7 what programs exist for archiving files. Why are archives needed?

There are many archivers offered on the computer market - each has its own set of supported formats, its own pros and cons, and its own circle of admirers who firmly believe that the archiver they use is the best. We will not dissuade anyone or anything - we will simply try to impartially evaluate the most popular archivers in terms of functionality and efficiency. These include WinZip, WinRAR, WinAce, 7-Zip, IZArc and PowerArchiver - they lead in the number of downloads on software servers (for example, on Download.com - Table 1). It is hardly advisable to consider other archivers, since the percentage of users using them (judging by the number of downloads) is small.

Functionality assessment

When assessing functionality, we will focus on the basic set of capabilities (Table 2). In other words, for archivists to support the main archival formats (that is, the ability to pack/unpack archives in ZIP, ZIPX, RAR, ACE and 7Z formats) and create, in addition to regular archives, multi-volume, self-extracting in EXE (Self-Extracting - SFX) and continuous (Solid) archives, as well as archiving large files(over 4 GB). Let's pay attention to the availability of functionality for restoring damaged archives and encrypting data. In addition, we will take into account whether drag-and-drop support is implemented, whether it is possible to batch unpack archives and pause the archiving/unpacking process (the latter may be useful when processing very large amounts of data), as well as a number of other useful functions.

WinZip 14.5

Developer: WinZip Computing, S.L.

Distribution size: 13.8 MB

Distribution method: shareware (45-day demo - http://www.winzip.com/downwz.htm)

Price: Standard - $29.95; Backup - $39.95; Pro - $49.95

WinZip is one of the oldest (on the market since 1991) archivers for Windows with its own graphical interface. Such a respectable age, apparently, provides this archiver with such an impressive audience of users, since, in our opinion, it does not have any special advantages (compared to competitors) - this is a truly reliable archiver with a very good parameters compression and speed, but nothing more. True, appeared in the archiver from version 12.1 new format ZIPX provides higher levels of data compression than ZIP. However, archiving in it is quite slow, and the format itself is practically not supported by other archivers (of the solutions reviewed, only PowerArchiver has the ability to unpack ZIPX archives), which will serve as a limiting factor for its active use for now.

The program is presented in three editions: Standard, Backup and Pro; a detailed comparison of editions is available at: http://www.winzip.com/winzip-feature-comparison.htm. The Standard edition provides access to all the archiving features found in WinZip. The Backup edition additionally includes tools for automating tasks such as backing up data, compressing files, burning ZIP archives onto CD/DVD and uploading them to FTP servers. The Pro edition combines the capabilities of the Backup edition with functionality for working with images and, as conceived by the developers, is focused on the multidisciplinary use of WinZip in enterprises.

WinZip is based on the ZIP archive format, originally developed by PKWARE for MS-DOS. In addition, it now supports its own ZIPX format, which provides a higher compression ratio than ZIP and even performs better than RAR and 7Z on certain data. In the case of ZIP archives, it is possible to compress large files larger than 4 GB, with a maximum permissible size such files are not specified. In addition to archives in ZIP and ZIPX formats, the WinZip archiver can create LHA archives. In terms of unpacking, the list of supported formats is more impressive: RAR, 7Z, CAB, IMG, ISO, etc. However, you should keep in mind that unpacking archives created by WinRAR sometimes fails for some reason.

The archiver has two operating modes. The WinZip Wizard mode is designed for beginners - compression/decompression operations are performed using a step-by-step wizard, and ZIP archives are created with default compression parameters. In WinZip Classic mode, aimed at advanced users, all processes are launched manually.

WinRAR 3.93

Developer: RARLAB

Distribution size: 32-bit version - 1.33 MB; 64-bit version - 1.49 MB

Distribution method: shareware (40-day limited demo version - http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm)

Price:$29

WinRAR is a popular archiver not only in Russia, but throughout the world, the first version of which appeared in 1993. It is a RAR archiver for Windows, which has several versions for different operating systems(Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, DOS, OS/2, Mac OS X), as well as the console version (Rar.exe), launched from command line and working in text mode. The program has received recognition as the optimal solution, having the most reasonable ratio between operating speed and file compression ratio.

WinRAR uses its own original RAR archive format for compression and can create RAR archives of almost any size with an unlimited number of files. This algorithm compression allows you to achieve optimal ratio between speed and compression ratio when processing many types of data - in particular multimedia files, object libraries and executable programs. The archiver also provides full support for ZIP archives, but, unlike a number of competitors, it cannot create archives in 7Z format. As for other archive formats, WinRAR allows you to perform basic operations (unpack, view content, etc.) with archives in 7Z, ACE, ARJ, BZ2, CAB, GZ, ISO, JAR, LZH, TAR, UUE and Z formats.

