WinZip alternative - these are the options you have to choose from

WinZip allows you to create file archives, compress files or unpack archives. However, the full version of the handy tool costs around 35 euros. If you don't want to spend that, there are quite a few free alternatives you can use instead of WinZip.

Free WinZip alternatives at a glance

There are a lot of free alternatives you can use instead of WinZip without sacrificing any features.

• 7-Zip: The archiving tool 7-Zip allows you to unzip almost any common file format. 7-Zip even has its own file format with "7z-Arichv". This allows you to compress files in a space-saving way. Another practical feature are the self-extracting archives that you can create with 7-Zip. Furthermore, 7-Zip has a complete integration into the Windows context menu for convenient operation.
• Universal Extractor: With the freeware "Universal Extractor" you can, as with WinZip or 7-Zip, unpack all common archive formats. There is also the option to even disassemble EXE and MSI files so that you can get to the DLL files, for example. For convenience, the Universal Extractor is also fully integrated into the Windows context menu.

Free alternative for Mac users

For Mac users, the free tool "The Unarchiver" is a comprehensive alternative to WinZip. With The Unarchiver, you can unzip more than 30 different file formats. However, the tool also comes with a major drawback - it can only unzip. To create file archives yourself, you have to resort to other free software such as "UnRarX".