Alternatives to Zipware
A freeware Windows archiver that extracts ZIP, RAR, 7z and many other formats and creates ZIP and 7z archives. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Zipware
A freeware Windows archiver that extracts ZIP, RAR, 7z and many other formats and creates ZIP and 7z archives.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Zipware.
7-Zip
The small, free archiver that opens practically every archive format and compresses better than ZIP.
7-Zip is open source under LGPL-2.1, free for commercial use, and runs on Windows with console builds for Linux and macOS, though its interface is dated.
NanaZip
A 7-Zip fork that adds the Windows 11 right-click menu and ships through the Microsoft Store.
NanaZip is an MIT-licensed 7-Zip fork that appears in the Windows 11 right-click menu and updates through the Microsoft Store, on Windows 10 and 11 only.
PeaZip
A cross-platform archive manager that reads over two hundred formats and has a real file manager built in.
PeaZip is open source, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, reads over 200 formats and includes file manager tools, though its interface is busier.
Bandizip
Fast archiver for Windows and macOS with strong Unicode handling.
Bandizip adds strong Unicode filename handling, multi-core compression and a macOS version, but its free edition shows ads and withholds some features.
WinRAR
The archiver that created the RAR format, sold as shareware whose trial has never really expired.
WinRAR can create RAR archives with recovery records, which Zipware cannot, but it is paid, closed source software with a Windows-only graphical version.
Explzh
A Windows archiver for LZH, ZIP, CAB, RAR, 7z and tar with Explorer integration and ZIP repair.
Explzh adds LZH support, ZIP header repair and search inside archives, but requires a paid licence for commercial use and its documentation is mainly in Japanese.
7-Zip-zstd
Build of 7-Zip that adds Zstandard, Brotli, LZ4, LZ5 and Fast-LZMA2 compression.
7-Zip-zstd is a BSD-3-Clause 7-Zip build adding Zstandard, Brotli and LZ4 codecs, though archives using those codecs will not open in stock 7-Zip.
WinZip
A commercial archiver for Windows and Mac that zips, unzips, encrypts and shares files.
WinZip is a paid commercial archiver for Windows and Mac with encryption and backup features, requiring purchase after a 21-day trial.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Zipware as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
PowerArchiver
A commercial archive manager for Windows and macOS that opens over 60 formats and encrypts archives.
Zipware is closed source Windows freeware, free for commercial use, creating AES-256 encrypted ZIP and 7z archives but not RAR.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Altap Salamander
A two-panel file manager for Windows with built-in viewers, archive support and FTP/SFTP clients.
Unreal Commander
A freeware two-panel file manager for Windows with archive support, an FTP client and plugins.
