Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · File Compression Software

Keka vs The Unarchiver

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Keka #5 in File Compression Software 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 5 features Visit Keka
The Unarchiver #8 in File Compression Software 8.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit The Unarchiver

Keka leads on 0 checks, The Unarchiver on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreKeka · 8.7/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresKeka · 3 of 5

Keka scores higher on our rubric for file compression software: 8.7 against 8.3 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #8.

Keka is the better fit for mac and iOS archive handling. The Unarchiver is the better fit for free extraction across many platforms.

  • Keka fits best

    Mac and iOS archive handling

  • The Unarchiver fits best

    Free extraction across many platforms

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Keka 8.7/10 Visit ↗ The Unarchiver 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.7 8.3
Ranking #5 in File Compression Software #8 in File Compression Software
Best for Mac and iOS archive handling Free extraction across many platforms
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free
Starting price — Free
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Desktop, Mobile Desktop
Platforms macOS, iOS macOS, Windows, Linux
Features Keka 3/5 · The Unarchiver 2/5
Archive encryption ✓ ✓
Split archives ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Command-line tools ✓ ✓
Portable version Not checked yet Not checked yet
Archive repair Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Archive formats Create: 7Z, ZIP, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, XZ, LZIP, DMG, ISO, BROTLI, ZSTD, LRZIP, AAR, WIM; extract: 7Z, ZIP, ZIPX, RAR, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, XZ, LZIP, DMG, ISO, BROTLI, ZSTD, LRZIP, LZMA, EXE, CAB, WIM, MSI, PAX, JAR, WAR, IPA, XIP, APK, APPX, XPI, WPRESS, IS3, CPGZ, CPIO, CPT, SPK ZIP, ZIPX, RAR, 7z, TAR, Gzip, Bzip2, LZMA, XZ, CAB, MSI, NSIS, EXE, ISO, BIN, MDF, NRG, CDI, StuffIt, StuffIt X, DiskDoubler, Compact Pro, PackIt, Cpio, Compress, ARJ, ARC, PAK, ACE, Zoo, LZH, ADF, DMS, LZX, PowerPacker, LBR, Squeeze, Crunch, XAR, RPM, DEB, AR, ALZip, WARC, NSA, SAR, NDS, SWF, PDF
Supported platforms macOS, iOS, iPadOS macOS, Windows, Linux
Our review
Pros
  • Creates and extracts a wide range of archive formats
  • Supports AES-256 7z encryption and split archives
  • Works with Finder, Dock, iOS sharing and the command line
  • Handles common, legacy, specialized, and disk-image formats
  • Supports encrypted archives, non-Latin filenames, and split-file joining
  • Includes unar and lsar command-line tools for macOS, Windows, and Linux
Cons
  • Apple-focused platform support excludes non-Apple systems
  • Advanced archive repair is not part of the documented offering
  • The App Store version is separate from the free macOS download
  • The official macOS app emphasizes extraction rather than archive creation
  • Windows and Linux availability is through command-line tools, not a GUI
  • The Windows command-line version is described as slightly outdated
Our verdict

Keka is a file compression and extraction application for macOS and iOS. It is suited to Mac users who need to create archives in formats such as 7Z, ZIP, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, XZ, DMG, ISO, Brotli and ZSTD, or open archives including RAR,…

Read the review →

The Unarchiver is free archive extraction software from MacPaw, centered on a macOS application and supported by the unar and lsar command-line tools. It is suited to people who need to open downloaded, shared, or older archives across…

Read the review →
  1. KekaFile Compression Software 8.7Free plan
  2. The UnarchiverFile Compression Software 8.3Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Keka — where it wins

    • Creates and extracts a wide range of archive formats
    • Supports AES-256 7z encryption and split archives
    • Works with Finder, Dock, iOS sharing and the command line

    Where it doesn't

    • Apple-focused platform support excludes non-Apple systems
    • Advanced archive repair is not part of the documented offering
    • The App Store version is separate from the free macOS download

  • The Unarchiver — where it wins

    • Handles common, legacy, specialized, and disk-image formats
    • Supports encrypted archives, non-Latin filenames, and split-file joining
    • Includes unar and lsar command-line tools for macOS, Windows, and Linux

    Where it doesn't

    • The official macOS app emphasizes extraction rather than archive creation
    • Windows and Linux availability is through command-line tools, not a GUI
    • The Windows command-line version is described as slightly outdated

More comparisons

All file compression software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update