ALZip vs FileOptimizer

ALZip is a file compression and extraction program published by ESTsoft. It handles about 40 formats, including ALZ, EGG, ZIP, LZH, TAR, and JAR, and can extract split ALZ, EGG, ZIP, RAR, and ACE archives. Listed features include encryption, split archives, command-line tools, multithreaded ZIP compression, solid and split EGG archives, and Unicode compression. In icon view, users can preview image thumbnails without extracting an archive; linked image viewing requires installing ALSee. ALZip can warn when an archive contains a suspected malicious file and extract it to a safe folder. The PC version can use ALYac to scan compressed files for risks. The product page recommends Windows 11 and 10 for PC and describes a Linux version with similar functions; an Android app is also linked. ESTsoft claims extraction speed can increase by up to 700%, with results depending on format, PC, and environment. The Personal plan costs nothing for qualifying domestic individual users using it noncommercially. Business, education, and public-sector licenses are sold separately, with prices available through the business shopping mall.

FileOptimizer is a free Windows program that recompresses already-compressed files to reduce their size while retaining their format and behavior. It supports batch processing and accepts files through its interface or command line; optimization replaces them with optimized versions. The maker says it handles more than 600 file extensions and identifies types by examining file contents, regardless of extension. Listed formats include APNG, AVIF, BMP, BPG, DDS, DNG, GIF, HEIC, HEIF, ICO, J2C, J2K, JP2, JPEG, JPG, JXL, MNG, MPO, PCX, PNG, PSD, SVG, TGA, TIF, TIFF, and WEBP. By default, it removes extra metadata and keeps originals in the recycle bin. The program includes more than 90 third-party tools as plugins and supports command-line automation. It is provided under the GNU Affero General Public License, free for personal and commercial use without feature limits. The maker lists Windows XP through Windows 11 and Server 2022 among its requirements. Lossy options are also documented for PNG, JPEG, and GIF.