Top pick: 7-Zip. Switching saves about $29 USD one-time.
$29 USDone-time
≈$41.35 CAD (converted from USD)
Every pick below has a free version.
4 alternatives
The editor’s first choice for most people switching.
Best for a free, no-frills archiver on Windows
Free with no ads or account. The main program is a Windows app; Linux and macOS builds are command-line only. It cannot create RAR files.
Covers most of the same work, with trade-offs noted on each card.
Best for one archiver on Windows, Linux and macOS
Free and open source. It opens and extracts RAR and RAR5 natively, but needs a WinRAR install to write RAR files.
Best for 7-Zip with a Windows 11 context menu
A 7-Zip fork for Windows 10 (2004) and later, installed from the Microsoft Store or as an MSIX package. It cannot create RAR files.
Best for archiving on a Mac
macOS only. Free from keka.io; the Mac App Store build is an optional paid copy that supports development.
Sponsor this page: $149 for 30 days. Sponsors appear above the ranking, labeled; the ranking itself is not for sale.
How each alternative covers what people use WinRAR for. Numbers link to editor notes.
| Feature | 7-Zip | PeaZip | NanaZip | Keka |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | ||||
| Create RAR archives | NoNote 1Extracts RAR but cannot create it because of the RAR license | PartialNote 2Creating RAR needs WinRAR installed on the same computer | NoNote 3Extracts RAR but cannot create it | NoNote 4Extracts RAR but cannot create it |
| Extract ZIP, 7z, TAR and ISO files | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Split archives into volumes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Self-extracting archives | YesNote 5Creates Windows self-extracting .exe archives | YesNote 6Creates 7z and ARC self-extracting archives | PartialNote 7Inherited from 7-Zip but not checked in the packaged Store build | No |
| Security | ||||
| AES-256 encryption | YesNote 8AES-256 for 7z and ZIP archives | YesNote 9AES-256, Twofish and Serpent with optional two-factor encryption | YesNote 10AES-256 for 7z and ZIP archives | YesNote 11AES-256 for 7z files; ZIP files use legacy Zip 2.0 encryption |
| Integration | ||||
| Right-click menu integration | Yes | YesNote 12Adds entries to the system context menu during setup | YesNote 13Adds entries to the Windows 10 and 11 Explorer menu | PartialNote 14Works through Finder services and as the default extraction app |
| Parity score | 83% | 92% | 75% | 58% |
Not covered by any free alternative yet: Create RAR archives. See all feature gaps
Can each alternative open and save WinRAR files?
| Format | 7-Zip | PeaZip | NanaZip | Keka |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .rar | Opens onlyNote 1Extracts RAR and RAR5 but cannot create themPartial fidelity | Opens onlyNote 2Extracts RAR and RAR5; creating RAR needs WinRAR installedPartial fidelity | Opens onlyNote 3Extracts RAR and RAR5 but cannot create themPartial fidelity | Opens onlyNote 4Extracts RAR but cannot create itPartial fidelity |
| .zip | Opens and savesFull fidelity | Opens and savesFull fidelity | Opens and savesFull fidelity | Opens and savesFull fidelity |
| .7z | Opens and savesFull fidelity | Opens and savesFull fidelity | Opens and savesFull fidelity | Opens and savesFull fidelity |
Switching saves about $29 USD / ≈$41 CAD (estimated from the USD price) one-time. Prices checked ; ≈ means converted from USD.
Based on WinRAR single-user license. Price source. USD to CAD at 1.4257 as of Oct 7, 2026.
Last verified . Ranking: tier first, then the published score.
Something wrong or out of date? Report outdated info.
WinRAR is a product of win.rar GmbH, named here for comparison only. Platforms listed for WinRAR: Windows, Android, macOS, Linux, Command line.