Archive software comparison
Create and extract coverage for the 12 archivers listed in this directory.
This page lists the archive software in the directory at /software side by side, with the formats each tool can create and extract. The coverage is counted from each archiver's own page in this directory: the create and extract lists shown there, in the same order, with one record per format named.
| Archiver | Create | Extract | Create count | Extract count | Total | Operating systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-Zip | 7zZIPTARGZIPBZIP2XZWIM | 7zZIPRARTARGZIPBZIP2XZCABISOMSIDEBRPMLZHARJZCHMNSIS | 7 | 17 | 24 | WindowsLinux (p7zip)Android (ZArchiver) |
| WinRAR | RARRAR5ZIP | RARRAR5ZIP7zTARGZIPBZIP2XZCABISOACEARJLZHUUE | 3 | 14 | 17 | WindowsmacOS (CLI only)Linux (CLI only)Android (RAR for Android) |
| PeaZip | 7zZIPTARGZIPBZIP2XZPEABRZSTDWIM | 200+ formats including 7z, ZIP, RAR, TAR, ISO, CAB, MSI, DMG, DEB, RPM, ARJ, ACE | 10 | 1 | 11 | WindowsLinux |
| Keka | 7zZIPTARGZIPBZIP2XZLZIPZSTDBROTLILZ4LZHDMGISOWIM | 7zZIPRAR (RAR5)TARGZIPBZIP2XZLZIPZSTDBROTLILZ4LZHDMGISOCABEXE (NSIS)PAXCPIO | 14 | 18 | 32 | macOS |
| The Unarchiver | Extraction only — does not create archives | ZIPRAR (RAR5)7zTARGZIPBZIP2XZLZHARJCABACESITSITXPAKLZ4ZSTDmany obscure vintage formats | 0 | 17 | 17 | macOSiOS |
| GNU tar | TARTAR.GZTAR.BZ2TAR.XZTAR.ZSTTAR.LZ | TARTAR.GZTAR.BZ2TAR.XZTAR.ZSTTAR.LZTAR.LZMA | 6 | 7 | 13 | LinuxmacOSBSDWindows (via Git Bash, Cygwin, WSL) |
| Bandizip | 7zZIPTARGZIPBZIP2XZLZHZIPX | 7zZIPRARTARGZIPBZIP2XZCABISOMSILZHARJACE | 8 | 13 | 21 | WindowsmacOS |
| p7zip | 7zZIPTARGZIPBZIP2XZ | 7zZIPRARTARGZIPBZIP2XZCABISOMSIDEBRPMARJLZH | 6 | 14 | 20 | LinuxmacOSBSD |
| macOS Archive Utility | ZIPTARGZIP | ZIPTARGZIPBZIP2XARCPIO | 3 | 6 | 9 | macOS |
| Windows File Explorer | ZIP | ZIP7z (Win 11)RAR (Win 11)TARGZBZ2XZ (Win 11)CAB | 1 | 8 | 9 | Windows |
| ZArchiver | 7zZIPTARGZIPBZIP2XZ | 7zZIPRARTARGZIPBZIP2XZAPKISOCABLZHARJACE | 6 | 13 | 19 | Android |
| RAR for Android | RARZIP | RARRAR5ZIPTARGZIPBZIP2XZ7zARJLZH | 2 | 10 | 12 | Android |
Counts across the 12 archivers
- Create entries listed: 66
- Extract entries listed: 138
- Median create+extract entries per archiver: 17
- Fewest create+extract entries on one archiver: 9
- Most create entries on one archiver: 14
- Most extract entries on one archiver: 18
- Largest create+extract total: 32
Each count is the number of entries in that archiver's "Supported formats — create" and "Supported formats — extract" lists on its own page in this directory. A tool that creates nothing (extraction only) shows the note its own page carries and counts as 0 create entries. Source: Wikipedia “List of archive formats”, Library of Congress Digital Formats registry, IANA media-type registry, 7-Zip project docs.