The interface of the WinRAR archiver, in our opinion, is much more convenient, and the principle of its use is more obvious than that of WinZip, although this is a controversial issue. The fact is that in WinZip, for example, to create an archive you must first specify its name and determine the location, and only then specify the files to be archived. In WinRAR, everything is exactly the opposite - first the files to be archived are selected, and then the compression parameters are set, and the name of the archive and its location on the disk are indicated, which looks more natural.

WinAce 2.69

Developer: E-Merge

Distribution size: 3.85 MB

Distribution method: http://www.winace.net/files/wace269i.exe)

Price: $29; Maybe free use WinAce subject to installation of the sponsorship module from TrialPay

WinAce is a development of the German company of the same name, which is the creator of the famous powerful Ace compressor. It runs on Windows, but a free console version of the file extraction program, known as Unace, is available for Mac OS X and Linux. There is also a command line version of the archiver. WinAce has gained popularity thanks to its extraordinary abilities in terms of file compression and speed, but the peak of popularity of this archiver is already behind us, and today, in terms of these parameters, it is inferior to other solutions under consideration. The program has not been updated for a long time (the last stable release was dated November 2007), but the number of fans of this archiver is still large.

WinAce uses its own ACE archive format, which provides a good compression ratio and a good speed of this process, but today this format(like the ZIP format) is already becoming obsolete. In addition to ACE archives, the program can create and unpack archives in ZIP, LHA, MS-CAB, JAR, GZip and TAR formats. Viewing and unpacking are provided for RAR, ARC, ARJ and ZOO archive formats, that is, there is no ability to work with 7Z archives, and only unpacking is provided for RAR archives. The archiver's interface is intuitive, and the principle of use is exactly the same as WinRAR.

7-Zip 4.65

Developer: Igor Pavlov

Distribution size: 917 KB

Distribution method: freeware (http://7-zip.org.ua/ru/)

Price: for free

7-Zip - archiver with open source code, running primarily under Windows (there is a portable version of the archiver for the Linux/UNIX command line). The program has gained great popularity and recognition among users as a solution that provides archiving of files with a high compression percentage. In reality, the compression ratio greatly depends on the data being compressed. According to independent tests, 7-Zip generally compresses the 7Z format better than the other solutions reviewed into its own original format, but its compression speed is lower. In addition to the regular one, 7-Zip has a portable version (http://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/7-zip_portable), which is relevant since not all popular archivers can unzip archives in the 7Z format.

7-Zip uses the new 7Z archiving format, which provides a very high compression ratio: on many data it is higher than other formats. When creating archives in this format, not only the data is compressed, but also the archive header, and you can choose any compression, conversion and encryption method and archive files up to 16 billion GB in size. Of the archivers discussed in this publication, only WinAce cannot unpack archives in this format today, and 7-Zip can unpack files in the formats ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, DEB, DMG, HFS, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MSI, NSIS, RAR, RPM, UDF, WIM, XAR and Z. The archiver can also create ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR archives and unzip the corresponding archives, with the exception of multi-volume ZIP archives.

The interface of 7-Zip is extremely simple and intuitive. By default, the archiver window is single-panel, and compression/decompression operations in it are performed exactly the same as in WinRAR. In addition, the archiver can work in a two-panel interface mode - approximately the same as file manager, which allows you to perform common operations with files and folders in it.

IZArc 4.1.2

Developer: IZSoftware

Distribution size: 4.45 MB

Distribution method: freeware (http://www.izarc.org/download.html)

Price: for free

IZArc is an archiver that works only under Windows and differs from its analogues in that it supports a very large number of compression formats (on this moment 47), including very rare ones at present (ARC, ARJ, ZOO, etc.). Another distinctive feature of this archiver is the ability to convert archives in various formats (including CD images) and convert some types of archives into others (for example, self-extracting archives and standard ones). At the same time, IZArc demonstrates an impressive degree of data compression and acceptable speed when creating 7Z and ZIP archives, but it processes archives in other formats slowly. Besides regular version, IZArc has a portable one known as IZArc2Go (http://izarc.org/download.html).

