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Zipware An excellent free WinZip alternative is simplicity is your priority Visit site Built-in virus scanner Well designed interface No repair tool Zipware looks as good as any premium file compression software, and is wonderfully simple to use.

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Best free WinZip alternatives 1.

Zip 2. PeaZip 3. Zip Free 4.

Zipware 5. Zip Archiver WinZip is the best-known software for creating and opening compressed file archives, but its not the only option and there are many superb free alternatives worth investigating before you open your wallet.

Windows (from XP onwards) has a built-in compression tool, accessed by right-clicking one or more foldersfiles, and selecting Send to Compressed (zipped) folder.

In fact, if you use it to compress an encrypted file, it will be decrypted when extracted.

Its therefore a good idea to have a different WinZip alternative on hand for compressing and opening file archives, and weve picked out the best.

Image credit: 7-Zip) 1.

Zip The best free WinZip alternative no frills and no strings attached Visit site Requires few system resources High-compression 7z format No archive repair tool 7-Zip is open source, meaning its completely free, even for commercial use.

Its only 1MB in size, and can pack and unpack just about any compressed file archive you can throw at it.

Zip isnt the most attractive WinZip alternative around, but its so well designed that you wont miss the slick interfaces of its paid-for equivalents.

You can locate files to be archived using a simple Windows Explorer-style file tree, or drag and drop them into the main window.

Its own 7z format is designed for high compression, and is supported by almost all file archiving tools both paid-for and free making it an ideal choice for sharing.

Zip can also create self-extracting 7z archives.

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You can apply password protection to packaged archives and split them into volumes, which is handy for sharing particularly large archives.

The only key feature its missing is the ability to repair damaged archives - other than that, its a truly exceptional program.

PeaZip Less streamlined than 7-Zip, but with more security features Visit site Advanced security options Archive repair tool No batch compression PeaZip is another open source WinZip alternative, but with a few more features in a considerably larger package (around 10MB compared to 7-Zips 1MB).

PeaZips standard installation will make file associations and add context menu options automatically, which you might not want if youre trying it for the first time.

PeaZip is compatible with pretty much every compressed file format there is.

PEA, its own format, prioritizes security over compression, with optional integrity check and authenticated encryption.

Its handy extra features include the ability to convert archive formats and test archives for errors.

It cant batch compress or watermark images as some of the other tools here can, but can rotate and crop them for you.

Zip Free A free WinZip alternative thats optimized for touchscreens Visit site Easy to navigate Touch-friendly interface Archive repair tool Fewer advanced options than 7-Zip Many free Winzip alternatives hide their best features behind a complex system of menus.

Ashampoo Zip Free is a rare exception, with a clear interface and an optional touch mode with larger, tap-friendly icons.

Many of the options shown on the main splash screen are links to paid applications like dedicated encryption and decryption tools, but dont let this put you off; all the essentials that youll find in other free file compression software are present and correct, including archive creation, extraction, repair, and multi-volume ZIP writing.

Interestingly, Ashampoo Zip Free also gives previews of files before you extract an archive.

This can be very useful, but it happens automatically so dont be alarmed if a music file begins playing on mouseover.

Advanced users may prefer the more fine-grained customization provided by tools like 7-Zip, but for the average user this is an excellent choice.

Image credit: Zipware) 4.

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