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Best WinRAR Alternatives in 2026

#36 of 36 in File Compression Software

The top WinRAR alternatives are 7-Zip, PeaZip and PowerArchiver: 15 file compression software our editors would look at instead of WinRAR, in our ranking order.

6.0/10Editor score
Visit WinRAR
WinRAR6.0 Visit WinRAR

WinRAR: A Windows-focused archiver with strong RAR repair, encryption, and archive management. Where it falls short: paid product with no free plan.

Switching from WinRAR? For most file compression software buyers the best WinRAR alternative is 7-Zip, built for free cross-platform archiving with broad format support.

Why People Look for a WinRAR Alternative

  • Paid product with no free plan
  • Supports Windows rather than multiple desktop platforms
  • Advanced options may exceed basic compression needs
  • No free plan — 15 of the alternatives below have it

Quick Picks by What You Need

All 15 WinRAR Alternatives, Ranked

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.

  1. 7-Zip

    Best forFree cross-platform archiving with broad format support

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 9.4 vs 6.0

    A free, open-source archiver with broad formats, encryption, recovery tools, and cross-platform support.

    • Portable version
    • Archive repair
    • Split archives
    Free plan Our 7-Zip verdict → Visit 7-Zip
    9.4/10★★★★★
    Visit 7-Zip
  2. PeaZip

    Best forBroad, free desktop archiving

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 9.2 vs 6.0

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

    • Portable version
    • Archive repair
    • Split archives
    Free plan Our PeaZip verdict → Visit PeaZip
    9.2/10★★★★★
    Visit PeaZip
  3. PowerArchiver

    Best forBusiness archive workflows and integrations

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 9.0 vs 6.0

    A format-rich archive tool for business workflows, automation, and secure file handling.

    • Portable version
    • Archive repair
    • Split archives
    Free plan · 30-day trial Our PowerArchiver verdict → Visit PowerArchiver
    9.0/10★★★★☆
    Visit PowerArchiver
  4. Bandizip

    Best forPolished Windows and Mac archiving

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 8.8 vs 6.0

    A capable cross-platform archiver with encryption, splitting, and a free edition.

    • Portable version
    • Archive repair
    • Split archives
    Free plan Our Bandizip verdict → Visit Bandizip
    8.8/10★★★★☆
    Visit Bandizip
  5. Keka

    Best forMac and iOS archive handling

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 8.7 vs 6.0

    A broad-format archive tool for Apple devices with free macOS access.

    • Split archives
    • Archive encryption
    • Command-line tools
    Free plan Our Keka verdict → Visit Keka
    8.7/10★★★★☆
    Visit Keka
  6. Ark

    Best forOpen-source Linux archive management

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 8.5 vs 6.0

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

    • Split archives
    • Archive encryption
    • Command-line tools
    Free plan Our Ark verdict → Visit KDE
    8.5/10★★★★☆
    Visit KDE
  7. File Roller

    Best forLinux users wanting a capable graphical archiver

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 8.4 vs 6.0

    A capable open-source graphical archiver with broad format and archive-management support.

    • Split archives
    • Archive encryption
    • Command-line tools
    Free plan Our File Roller verdict → Visit File Roller
    8.4/10★★★★☆
    Visit File Roller
  8. The Unarchiver

    Best forFree extraction across many platforms

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 8.3 vs 6.0

    A free, format-rich extractor with command-line tools but limited verified creation features.

    • Archive encryption
    • Command-line tools
    Free plan Our The Unarchiver verdict → Visit The Unarchiver
    8.3/10★★★★☆
    Visit The Unarchiver
  9. NanaZip

    Best forModern free Windows archiving

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 8.2 vs 6.0

    A free, 7-Zip-derived Windows archiver with broad format support and modern Explorer integration.

    • Portable version
    • Split archives
    • Archive encryption
    Free plan Our NanaZip verdict → Visit NanaZip
    8.2/10★★★★☆
    Visit NanaZip
  10. GNU tar

    Best forUnix backups and multi-format tar workflows

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 8.1 vs 6.0

    A free, capable Unix archiver for backups, pipelines, and multi-format tar work.

    • Split archives
    • Command-line tools
    Free plan Our GNU tar verdict → Visit GNU tar
    8.1/10★★★★☆
    Visit GNU tar
  11. Xarchiver

    Best forLightweight Linux archive management

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 8.0 vs 6.0

    A free, open-source archive manager with broad format support and command-line options.

    • Archive encryption
    • Command-line tools
    Free plan Our Xarchiver verdict → Visit Xarchiver
    8.0/10★★★★☆
    Visit Xarchiver
  12. RAR for Android

    Best forAndroid users needing recovery and RAR support

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 7.9 vs 6.0

    A free Android archive tool with strong recovery, repair, encryption, and RAR support.

    • Archive repair
    • Split archives
    • Archive encryption
    Free plan Our RAR for Android verdict → Try RAR for Android
    7.9/10★★★★☆
    Try RAR for Android
  13. lzip

    Best forIntegrity-focused lzip compression

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 7.9 vs 6.0

    Free, integrity-focused .lz compression for command-line archiving.

    • Archive repair
    • Split archives
    • Command-line tools
    Free plan Our lzip verdict → Visit lzip
    7.9/10★★★★☆
    Visit lzip
  14. bzip2

    Best forBzip2 compression and recovery

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 7.9 vs 6.0

    A mature, free command-line compressor for bzip formats and software integration.