IZArc can create archives in ZIP, 7-ZIP, BH, BGA, BZip2, CAB, GZIP, JAR, LZH, TAR and YZ1 formats. The list of archives that can be opened is even more impressive and covers 47 formats, including ACE and RAR. In addition, the program easily copes with unpacking images in ISO, BIN, MDF, NRG, IMG, C2D, PDI and CDI formats. The principle of operation of this archiver is the same as that of WinZip in Classic mode; the program’s interface can be made in the classic style or in the Explorer style.

PowerArchiver 2010 (11.64)

Developer: ConeXware, Inc.

Distribution size: English version- 8.6 MB; international version - 14.2 MB

Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo - http://www.powerarchiver.com/download/)

Price: Standard - 19.95 euros, Professional - 28.75 euros

PowerArchiver is an archiver that runs only on Windows and in its first versions was known as EasyZip. It did not gain popularity immediately, since its archiving speed for a long time turned out to be much lower than that of WinZip. However, over time, some WinZip users switched to PowerArchiver, which, apparently, was caused not only by progress in increasing speed, but also by widespread support for archive formats, impressive functionality and regular updates. Latest version This archiver makes full use of the capabilities of multiprocessor systems for ZIP archiving, which, according to the developers, has made it possible to achieve a significant increase in the speed of packing/unpacking ZIP files in comparison with WinZip. In addition, the program now unpacks RAR archives 30% faster than WinRAR.

The archiver is presented in two editions - Standard and Professional. The professional edition has advanced backup capabilities and additionally includes an FTP client and tools for burning CD/DVD discs, creating ISO images and mounting them in virtual drives. Detailed comparison editions available at: http://www.powerarchiver.com/features/compare.php.

For ZIP, 7Z, CAB, LHA, TAR (TAR.GZ and TAR.BZ2) and BH formats, PowerArchiver has full support - that is, you can both create archives in these formats and unpack them. The archiver can also read and extract archives in ZIPX, RAR (version 3), ARJ, ARC, ACE (version 2) and ZOO formats. It is possible to extract files from images in ISO, BIN, IMG and NRG formats and create backup copies archives.

The archiver has three interface modes: classic (designed to work ordinary users) and two modern interface options (“Explorer Style” and “Explorer with Folders”), which are designed for advanced users.

Comparison of compression level and operation speed

It is equally useful to compare archivers in terms of the efficiency of their use - that is, the degree of compression of different types of data by archiving programs. In this case, not only the degree of compression is important, but also the speed of the archiving/unpacking processes.

Different types of data can theoretically be compressed with varying degrees of efficiency: some more strongly (files in TXT, DOC, DBF and BMP formats), others less, and files that have already been compressed (say, DivX video files, AVI videos or snapshots in JPEG), archiving is practically useless. Different archivers, depending on the algorithms involved in them, show good results on some file formats, but are less successful on others. According to the famous archiving rating Maximum Compression (http://www.maximumcompression.com/index.html), conducted by Werner Bergmans, 7-Zip in most cases shows the best compression results on a wide variety of formats (Table 3). Let's say, in the ranking of the compression efficiency of EXE files, 7-Zip is in 21st place (for comparison, we note that, for example, WinZip is in 47th), MS Word documents are in 23rd, and Bitmap images are in 30th, etc.

It is also interesting how archivers perform on complex data of different types, because users are unlikely to be satisfied with an archiver that copes well with some types of data and mediocre with others. A similar assessment of the overall compression efficiency is made in the Summary test (Maximum Compression rating), in which programs are tested in maximum compression mode (by selecting the appropriate archiving settings - method and compression level) through the use of random access memory and CPU time at the expense of speed. According to the results of this test, 7-Zip ranks 24th in the ranking of archivers in terms of data compression ratio (Table 4), while WinRAR and WinZip are ranked 32nd and 34th, respectively.

At the same time, users should be more attracted to archivers that provide a high level of compression in an acceptable time. Tests from the Multiple file compression group (Maximum Compression rating), which were developed specifically to simulate the work of ordinary users, are responsible for assessing the effectiveness of programs from these positions. Brief results of these tests are presented in table. 5, where for each of the archivers the best data on archiving results using two or three methods is given. At the same time, the position of each of the archivers in the ranking of program effectiveness in terms of the degree of data compression is displayed and, in parallel, the degree of compression is shown, as well as the compression time and decompression time.

