7-Zip vs WinRAR
A side-by-side feature comparison.
Summary
7-Zip and WinRAR are the two heavyweight Windows archivers. The difference is mainly licensing — 7-Zip is free and open, WinRAR is shareware that nags you to pay — and which native format they prefer.
Bottom line: 7-Zip for free and open. WinRAR if you need to create .rar files or want recovery records.
Feature comparison
| Feature | 7-zip | winrar |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Paid (trial nags forever) |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Native format | 7z | RAR / RAR5 |
| Creates RAR? | No | Yes |
| Extracts RAR? | Yes | Yes |
| UI polish | Functional | More polished |
| Shell integration | Excellent | Excellent |
| Compression ratio | Best in 7z mode | Best in RAR5 mode (similar) |
About 7-zip
About winrar
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