Almost every person works with compressed files regularly. Along with consuming less storage space, these files decrease the transmission times over the internet.
WinRAR is a good compression program that enables users to compress and archive files, lock files, split files, extract them to PC, and so on. However, although it can enhance transferring file efficiency, it has a few drawbacks, like people can not use it at free of cost because it’s a premium tool.
However, its compression and decompression speed varies as it is based on the capability of the machine. But, people can face difficulties if they don’t have enough ideas regarding working with hardware constraints. In addition, it may feel challenging to the users when they work with WinRAR and handle the computer’s hardware resources. So, if you need compression-decompression software but have found that the app can not match the requirements, you should use the free WinRAR alternatives. Many file compression tools are available in the market. So, you may find difficulties in choosing the right one. We have given here the top ten free WinRAR alternatives to make the task easier for you.
What is WinRAR?
It is a very useful software that lets users compress and decompress files. With the help of this program, you can share files with a smaller size.
Top WinRAR Alternatives:
1) WinZip:
Are you looking for a WinRAR alternative for which you don’t need to pay? Then, it can be an excellent choice for you. It can deliver the best performance when talking about compression speeds and rates. With its excellent compression ratio, this alternative allows you to easily compress large files such as videos and graphics, smaller document files, etc. It supports ZIP files also. Besides, this tool supports more than twenty file formats, such as RAR, 7Z, ISO, IMG, etc.
WinZip comes with a drag & drop interface which allows you to pack and unpack files. Besides, users can use it in windows for quick access. It is possible to encrypt compressed files using AES 256-bit encryption. You can set a password for the protection of your files. With the help of the integrated sharing feature, you can send these files to other people through email, chat apps, and social media. Don’t you want to open the files after a particular time? Then, it is possible to add an expiry date on those files. Along with these extraordinary features of compressing and archiving files, this tool has an outstanding collection of specifications that can’t be found in other compression tools.
The File Manager enables you to arrange, delete, and manage files in the cloud and on your PC. For example, with the help of WinZip, users can compress PDFs, merge many PDFs, convert Word files to PDFs, add watermarks to documents, etc.
The image manager converts image files to BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, and SVG and permits the users to perform batch editing. Moreover, it enables you to crop, rotate, and resize the image. Besides, it is possible to remove the camera EXIF information making sure that users can get a high privacy level.
2) PeaZip:
With the help of this WinRAR alternative, you can make password-protected archives for PEA, ARC, ZIP, and 7Z formats using 256-bit AES encryption. This tool allows the user to schedule file archives with the help of the Windows Task Scheduler. So, if you want, backup your file to another drive. This tool saves space on the hard drive by compressing files also. You can generate and open compressed files using this tool.
A password manager is a vital feature of PeaZip, which lets you generate a master password for all files. It comes with compression tools that can be used to open different file types. Besides, you can compress more than 150 file types. The program is compatible with 7Z, ARC, and BZip2 formats. When it comes to judging the tool based on performance and size, we can say that it is more than adequate. The tool uses 10MB of PC storage. Therefore, people can run this on older machines and laptops. Compared to WinRAR, it has faster processing speeds for various file types. In addition, the tool enables two-factor authentication for protection purposes.
3) Zipware:
With the help of the tool, you can compress and decompress files easily. The user-friendly interface of this tool is ideal for beginners. When you use the tool, you will get to see many colorful buttons with the required settings. You can download this program for free.
It supports several archive formats like RAR, rar5, and 7zip. Besides, the program enables the users to use it with Linux archive formats such as tar and gzip. It can offer consistency and fast performance, due to which you can work with extensive archives using this tool. This program comes with a 3.0MB file size.
If it comes to talking about protection, Zipware wins the race between WinRaR and itself. The program scans viruses automatically, whereas WinRAR asks you to install antivirus software. In addition, you can prevent viruses from attacking your PC using the highlight element. For Windows users, the application is useful because it is especially for this platform. But, you must ensure that your computer can run Windows XP or above. While the tool is trustable and fast, it comes with many useful security and customization features.
4) Bandizip:
It is one of the best options if you want to use a tool that can make your device more secure. This one is an excellent replacement for WinRAR. Before opening the tool, it allows the users to scan for viruses to ensure the safety of the files. Thus, it helps to keep the machine free of viruses. But WinRAR cannot do so as it doesn’t scan for viruses automatically.
Are you looking for an all-in-one package? This file can help you to compress, decompress, browse and edit archiver. The tool allows you to extract more than thirty formats ( like RAR5, RAR, 7Z, and ZIP) compared to WinRAR. Moreover, it is compatible with some file formats, such as ZIP, RAR, 7Z, CAB, LZH, ZIPX, ISO, TAR, XZ, BZ2, GZiP, Z, UUE, GZ, 001, ARJ, and JAR files.
With this tool’s help, you can compress archives with passwords and multi-volume. In addition, the multi-core helps to compress files quickly. The best thing about this tool is that you can use it without investing a single penny.
