2008, 2000, ME, NT and 98. What’s more, you won’t have to part ways with even a penny or engage in any registration formalities for acquiring this one.
2 – PeaZip:
The next zip file utility that’s roped into our programs like WinRAR roster lets you open, test and extract more than 150 archive types, some of which read as ACE, CAB, ISO, UDF, ARJ, DMG, LHA and ZIPX files. Additionally, you can hop onto your PC and create or convert files that are drenched in the following formats namely, 7Z, BZ2, PEA, TAR, WIM, ZIP, ARC, GZ, QUAD/BALZ, UPX, and XZ. Packed with a user-friendly GUI and context menu integration, PeaZip also comes complete with two-factor authentication, strong encryption, secure deletion, and encrypted password manager. These attributes help keep all your documents private and secure. It further plays well with Windows 7,8, Vista, 9x, NT, XP, 2K, and ReactOS.
3 – Quick Zip:
As the developer reveals, Quick Zip allows you to ‘perform powerful archive operations’ and complies with a plethora of archive sorts which include formats such as 7z and ZIP, among a whole slew of others. Furthermore, the freeware sports a familiar explorer-like interface so that you’ll have no trouble gaining access to archives and disk folders. You can also employ the Toolbar commands or the drag and drop method to add or extract content. And if you’re looking for a compact version of the same, you can opt for the qzLite 3 edition which proffers full drag and drop functionality as well as support for different archive types.
4 – Zipeg:
The open-source program has the ability to extract different files from compressed archives such as 7z, TAR, TGZ, ISO, CBZ, GZ, BZIP2, CBR, and ZIP, to name a few. With Zipeg in place, you’ll be able to access files that are even password protected. You can also choose which data bits to extract from the selected archive.
Compatible with Windows and Mac systems, this inclusion in our apps similar to WinRAR array proffers a fast ‘hover over’ preview by utilizing EXIF thumbnails. What’s more, you can take full advantage of this one whenever you want to open and browse Facebook backup ZIP content and Gmail attachments in ZIP files.
5 – ZipGenius:
This free archive manager is fashioned exclusively to suit the needs of Windows users. ‘Running out of hard disk space?,’ quips the maker. Well, if you find yourself nodding in the affirmative, then ZipGenius is tailored just for you. It’s a desktop utility that helps zip and unzips files without facing too many hassles.
This zip software can handle compressed archives over a number of workstations, be it a corporate, government, private or educational environment. And although it comes in Italian and English by default, the software is also available in other languages like French, German, Hungarian, Dutch and Spanish.
6 – IZArc:
Here’s another program for all those of you who prefer to work on your Windows PC. This contender in our programs like WinRAR roundup forays onto the scenario with the tagline, ‘compress the future.’ You can rely on the software for extracting 7z, ZIP and other sorts of archives. With this reliable program at your fingertips, you won’t have to sport that perplexed look on your face when you receive an email that arrives attached with an unknown archive file. It supports different formats such as ACE, ARJ, BH, BZ2, C2D, CDI, DEB, GCA, GZA, IMG, JAR, LIB, MDF, MIM, PAK, PK3, RPM, TAZ, TGZ, UUE, XPI, YZ1, ZOO, ARC, B64, BIN, BZA, CAB, CPIO, ENC, GZ, HA, and ISO. Pronounced as easy-arc, you can also create password-protected archives complete with strong AES encryption. A few of its other noteworthy features include creating self-extracting archives, converting different types of archives and repairing damaged ZIP ones.
Conclusion:
The shareware file archiver in the spotlight here was developed and distributed by Eugene Roshal and Ron Dwight, respectively. WinRAR hit the scene around 20 years ago and came bearing a whole bunch of handy features that allowed you to dabble in actions like archiving and compression, among others.
Well, if you’re looking for a worthy WinRAR alternative, you’ll surely find an appropriate solution in our aforesaid lineup. And when you do, don’t forget to leave your comments in the space below.