I’m sure nowadays having a compression utility on your computer is more necessary than having antivirus software. I mean, so many things online are being shared as archive files, for that reason you have to be able to create and extract compressed files all the time.

There are different compression utilities out there, and each one supports different archive file formats, Which you may be familiar with the popular ones like RAR, 7z, and ZIP.

But in this article, we’re going to answer your question: What is the best program to open zip files? That means focusing only on ZIP files (.zip) and suggesting some marvelous compression tools for creating and extracting ZIP files. Also, at the bottom, we’ll answer some of your other questions about this topic.

What Is The Best Program to Open ZIP Files in 2022

1) 7-Zip [The Best Software For ZIP Files]

7-Zip is a FREE file archiver that helps you deal with compressed files most finely, and it can do all the wanted work for you.

When it comes to compression ratio, no other compression software can beat 7-Zip, I mean NO ONE, WHY?.. Because with 7-Zip you can get a compression ratio that is 2-10% better than the ratio given by WinZip and other tools.

Source: quora.com

7-Zip can run on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, and more. Also, there’s a command-line version of 7-Zip for Linux/Unix called p7zip, which was made by an independent developer.

1-1) Pricing

Totally FREE.

1-2) Pros

  • It’s 100% FREE, so you don’t need to register or pay for the software.
  • Higher compression ratio compared to other file archivers that support ZIP format.
  • If you’re not familiar with English, you have another 87 languages to choose between.
  • Plugin for FAR Manager (File and ARchive Manager).
  • So many supported formats:
    • Packing/unpacking: 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP and WIM
    • Unpacking only: AR, ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, CramFS, DMG, EXT, FAT, GPT, HFS, IHEX, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MBR, MSI, NSIS, NTFS, QCOW2, RAR, RPM, SquashFS, UDF, UEFI, VDI, VHD, VMDK, WIM, XAR, and Z.
  • Strong encryption standard (AES 256-bit encryption).
  • Integrated with Windows shell.
  • 7-Zip is an open-source tool, and as you know many good things come with that, like trust, etc.

1-3) Cons

  • Maybe it’s just me, but with that GUI, I felt like I’m using an old version from 2010.

Now, and without a doubt, we can answer your question: What is the best program to open ZIP files? And say that 7-Zip is the best program to open ZIP files, so it deserves the #1 spot.

Read also: [2022 Fix Guide] the product key you entered didn’t work 0xc004f050

2) WinRAR

WinRAR is a file archiver for Windows that helps you create, extract and manage RAR, and ZIP archives.

WinRAR is a well-known Windows program, and I’m sure you have used it or at least heard about it somewhere, which means there is so much content out there on how to use it or how to fix any errors around it, and that’s a point in favor of WinRAR (in my opinion).

However, as we need the best software for ZIP files, WinRAR is more focused on RAR format than ZIP format (you don’t need to be a tech-savvy person to notice this), therefore, I don’t think it deserves the first place in this article.

But in general, WinRAR is a wonderful compression utility and I can say nothing against this.

2-1) Pricing

I don’t know what to say since the 40-day trial never ends, but according to WinRAR’s manual and FAQ page:

Purchasing information:

If you wish to use WinRAR and RAR after the evaluation period of 40 days, you need to purchase its license from one of the regional dealers.

&

WinRAR is free to use for 40 days. If you wish to continue using WinRAR beyond this 40-day trial period, you must purchase a license.

2-2) Pros

  • The 40-day free trial lasts forever (which is a little bit confusing, to be honest).
  • A more modern GUI compared to 7-Zip.
  • Available in over 50 languages.
  • WinRAR supports widely used archive formats like RAR, ZIP, CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZip, UUE, ISO, BZIP2, Z, and 7-Zip.
  • The most-used compression utility out there.
  • AES-256 encryption.
  • The abundance of tutorials around the software.

2-3) Cons

  • WinRAR is NOT free software, so you must pay to get the full version.
  • Annoying pop-up windows with ads, begging you to purchase the paid version whenever you use the software after the 40-day trial period ends.
  • WinRAR is more focused on RAR format than ZIP format.

Answering More of Your Questions

In this section, I will answer and explain some questions that you may have about this topic, and if you’ve more, feel free to write them down in the comments section.

1) Which software can compress the most

The answer is 7-Zip.

7-Zip has a better compression ratio and offers smaller files than WinRAR in a shorter time.