Of course, the listed parameters largely depend on the chosen archiving methods - those that provided a good compression ratio in an acceptable time were selected as such during testing. The table shows that WinZip (Zipx Best Method) compresses even slightly better than 7-Zip and WinRAR, but the latter this operation twice as fast as competitors. Therefore, if the user is not faced with the task of achieving a minimum archive size, then WinRAR is preferable. As for the 7-Zip archiver, which is traditionally accused of the slowness of the compression process, it turns out that this statement is not entirely true - of course, 7-Zip compresses for quite a long time (for example, longer than WinRAR), but faster than WinAce.

Conclusion

There are many criteria by which archivers can be evaluated. Some users will prioritize the compression level, others - speed, others will prefer a solution that fully supports all common formats, and still others will choose the program with the most convenient interface and the most comfortable option for performing compression/decompression processes. In general, there are as many opinions as there are people. Therefore, we would not dare to name the best of the archivers considered - everything is not so simple here and to a large extent depends on what archival formats you have to work with. But if we focus on ease of use, we found working in WinRAR the most comfortable. In addition, this archiver creates archives with a fairly high compression ratio in a reasonable time. However, WinRAR is inferior to a number of other archivers in terms of encryption reliability, and therefore “secret service agents” are better off choosing something more reliable - for example, the PowerArchiver archiver. The latter made a very good impression on us - both in terms of support for formats, the presence of wide functionality, the ability to restore damaged archives of most formats, etc., and in terms of the efficiency of compression of ZIP archives.

The impression from WinAce is twofold: on the one hand, the archiver is easy to use and multifunctional, but on the other hand, in terms of compression/decompression efficiency, it now lags behind solutions that continue to be developed and updated.

In WinZip, we are not inspired by the lack of functionality for batch unpacking archives and temporarily pausing the archiving/unpacking process, as well as the inability to restore damaged archives.

As for the free archivers 7-Zip and IZArc, we cannot name the best among them, since these archivers are too different. 7-Zip is simple and easy to use and provides excellent compression results at an acceptable speed of operation, although choosing a high compression ratio increases the archiving time significantly. However, it cannot handle ACE archives and cannot restore damaged archives. IZArc supports a huge number of archive formats and can unpack images in ISO, BIN, NRG, etc. formats. However, the principle of creating self-extracting and multi-volume archives is not very convenient. In addition, the disadvantage of IZArc is the lack of batch unpacking of archives and the ability to temporarily pause the archiving/unpacking process. At the same time, 7-Zip and IZArc archivers are the best of the free solutions; they are truly functional, easy to use, and show impressive results when tested.

Download an archiver for Windows 7? What could be simpler? Everyone is accustomed to the mega-popular WinRar and have not noticed for a long time that it is not free even for non-commercial use. But it’s not WinRar alone. We have made a selection of the best free archivers that are not inferior in functionality and can easily replace their paid competitor. It's time to stop piracy and download one of the best archivers from our article for free.

Main functions of archivers

An archiver is a computer program that allows you to pack files into archives and unpack them back.

Main functions of archivers:

• Compression. To save free space on storage media and speed up data transfer over the Internet. The degree of data compression depends on the compression algorithm, which differs for each archiver.
• Encryption and data protection. To increase the security of information storage and transmission.
• Packing files into a single archive or splitting them into blocks of equal size. For ease of data transfer.

The best free archivers

Previously, the paid WinRar was indeed the best archiver. In recent years the situation has changed significantly. Yes, WinRar is still good, but it has serious free competitors. They are in no way inferior in most respects, and sometimes even surpass the former industry leader. In this section we offer to download archivers for WIndows 7 completely free of charge.

7zip

At the moment, 7-zip is rightfully called the best free archiver. Its main advantage is the high degree of data compression, which is achieved thanks to its own compression algorithm in the 7z format.

Key Features:

• The most effective data encryption algorithm. Own archive format 7z.
• Supports most popular formats, including RAR 3, used in paid WinRar.
• Creation of self-extracting archives in 7z format. Convenient to use if later you don’t have an archiver at hand to unpack.
• Own file manager for ease of working with archives.
• Windows integration. Archive any file from its context menu.

Download:

WinArc

A relatively new free archiver that offers good functionality. During installation, it is advisable to uninstall additional components from Yandex.

Key Features:

• Multi-format. Supports more than 450 formats.
• Function for regulating RAM usage during archiving. Helps with archiving large amounts of data.
• 4 encryption algorithms. For reliable information protection.
• Increased archiving speed.

PeaZip

Another interesting archiver. To install the Russian interface language, you need to select “Localization” in the “Options” menu and open the file ru.txt.

