Ark vs FileOptimizer
Ark
apps.kde.orgFileOptimizer
nikkhokkho.sourceforge.ioSide by side
| Figure | Ark | FileOptimizer |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · File Compression Software | 7.9 (#11) | 8.1 (#7) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| License | The KDE Ark page identifies its license as GPL-2.0+. | The program is provided free of charge under the GNU Affero General Public License, and the maker says personal and commercial use is free without feature limitations. |
| Purpose | Ark is a graphical utility for compressing and decompressing files and archives. | FileOptimizer recompresses already compressed files to reduce their size while preserving their format and behavior. |
| Support | KDE links to the Ark Handbook, UserBase Wiki, and KDE Forum for help. | The maker points users to SourceForge discussions for suggestions and bug reports and does not guarantee support or answers for users outside the community. |
| Supported formats | The site lists tar, gzip, bzip2, rar, zip, and CD-ROM images, and its features list also includes 7z. | 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,WEBP |
Plans
In their own words
Ark
Ark is a free graphical utility for creating and managing compressed files and archives on Linux and Windows. It can browse, extract, create, and modify archives, and preview file contents without extracting them. Its listed formats include tar, gzip, bzip2, zip, rar, 7z, xz, rpm, cab, deb, xar, AppImage, and CD-ROM images. Ark also supports archive encryption, split archives, and command-line tools. The listed plan costs nothing, with no plan limits stated, and the application is licensed under GPL-2.0+. On Linux, KDE offers installation through AppStream stores, distribution package managers, and Flathub. KDE lists Windows as a platform and provides a Windows nightly installer for testing. Its help links include the Ark Handbook, UserBase Wiki, and KDE Forum; KDE also provides a bug-reporting link and access to the source code. KDE describes itself as an international community developing free and open-source software, represented for legal and financial matters by KDE e.V., a registered nonprofit in Germany.
FileOptimizer
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.