5) 7-Zip:
Users can compress and decompress files using this cross-platform program. It is an open-source tool that can be downloaded easily. Besides, the tool is versatile and available at free of cost. Its primary purpose is to produce archives and open them. One of the best android WinRAR alternatives can offer 10% greater compression than WinRAR.
Moreover, this tool is compatible with many file formats. Besides, the method of using this tool is very easy. Therefore, those who want to open RAR files can use this tool.
Using this one of the best free WinRAR alternatives, not only will you be able to save space on a hard drive by compressing files, but also you are capable of moving these easily. In addition, it is an excellent option when you zip or unzip 7z, GZIP, TAR, ZIP, RAR, and other compressed file formats. The tool supports Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 OS.
WinRAR needs a license fee to be used, whereas this open-source software is available at free of cost. Using this tool, you can compress a folder to a 7-Zip format and get up to 70% compression. You should know that compressing the files helps to save space on the hard drive. With the help of this program, you can compress files first and save these later as a 7-Zip archive.
It is available in a system format where files can easily be compressed. The unique thing is that software is compatible with the format. The tool comes in less than 1MB size. Instead of importing external materials, the tool needs system resources. People who are looking for a free alternative option to WinRAR for Mac OS can use the tool. It comes with a WinRAR equivalent which we know as Keka.
6) B1 Free Archiver:
It is one of the best alternatives to WinRAR and comes with a professional interface. This tool is compatible with several file formats such as 7z, b1, zip, rar, arj, xpi, jar, txz, etc. The extraordinary feature of this tool is that it is available in both desktop and online versions. Hence, users can download the desktop tool if they want to use it offline for compressing and decompressing files. Otherwise, for this purpose, users need to take the help of an online archiver without downloading the software.
The tool is handy, especially for those who can not download software because of restrictions on their PC. It is free of cost but offers a few adware during installation. But you need to make sure that you are declining the offers which you don’t require.
7) ExtractNow:
If you are searching for a free tool with an easy-to-use interface, ExtractNow is an excellent option. But the tool can unpack files only. However, it is capable of extracting many files. Hence, you need to drag & drop these compressed files and hit the option “Extract” to extract all at a time.
Other tools extract several files at the same time, but the difference between this tool from other ones is that you need to tap at least in this case. This tool is compatible with all known formats. Due to its simple design, it is an excellent choice for beginners. In addition, it is compatible with the most common ZIP formats.
For compressing a file, you need to drag and drop files. And the rest of the work will be done by the tool. Otherwise, you can tap on the file in Explorer. After that, you have to choose ExtractNow from the context menu. This tool not only comes with valuable functions, but also it supports many ZIP files. With the help of this program, you can generate an automatic folder to save extracted files. Otherwise, you can select the path manually.
8) Ashampoo ZIP Free:
This powerful compression software includes many fundamental features. It can unpack more than thirty formats, such as ZIPX, RAR, ARC, NSIS, WIM, and ISO. In addition, the tool lets you pack files into ZIP, 7-ZIP, CAB, or TAR formats.
The preview function is one of the excellent features of the tool. With the help of this, you can preview archive files without extracting them from your PC. But it can work for the first five files only. Other features of this tool are quick speed, 4K display support, etc. Above all, we can say that it is a fast and reliable tool and available at free of cost. It is also able to encrypt all archives (256-bit AES).
9) The Unarchiver:
This one is a proprietary freeware data decompression software compatible with more formats than WinRAR. With the help of the tool, you can handle filenames with various character encodings. However, you need to use Mac OS X Lion or later to use the current version. Unar and lsar are free software that gets licensed under the LGPL. These can run on Linux, Microsoft Windows, and macOS.
It is compatible with ancient formats, including StuffIt, AmigaOS disk images, and LZH / LZX archives. Furthermore, unlike WinRAR, this tool is compatible with Windows and Mac OSs, due to which it becomes more versatile.
10) AutoZIP II:
This tool is very easy to use. So, it can be the best option if you are a beginner. AutoZIP II is compatible with all major file compression formats. You can also use it to protect any zip file with a password.
Conclusion:
Several WinRAR alternatives are available in the market at free of cost. Every software comes with extraordinary features. Therefore, you should select the one that can suit your requirements. This software can provide a few same specifications as WinRAR. So, people willing to use a tool to archive or compress files at free of cost can use these alternatives of WinRAR.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is WinZip free?
Yes, it is free. Once you download this alternative of WinRaR, it is possible to use the Evaluation Version free of cost entirely for twenty-one days. But you need to download the tool in this case. However, the tool has no limit on using, packing, or unpacking files.
What is the best alternative for WinRAR?
These are the names of the best alternatives for WinRAR:—
- 7-Zip.
- PeaZip.
- The Unarchiver.
- IZArc2Go.
- Universal Extractor.
- WinZip.
- Bandizip.
- FreeARC.
Is there a free alternative to WinRAR?
7-Zip is the free alternative of WinRaR that comes with an Open Source. Other alternatives of WinRaR are available in the market, such as PeaZip, Bandizip, WinZip, and The Unarchiver. These are File Archivers especially, but they can work as File Compressors or File Managers.
