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Best File Compression Software in 2026

29 file compression software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.

29ranked
23free plans on this page
2 Oct 2026last checked
#1 Bandizip Top pick · 8.8 Free plan · Free #2 7-Zip Runner-up · 8.6 Free plan · Free #3 PeaZip Also great · 8.5 Free plan · Free
  1. 1

    Bandizip

    8.8
    Free planFree trial macOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    Creates 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, LZ4
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About BandizipVisit site
  2. 2

    7-Zip

    8.6
    Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    Create/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, Z
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About 7-ZipVisit site
  3. 3

    PeaZip

    8.5
    Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    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
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About PeaZipVisit site
  4. 4

    PowerArchiver

    8.4
    Free planFree trial macOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    60+; creates ZIP, ZIPX, 7Z, TAR, TAR.GZ, TAR.BZ2, CAB, BH, JAR; extracts RAR, ACE, ARJ, ISO, MSI, DMG, RPM, CPIO, LHA, ZOO, and more
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About PowerArchiverVisit site
  5. 5

    B1 Archiver

    8.3
    Free plan AndroidLinuxmacOSWebWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    Creates B1 and ZIP; extracts more than 40 archive formats
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About B1 ArchiverVisit site
  6. 6

    NanaZip

    7.7
    Free plan Windows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    7z, 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, CBR
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About NanaZipVisit site
  7. 7

    Ark

    7.7
    Free plan LinuxWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    tar, gzip, bzip2, zip, rar, 7z, xz, rpm, cab, deb, xar, AppImage
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About ArkVisit site
  8. 8

    Keka

    7.6
    Free plan macOSiOS
    Free plan
    Yes
    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
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About KekaVisit site
  9. 9

    The Unarchiver

    7.6
    Free plan macOSWindowsLinux
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    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
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About The UnarchiverVisit site
  10. 10

    IZArc

    7.4
    Free plan Windows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    ZIP, 7-Zip, CAB, TAR, BZip2, GZip, LHA, YZ1, RAR
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About IZArcVisit site
  11. 11

    Zipware

    7.3
    Free plan Windows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    ZIP, ZIPX, 7Z, RAR, RAR5, ISO, VHD, GZIP, BZIP2, TAR, CPIO, XZ, DEB, DMG, RPM, XPI, EXE
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About ZipwareVisit site
  12. 12

    File Roller

    7.3
    Free plan Linux
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    7z, 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, zst
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About File RollerVisit site
  13. 13

    p7zip

    7.3
    Free plan LinuxmacOS
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    7z, APFS, APM, AR, ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, CramFS, DMG, EXT, FAT, GPT, HFS, ISO, LZH, RAR, SquashFS, TAR, WIM, XZ, ZIP, Zstandard
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About p7zipVisit site
  14. 14

    ZArchiver

    6.9
    Free plan Android
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    Create: 7z, ZIP, BZip2, GZip, XZ, LZ4, TAR, Zstandard; extract: 7z, ZIP, RAR, RAR5, BZip2, GZip, XZ, ISO, TAR, ARJ, CAB, LZH, LHA, LZMA, XAR, TGZ, TBZ, Z, DEB, RPM, ZIPX, MTZ, CHM, DMG, CPIO, CRAMFS, IMG, WIM, ECM, LZIP, Zstandard, EGG, ALZ
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About ZArchiverVisit site
  15. 15

    ALZip

    6.9
    Free plan Windows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    ALZ, EGG, ZIP, LZH, TAR, JAR; extracts split ALZ, EGG, ZIP, RAR, and ACE archives
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About ALZipVisit site
  16. 16

    RAR for Android

    6.8
    Free plan Android
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    Create: RAR, ZIP. Extract: RAR, ZIP, ZIPX, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, 7z, ISO, ARJ
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    No
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About RAR for AndroidVisit site
  17. 17

    bzip2

    6.7
    Free plan LinuxWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    BZ2 (.bz2), BZ (.bz), TBZ2 (.tbz2), TBZ (.tbz)
    Archive encryption
    No
    Split archives
    No
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About bzip2Visit site
  18. 18

    Zstandard

    6.7
    Free plan LinuxWindowsmacOS
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    .zst, .gz, .xz, .lz4
    Archive encryption
    No
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About ZstandardVisit site
  19. 19

    XZ Utils

    6.6
    Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    .xz, .lzma, raw streams; .lz extraction
    Archive encryption
    No
    Split archives
    No
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About XZ UtilsVisit site
  20. 20

    lzip

    6.6
    Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    lzip (.lz)
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About lzipVisit site
  21. 21

    BetterZip

    6.5
    macOS
    Free plan
    No
    Archive formats
    ZIP, TAR, TGZ, TBZ, TXZ, 7-ZIP, DMG, Zstandard, Brotli, RAR; extracts TNEF, ARJ, LZH, ISO, CHM, CAB, CPIO/CPGZ, DEB, RPM, SIT/SITX, BinHex, and MacBinary
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    About BetterZipVisit site
  22. 22

    8 Zip

    6.5
    Free plan Windows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    ZIP, 7z, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, XZ, RAR, ZipX, ISO, ARJ, CAB, CHM, MSI, NSIS
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About 8 ZipVisit site
  23. 23

    Universal Extractor 2

    6.4
    Free plan Windows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    7z, ACE, ALZ, ARC, ARJ, bzip2, CPIO, gzip, LZH, LZMA, RAR, StuffIt, TAR, XZ, ZIP, ZOO, ZPAQ, and other formats
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About Universal Extractor 2Visit site
  24. 24

    Engrampa

    6.2
    Linux
    Archive formats
    7z, ACE, ALZ, AR, ARC, ARJ, CAB, CPIO, DEB, EPUB, ISO, JAR, EAR, WAR, LHA, RAR, CBR, RPM, TAR, TAR.GZ, TAR.BR, TAR.BZ, TAR.BZ2, TAR.Z, TAR.LRZ, TAR.LZ, TAR.LZO, TAR.7Z, TAR.XZ, BIN, SIT, ZIP, CBZ, ZOO, GZ, BR, BZ, BZ2, Z, LRZ, LZ, LZO, RZ, XZ, ZST
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Split archives
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    About EngrampaVisit site
  25. 25

    lrzip

    6.2
    Free plan LinuxmacOS
    Free plan
    Yes
    Archive formats
    LRZ; TAR-compressed LRZ via lrztar
    Archive encryption
    Yes
    Command-line tools
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedPlatformsFree planFree trial
    Free About lrzipVisit site

Is your tool on this list?

Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.

#1 open#2 open#3 open#4 open#5 openClaim your listing — free

Questions about this list

Which file compression software is ranked first on Specifiction?

Bandizip is ranked #1 of 29 with a score of 8.8. 7-Zip is second and PeaZip third.

How many of these have a free plan?

23 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.

How is this list ranked?

Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing. Paid placements never change a rank.

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