VLC media player vs 7-Zip

VLC media player9.4Visit 7Z7-Zip9.2Visit

Higher score VLC media player #1 in Free Tools 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 2 features Visit VideoLAN

vs

7Z 7-Zip #3 in Free Tools 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 2 features Visit 7-Zip

• VLC media player fits best

  Free media playback across devices

• 7-Zip fits best

  Free archive creation and extraction

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Side by side

Feature	VLC media player 9.4/10 Visit ↗	7Z7-Zip 9.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	9.2
Ranking	#1 in Free Tools	#3 in Free Tools
Best for	Free media playback across devices	Free archive creation and extraction
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Mobile	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android	Windows, Linux, macOS
Integrations	10 integrations	2 integrations
Features VLC media player 1/2 · 7-Zip 1/2
Open source	✓	✓
Self-hosted option	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android	Not checked yet
Free user limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Free storage	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Plays many audio and video formats without separate codec packs Supports local files, discs, devices, network shares, and streams Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android	Creates 7z, ZIP, TAR, and other common archive formats Extracts RAR, ISO, DMG, VHD, and many more formats Includes AES-256 encryption, split archives, and command-line tools
Cons	Its extensive playback and filter options may be more than casual listeners need Media-library search and playback history are listed for Android Support is through community resources and documentation	Creating archives is limited to a smaller set of formats than extraction Windows Shell integration is specific to Windows Corrupted-archive recovery procedures are documented for 7z archives
Our verdict	VLC media player is a free, open-source multimedia player from VideoLAN for people who want to play audio and video across desktop and mobile devices. It handles local files, discs, webcams, connected devices, and network streams, with… Read the review →	7-Zip is an open-source file archiver for compressing and extracting files, suited to people who want archive tools without a paid plan. It supports Windows, Linux, and macOS, with its Windows application combining a file manager, Windows… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• VLC media player — where it wins

  • Plays many audio and video formats without separate codec packs
  • Supports local files, discs, devices, network shares, and streams
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android

  Where it doesn't

  • Its extensive playback and filter options may be more than casual listeners need
  • Media-library search and playback history are listed for Android
  • Support is through community resources and documentation

• 7-Zip — where it wins

  • Creates 7z, ZIP, TAR, and other common archive formats
  • Extracts RAR, ISO, DMG, VHD, and many more formats
  • Includes AES-256 encryption, split archives, and command-line tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Creating archives is limited to a smaller set of formats than extraction
  • Windows Shell integration is specific to Windows
  • Corrupted-archive recovery procedures are documented for 7z archives

• VLC media player9.4/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source player for broad-format playback across desktop and mobile.

  Visit VideoLANFull verdict →
• 7Z7-Zip9.2/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source choice for archive creation, extraction, and command-line work.

  Visit 7-ZipFull verdict →