Do you use 7zip, or Winrar?

SlicEnDicE · Feb 5, 2023

TraderGary said:
I've not used anything other than what's built into Windows for many years. If I've run into Rar files, it's worked for me.

Then they were no RAR files

Pirilampo2 · Feb 5, 2023

I use winrar because it seems to me to have a more user-friendly interface and to be simpler to use. It is one of the must-haves for me.

Catnip · Feb 5, 2023

7-Zip all the way. Clean and easy to use. It does almost all compression formats, and it hooks up with my right click menu.

Besides, I didn't have to pay for it.

JAM83 · Feb 5, 2023

I use WinZip

James · Feb 5, 2023

I have used 7 zip in the past but then used the 40 day trial of winrar and loved it. I do agree 7zip has better compression. Also I learnt from this that themed can be used in winrar! I might open another survey soon for another topic.

johnlgalt · Feb 5, 2023

Berton said:
Got started with PK-Zip back with first computer in '92, got into WinZip after Win95 for it's ability to create self-extracting .exe files I was tasked with. I have several computers and also have WinRAR and 7-Zip on some. I seem to accumulate software as I get what is needed for whatever I'm working on, mostly free.

Very similar story, actually. Like @z3r010 I bought WinRAR a long, long time ago, and it still gets installed. While I don't care for the UI in 7-ZIP, it's integration in Windows for either current user or all users made it a ton easier to manipulate archives directly from any file manager via a simple right click. Last year I found out about NanaZip, and tried it out, it has a few optimizations that 7-zip does not, and I'm now also trying out PeaZip, but I always keep WinRAR around for fast, easy archive creation and extraction.

TairikuOkami said:
Nanazip, because it was the first one to be integrated into the new Windows 11 shell.
But I would prefer WinRAR, it has more features, like creating SFX with a custom path.

Indeed - and the links to extra plugins to extend it even further make it a solid competitor to both PeaZip and 7-ZIP.

fixer · Feb 5, 2023

WinRAR is the second app I install on any new system (Macrium Reflect is first!). I only have two minor points against - the wizard doesn't have a built-in scheduler and the gui hasn't ever been improved despite sadly needing it. But I love it's configuration features, does everything I've ever needed for my daily data backups on top of the basic compression/extraction features.

Never used 7zip or WinZIP.

Edwin · Feb 5, 2023

For those who only require RAR support, there's a tiny abandonware application, Free RAR Extract Frog, which is still available from MajorGeeks
Barely 1MB footprint! I used to use it all the time.

scorpioncherry · Feb 6, 2023

WinRAR, no complaints.

johnlgalt · Feb 7, 2023

Edwin said:
For those who only require RAR support, there's a tiny abandonware application, Free RAR Extract Frog, which is still available from MajorGeeks
Barely 1MB footprint! I used to use it all the time.

View attachment 51952

Fair enough. However, all of the ones listed here thus far are mutli-archive aware, and I'v eused every single one to extract .RAR files - even the multi-volume split files that get the .001, .002, etc. extensions.

Added bonus is that any one of these can usually also handle things like .CAB files as well as .ISO files, so you don't need to mount something to extract or find yet another utility for them.

Berton · Feb 7, 2023

Edwin said:
For those who only require RAR support, there's a tiny abandonware application, Free RAR Extract Frog, which is still available from MajorGeeks
Barely 1MB footprint! I used to use it all the time.

Small issue with the download, get a message from Windows Security about an infection, strange for MajorGeeks.

James · Feb 7, 2023

Berton said:
Small issue with the download, get a message from Windows Security about an infection, strange for MajorGeeks.

View attachment 52099

I presume that's due to context menu edits?

James · Feb 7, 2023

What I would honestly love is all the features of WinRAR just built into an OEM-like experience seamlessly (is that how you spell it?) into windows.

James · Feb 7, 2023

Edwin said:
For those who only require RAR support, there's a tiny abandonware application, Free RAR Extract Frog, which is still available from MajorGeeks
Barely 1MB footprint! I used to use it all the time.

View attachment 51952

Here's what's weird.

I did some research into this tool and (both on the same MajorGeeks website) are 2 identical tools.

They are both by the same author; Philip Winterberg

Here are the links:
Download Free RAR Extract Frog - MajorGeeks (Your mentioned FreeRARExtractFrog) KEEP NOTE: 1.09MB
Download RarZilla Free Unrar - MajorGeeks (Rarzilla Free Unrar) 1.09MB
What's more? Well here on RARextractfrog, we can see it was released on 10/28/2015 (or of course for us brits 28/10/2015)

And then a screenshot from the latter of the programs,

Same date

johnlgalt · Feb 7, 2023

Sounds like he (or someone) put it up there twice, once with a generic installer and one with a bundled installer that might make him a bit of money through advertising and additional software installs.

Edwin · Feb 7, 2023

johnlgalt said:
... so you don't need to mount something to extract or find yet another utility for them.

True...

Berton said:
... get a message from Windows Security about an infection

Strange!!!

James said:
They are both by the same author; Philip Winterberg

The nature of abandonware, I guess!

Perhaps we should just abandon the fact that I even mentioned it!

James · Feb 7, 2023

Edwin said:
Perhaps we should just abandon the fact that I even mentioned it!

I don’t agree. I love how lightweight this is and I hate having yet another heavy program. For someone who only deals with the occasional RAR file, then it’s great! Thank you for the recommendation Edwin.

James · Feb 7, 2023

johnlgalt said:
Sounds like he (or someone) put it up there twice, once with a generic installer and one with a bundled installer that might make him a bit of money through advertising and additional software installs.

I see. I usually try to go for the open source approach in freeware since it’s more ethical in my opinion.

JacksonS · Feb 8, 2023

7zip, although I will look again at PeaZip but I don't find 7zip either cumbersome, ugly or fiddly. I mainly use it in right-click context. Occasionally I build archives with it, but I'm equally likely just to use Compressed folders depending on the target audience. It's not worth them scouring Google and / or worse the Interwebs to "how do I open this file?" :)

Quexos · Feb 8, 2023

WinRar and 7-Zip. Several times I have decided to go with one or the other and every time I found something that one of them could not do, or do as well.

7-zip can extract from several file types (some .exe's or .msixbundle for example) that WinRar just scratches it's head at. But 7-zip has also thrown some weird errors or produced corrupted files before and often does this weird thing where it doesn't want to put the file where you tell it. It keeps opening the folder it started from when you try to navigate and save the archive elsewhere.

WinRar is usually a bit faster for day to day stuff, just a better day to day tool, with 7-zip for the odd EXE extraction or large archive you want a bit more compression on at the expense of taking 'forever' to complete.