    • Archive repair
    • Command-line tools
    Free plan Our bzip2 verdict → Visit bzip2
    7.9/10★★★★☆
    Visit bzip2
  15. GNU Gzip

    Best forLinux gzip command-line workflows

    • Better than WinRAR:
    • Free plan
    • Editor score 7.9 vs 6.0

    A free, focused compressor for Linux command-line and GNU tar workflows.

    • Command-line tools
    Free plan Our GNU Gzip verdict → Visit GNU Gzip
    7.9/10★★★★☆
    Visit GNU Gzip

WinRAR Alternatives: Common Questions

What is the best alternative to WinRAR?

7-Zip: #1 in our File Compression Software ranking, with an editor score of 9.4 out of 10. A free, open-source archiver with broad formats, encryption, recovery tools, and cross-platform support.

Is there a free alternative to WinRAR?

Yes. 7-Zip, PeaZip, PowerArchiver, Bandizip and Keka have a free plan or a free tier (15 of the 15 alternatives on this page).

Why do people look for WinRAR alternatives?

Paid product with no free plan; Supports Windows rather than multiple desktop platforms; Advanced options may exceed basic compression needs.

How do I switch from WinRAR?

Export your data from WinRAR (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel WinRAR.

How to Switch from WinRAR

  1. Export your data from WinRAR (most tools have an export in their settings).
  2. Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
  3. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
  4. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel WinRAR.

WinRAR vs Each Alternative

#ToolFree planPaid fromArchive formatsArchive encryptionSplit archivesCommand-line toolsScore
36WinRARNoRAR, ZIP, CAB, ARJ, GZ, TAR, ACR, JAR, ISO, 7Z, XZYesYesYes6.0
17-ZipYesFreeCreate/extract: 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP, WIM; extract: APFS, AR, ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, CramFS, DMG, EXT, FAT, GPT, HFS, IHEX, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MBR, MSI, NSIS, NTFS, QCOW2, RAR, RPM, SquashFS, UDF, UEFI, VDI, VHD, VHDX, VMDK, XAR, ZYesYesYes9.4
2PeaZipYesFreeCreates 7Z, ARC, BZ2, GZ, PAQ/LPAQ/ZPAQ, PEA, QUAD/BALZ/BCM, RAR conditionally, TAR, UPX, WIM, and ZIP/ZIPX; extracts 200+ typesYesYesYes9.2
3PowerArchiverYes$22.95 one-time60+; creates ZIP, ZIPX, 7Z, TAR, TAR.GZ, TAR.BZ2, CAB, BH, JAR; extracts RAR, ACE, ARJ, ISO, MSI, DMG, RPM, CPIO, LHA, ZOO, and moreYesYesYes9.0
4BandizipYes$20 one-timeCreates ZIP, 7Z, ZIPX, EXE (SFX), TAR, TGZ, LZH, ISO, GZ, XZ; extracts 7Z, ACE, AES, ALZ, ARJ, BH, BIN, BR, BZ, BZ2, CAB, MSI, DAA, DEB, EGG, GZ, IMG, ISO, ISZ, LHA, LZ, LZH, LZMA, PMA, RAR, RAR5, SFX, TAR, TBZ/TB2, TGZ, TLZ, TXZ, UDF, WIM, XPI, XZ, Z, ZIP, ZIPX, ZPAQ, PEA, UU, UUE, XXE, ASAR, ZSTD, NSIS, LZ4YesYesYes8.8
5KekaYesCreate: 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, SPKYesYesYes8.7
6ArkYesFreetar, gzip, bzip2, zip, rar, 7z, xz, rpm, cab, deb, xar, AppImageYesYesYes8.5
7File RollerYesFree7z, ace, alz, ar, arj, cab, cpio, deb, dmg, iso, jar, ear, war, lha, rar, cbr, rpm, tar, tar.gz, tar.br, tar.bz, tar.bz2, tar.bz3, tar.Z, tar.lrz, tar.lz, tar.lzo, tar.7z, tar.xz, tar.zst, snap, squashfs, sit, zip, cbz, zoo, gz, br, bz, bz2, bz3, Z, lrz, lz, lzo, rz, xz, zstYesYesYes8.4
8The UnarchiverYesFreeZIP, 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, PDFYesYes8.3
9NanaZipYesFree7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP, WIM, APFS, AR, ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, CramFS, DMG, EXT, FAT, GPT, HFS, IHEX, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MBR, MSI, NSIS, NTFS, QCOW2, RAR, RPM, SquashFS, UDF, UEFI, VDI, VHD, VHDX, VMDK, XAR, Z, Brotli, Lizard, LZ4, LZ5, Zstandard, UFS/UFS2, .NET Single File, Electron ASAR, ROMFS, ZealFS, WASM, CB7, CBZ, CBRYesYesYes8.2
10GNU tarYesFreeGNU, old GNU, V7, USTAR, POSIX, star (read-only), gzip, bzip2, xz, lzip, lzma, lzop, zstd, compressNoYesYes8.1
11XarchiverYesFree7z, ARJ, bzip2, gzip, LHA, LZMA, RAR, TAR, TAR.BZ2, TAR.GZ, TAR.LZMA, ZIP, DEB, RPMYesYes8.0
12RAR for AndroidYesCreate: RAR, ZIP. Extract: RAR, ZIP, ZIPX, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, 7z, ISO, ARJYesYesNo7.9
13lzipYesFreelzip (.lz)YesYes7.9
14bzip2YesFreeBZ2 (.bz2), BZ (.bz), TBZ2 (.tbz2), TBZ (.tbz)NoNoYes7.9
15GNU GzipYesFreegzip (.gz); ZIP (single-member DEFLATE extraction); compress (.Z); packNoNoYes7.9

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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