Key Features:

• There is a portable version. Convenient to use without installation.
• Pea's own format. Flexible encryption system and integrity control.
• Supports a large number of formats.
• Data encryption standard AES-256. For reliable information protection.
• Search the archive without unpacking.
• Password and key generator. The program itself can come up with strong password in accordance with all rules applicable to data protection.

Over the past few years, a huge variety of new storage media have appeared on the market, and existing ones have been improved, becoming more spacious. Nevertheless, the need for data archiving is still in demand, so choosing a good archiver for everyday use should not be neglected.

And while paid archiver programs are known to many, free ones often leave many questions.

Today we will try to determine the best free archiver. In this review, we will look at just a few applications that are the most popular among users.

1.

7- ZIP is one of the very first and, perhaps, the most popular free archiver today. It has a whole list of features and advantages. Its compression ratio is practically no different from its commercial counterpart, WinRAR. In addition, the program has one of the best results for archiving in ZIP and GZIP formats, demonstrating many times better results compared to other free analogues.

The ability to fine-tune is supported. Among the advantages, a large number of compression algorithms, as well as a whole list of integrated presets, deserve mention. The ability to open archives in a huge variety of formats is supported, while packaging is only available for 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR. The creation of multi-volume archives is provided.

2.

IZArc has not become as widespread as the above-described 7-ZIP, but is not inferior to the latter in many respects, and, in our opinion, has a more user-friendly interface. Creation of archive formats is supported for ZIP, 7-ZIP, BH, BGA, BZIP2, JAR, LZH, TAR, GZ, YZ1, when the list of unpacking formats is much larger.

Among the advantages, the implemented ability to create multi-volume and self-extracting archives deserves mention. The ability to encrypt fonts is supported, and compressed files have integrity checks and tools to troubleshoot errors when detected.

3.

Another fairly popular archiver, which, interestingly, differs own format archives called PEA. However, support for all common formats is also present. In general, the functionality is similar to the programs described above, but some options are not fully implemented, which can cause some discomfort during operation.

Among the advantages are cross-platform, as well as support for various encryption algorithms for different compression formats. In addition, the developer offers to download PeaZip in both full (standard) and portable versions. The main advantage of the latter is the ability to run programs from flash drives.

Results. The title of the best.

To summarize, it must be said that choosing the best archiver among free ones is not so easy, because it is simply impossible to predict the requirements of each user. Nevertheless, the most interesting is the archiver, which has a clear interface, as well as high performance, providing the maximum compression ratio compared to other analogues.

In addition, working with 7-Zip is extremely simple. After installing the program, its functionality is added to the context menu of the operating system, so subsequently all options are available by right-clicking. All you need to do is select required file, select “7-Zip” from the menu and assign the task you need. If desired, you can “Open Archive”, which will be activated by the program manager with more complete access to all functionality.

Programs for working with archives (files that contain one or more other files) are the first thing installed on the computer after installing the operating system. They are included in the set itself necessary software, since without them it is impossible to install a single driver downloaded from the Internet on a PC, and many applications too. Each archiver program for Windows has its own strengths and weak sides, and today we will try to find out which of these programs are the best.

Why are archives needed?

Today, huge amounts of information are stored in archival formats. Why? Yes, because it is much more convenient than keeping it in its original form. The advantages are as follows:

• Archives take up less disk space than unarchived files.
• Archive formats support encryption and password protection, but regular files do not.
• One archive can contain a large number of files of any type and folders of any nesting depth (nesting limit, of course, exists, but it is determined by the capabilities file system). That is, it can serve as a container for other objects.
• Archives are convenient for transferring files via e-mail and through file-sharing services, as well as for creating application installation distributions. Most of them are supported by different operating systems, not just Windows.
• Large archives can be divided into parts (volumes) and stored separately, but files cannot.
• Some archives can unpack themselves without additional programs(more precisely, they are unpacked by the operating system).
• Certain archive formats can be used as disk images (yes, ISO files are also archives).

These are the capabilities of archives in general, but they different types support various functions. The most common - ZIP, RAR and 7Z, are also the most functional, but besides them, there are more than 100 types of archive formats and each has its own purpose. In a word, we cannot do without archives and programs for working with them.

5 best archivers for Windows

WinRAR

WinRAR is perhaps the only archiver for Windows that everyone knows about. This is one of the oldest applications in its class, but despite its age and a lot of competitors, it is still considered the best of the best.

