Free WinRAR alternatives
WinRAR is a paid archive manager for Windows used to create and extract compressed files such as RAR and ZIP. It is shareware that asks for a license fee after the trial, which many users find unnecessary. 7-Zip is a free, open-source archiver for common formats, and PeaZip is a free archive tool for Windows and Linux.
Best free alternative to WinRAR: 7-Zip. Free archiver with high-ratio 7z compression, ZIP and RAR extraction on Windows.
Side by side
| Option | What you get | What you miss |
|---|---|---|
| 7-Zip | Free archiver with high-ratio 7z compression, ZIP and RAR extraction on Windows. | Creating RAR archives and recovery records, which 7-Zip cannot do. |
| PeaZip | Free open-source archiver for Windows and Linux with a graphical interface and many formats. | Creating RAR archives and recovery records, which PeaZip cannot do. |
Questions people ask
What is the best free alternative to WinRAR?
7-Zip. Free archiver with high-ratio 7z compression, ZIP and RAR extraction on Windows.
Is there a free version of WinRAR?
Not a full one, but 7-Zip and PeaZip are free and cover most of what WinRAR does.
What do you miss with a free WinRAR alternative?
Creating RAR archives and recovery records, which 7-Zip cannot do.