Bandizip review
A capable cross-platform archiver with encryption, splitting, and a free edition.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Bandizip is a file archiver for Windows and macOS, aimed at people who need to create, extract, protect, split, or test compressed files. It creates archives in formats such as ZIP, 7Z, ZIPX, EXE, TAR, TGZ, LZH, ISO, GZ, and XZ, while extracting more than 40 formats, including RAR, RAR5, CAB, WIM, ZPAQ, and ZSTD. Its broad format coverage makes it suitable for general desktop archiving and for working with files received in less common formats.
Pricing is built around a free Standard Edition and two one-time paid licenses. Standard includes archive compression and extraction but displays advertisements. Professional costs $30 one time and adds a single-user license for up to five PCs, removes advertisements, and includes Archive Repair, Password Manager, and Password Recovery. Enterprise costs $20 one time for a single-PC commercial license, with a minimum purchase quantity of two. The paid tiers are most relevant to users who need an ad-free experience, ZIP repair, password-related tools, or commercial licensing.
Bandizip also covers practical workflow needs with AES-256 archive encryption, password protection, multi-volume compression, archive integrity testing, command-line operations through Bandizip.exe and bz.exe, and a portable edition. Windows users can access it through File Explorer context menus, while macOS users get Finder integration. Choose it for cross-platform archive handling with a wide format range and desktop integration. Consider another option if advertisements are unacceptable and a paid license does not fit, or if you need a different licensing model than the available Professional and Enterprise editions.
Bandizip pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Creates archives in ZIP, 7Z, ZIPX, TAR, GZ, and other formats
- Extracts more than 40 formats, including RAR and RAR5
- Adds AES-256 encryption, splitting, integrity testing, and command-line tools
- Where it doesn't
- The free Standard Edition includes advertisements
- ZIP archive repair is limited to paid editions
- Enterprise licensing requires at least two single-PC licenses
Bandizip fact sheet, pricing and score →
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