WinRAR's strengths:

• High speed and compression ratio. The finished archives are 8-15% less voluminous than similar products.
• Making the most of multi-core processors.
• Automatic recognition of content type and selection of optimal compression technology.
• Unpacking of most existing archive file formats (more than 50). Compresses to RAR, ZIP, ARJ, CAB, TAR LZH, ACE, ISO, GZip, BZIP2, UUE, Z and 7Z formats.
• Support for creating multi-volume and self-extracting archives.
• Supports 128-bit encryption and electronic digital signatures.
• Function for repairing damaged (“broken”) archives.
• Built-in content scanning for viruses (how effective is unknown, but it exists).
• The function of quickly sending a compressed file (folder) by email if an email client is installed on your computer.
• Russian language support.
• Creation in context menu Explorer of quick access points to the main functions: pack, unpack, send the archive by email.

WinRAR is available not only in a version for Windows, but also for Android. It has a convenient, intuitive interface, built like a Windows explorer, so it does not require time to master.

The main and perhaps only drawback of the program is the paid nature. WinRAR can be used for free for 40 days, however, even after this period, the utility retains full functionality, and a pop-up window reminds you of the need to reward the author. The cost of a license to use WinRAR on all devices is $29.

7-Zip

The utility with the short and memorable name 7-Zip is more focused on working with 7Z files, but it also does an excellent job with many others. Even more - it supports almost all existing archive data formats, including disk images (allows you to view and extract files from them),

The speed and quality of content compression of 7-Zip is no lower than that of Vin Rar, it also has support for the Russian language, but most importantly, you can download the program and use it for free. And no annoying windows.

Advantages of 7-Zip:

• Excellent speed and high compression ratio.
• Unpacking of most existing archives (50+ formats), packaging in 7Z, ZIP, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, XZ.
• Creating self-extracting 7Z archives.
• Cryptographically strong encryption and password protection of files in 7Z and ZIP formats.
• Intuitive interface, built like Windows Explorer.
• The function of sending archives by email if an email client is installed on the machine.
• Integration with Windows Explorer— adding commands for packing, unpacking, including in an existing archive and sending 7Z and ZIP files by mail.

Many people say that the disadvantage of the 7-Zip archiver is that it is by default configured to work with the 7Z format, which is less reliable than ZIP and RAR, and if damaged, it is almost impossible to restore.

There is an opinion that 7-Zip and the 7Z format have a sacred connection with Windows 7, but do not work correctly on Windows 10, 8 and XP. Fortunately, this is not the case: the seven in the names is a mere coincidence, and the product itself is also available in versions for Linux and other desktop systems.

WinZIP

WinZIP is another well-known archiver with a wide range of features that significantly surpass its competitors. Designed to work with ZIP files, but supports many others.

Key features of WinZIP:

It’s easy to guess that you have to pay to use these goodies. Free version WinZIP operates with restrictions and only 21 days, after which its work is suspended. The license cost is $39.95.

- a simple, omnivorous and free archiver with support for many operating systems, including Windows. One of the few available in both installation and portable versions. Distributed under the GNU GPL (free and open source) license.

A key feature of PeaZIP is its support for decompressing over 180 archive file formats, which may be a record.

Other strengths of the program:

• Packaging in BZIP2, GZIP, ARC, ZIP, PAQ, XZ, TAR, UPX, WIM, QUAD and some others formats.
• Creation of multi-volume archives.
• The proprietary archive file format is PEA, with a high compression ratio and resistance to damage.
• Built-in password and key storage.
• Built-in file shredder (destroyer).
• Support for batch command execution scripts.
• The installation version is integrated into Windows Explorer.

PeaZIP - worthy of attention product, especially considering that it is free, but with its main task - fast and high-quality packaging and unpacking, it copes worse than others. Archives are larger and take longer to create than in similar programs. In addition, not every release of the utility supports the Russian language.

Before installing PeaZIP, check the bitness of your Windows versions, since for 32 and 64-bit systems you need to download different distributions.

The developers position their product as the most a simple utility for archiving files. And also quite nimble. The check showed that they have reason to claim this, but the “hamster” is trained to create archives in only two formats - ZIP and 7Z, although it can unpack many.

Advantages of Hamster Free ZIP Archiver:

Hamster Free ZIP Archiver successfully copes with the assigned functions - this is a plus. And support for only two compression formats is the biggest disadvantage. Another drawback is that the browser always opens the developer’s website.

The review did not include all existing archive programs for Windows, most of which offer to download for free and use without restrictions, but their presence would not change the order in our rating. The first places are consistently and deservedly occupied by WinRAR - the best paid archiver, and 7-Zip - the best free one. The rest can complement them, but, alas, they fall short of a full replacement.