PeaZip vs Ark

PPeaZip9.2Visit Ark8.5Visit

Higher score P PeaZip #2 in File Compression Software 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit PeaZip

vs

Ark #6 in File Compression Software 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 5 features Visit KDE

• PeaZip fits best

  Broad, free desktop archiving

• Ark fits best

  Open-source Linux archive management

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Side by side

Feature	PPeaZip 9.2/10 Visit ↗	Ark 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.5
Ranking	#2 in File Compression Software	#6 in File Compression Software
Best for	Broad, free desktop archiving	Open-source Linux archive management
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Linux, macOS, Windows	Linux, Windows
Features PeaZip 5/5 · Ark 3/5
Archive encryption	✓	✓
Split archives	✓	✓
Command-line tools	✓	✓
Portable version	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Archive repair	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Archive formats	Creates 7Z, ARC, BZ2, GZ, PAQ/LPAQ/ZPAQ, PEA, QUAD/BALZ/BCM, RAR conditionally, TAR, UPX, WIM, and ZIP/ZIPX; extracts 200+ types	tar, gzip, bzip2, zip, rar, 7z, xz, rpm, cab, deb, xar, AppImage
Supported platforms	BSD, Linux, macOS, Windows	Linux, Windows
Our review
Pros	Opens and extracts more than 200 archive types Includes encryption, splitting, repair, hashing, and secure deletion Portable packages and command-line script export support flexible workflows	Creates, extracts, and modifies archives across many formats Supports encryption, split archives, and integrity testing Offers batch mode and Dolphin file manager integration
Cons	The interface includes more file-management tools than some users need RAR creation is conditional rather than broadly supported There are no AI features	Some format support depends on installed command-line utilities Batch mode requires working outside the graphical interface Integrity testing does not provide archive repair
Our verdict	PeaZip is a free, open-source file and archive manager for desktop users who need to create, convert, browse, test, split, join, and extract compressed files. It creates archives in formats including 7Z, ARC, BZ2, GZ, PEA, TAR, WIM, and… Read the review →	Ark is KDE’s graphical archive manager for creating, viewing, extracting, and modifying compressed archives. It is free and open source, with support for Linux and Windows. Its format coverage includes tar, gzip, bzip2, ZIP, RAR, 7z, XZ,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• PeaZip — where it wins

  • Opens and extracts more than 200 archive types
  • Includes encryption, splitting, repair, hashing, and secure deletion
  • Portable packages and command-line script export support flexible workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • The interface includes more file-management tools than some users need
  • RAR creation is conditional rather than broadly supported
  • There are no AI features

• Ark — where it wins

  • Creates, extracts, and modifies archives across many formats
  • Supports encryption, split archives, and integrity testing
  • Offers batch mode and Dolphin file manager integration

  Where it doesn't

  • Some format support depends on installed command-line utilities
  • Batch mode requires working outside the graphical interface
  • Integrity testing does not provide archive repair

• PPeaZip9.2/10 · Free plan

  A capable free archive manager for desktop users who need broad format coverage and file utilities.

  Visit PeaZipFull verdict →
• Ark8.5/10 · Free plan

  A capable free archive manager with broad format support and useful batch operations.

  Visit KDEFull verdict →