Best file compression software in 2024

What is the best file compression program?

Great file compression tools for you computer or mobile device. In this article, we will talk about top recommendations, and compare the compression ratios of popular tools such as 7-Zip WinRAR WinZip, etc. Reasons to use compression programs

The main reason that compression programs are used here is that they allow you to reduce the size of a file, which is a very useful thing to do for many reasons. For example these programs compress what is written in HTML code, which makes webpages load faster. For the millions of users surfing the web the advantages are obvious. Thus it is necessary to have them for those tasks such as reducing file sizes, sending and receiving emails transferring files from server to server and saving storage space.

Here is a list of the best compression programs. 7-Zip is highly recommended, but I also provide compression rates and test results for WinRAR and WinZip as a reference. I’ve also included apps for mobile devices that provide substantial compression. For those interested, download links in English for free.

What Compression Programs Do to Create Space ?

Compression programs create more space on your computer by joining the code parts of files. And thus generate unnecessary kilobytes from the spaces in the code and it makes the file smaller. What is most importantly is that this compression is lossless. Meanwhile, images and videos are not as much improved because they tend to already be compressed as files (though documents, on the other hand, are places where compression really has an effect).

What Are Compression Programs?

Compression programs are hardware programs designed to decrease the capacity of files lodged in technological devices to make space on hard disks or ease computer file transmissions. Some of the most commonly used compression programs are WinRAR WinZip and 7-Zip. Of these 7-Zip offers the best answers to virtually every question you might have about file compression. Which is why 7-Zip holds the coveted first place on my list of compression programs.

Here’s what 7-Zip is capable of:

7-Zip (Zip 7Z and GZIP file opener program)

For the latest version of the 7-Zip program go to the appropriate page of the official site. The downloaded setup file is completely functional, free, and does not require any license key. Other setup files for Windows 10 Home or Pro Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Ultimate and other operating systems can also be found.

7-Zip is the best compression program that you can use on a computer with Windows installed. It makes files smaller so that they take up less space in the system’s memory on your computer. Alright, instead of wasting time, make your PC’s files smaller by using 7-Zip — which has the maximum compression than many file compression programs available only to Windows. For example it manages 12% of compression ratio in 100MB video file while WinRAR can compress only 9%. On the other hand WinZip lacks in both.

WinRAR is currently the most common file compression software in the world. That said, today many PC users are realizing the benefits of 7-Zip and are installing this software on their machines. A very large segment of longtime WinRAR users who see the advantages will undoubtedly stick with 7-Zip.

Download 7Zip

Why use 7-Zip Here are 7 reasons

High File Compression

7-Zip Maximum Compression Up to 70% Of disk space types of files in a single format, it’s this program that is the only functional highest Compression. But not every file can be compressed to the same degree! MP3 or JPG files for example are already compact so re-compressing them has little effect. As a result, 70% compression is not possible on these files.

Testing Compression steganographic Tools

It’s crucial to evaluate these file extensions individually when evaluating a compression program. However, over 80% of files in Windows have potential for significant compression. Most of these files are, however, saved on the computer with no compression at all. Ratio are lower by WinRAR and WinZip for all files.

7-Zip Compresses Files Even Smaller

7-Zip also has a unique feature that allows for a better compression ratio on already compressed files. Example, you can make a 38 MB 7z file instead of a compressed 40 MB rar file using 7 zip. Meaning you can get an extra 2 MB reduced even if the file is already compressed.

How 7-Zip Compares to Other Compression Programs ?

Reasons That Make 7-Zip Unique Among Compiling Software ZIP files are created using Winzip whereas RAR files are generated by Winrar 7Z files are exclusively formed using the 7-Zip compression software. Winrar/Wizzip compress by directly ripping off the empty characters from the very code stored in applications. 7-Zip on the other hand compresses by removing excess letters or numbers from the code then rearranging it.

Don’t worry! When a zipped file is extracted spaces and characters that have been deleted in the files will be restored. To do this, the program adds a guide to the file properties.

7-Zip compresses system files

All files on the PC can be compressed including Windows system files. This is because every time new updates get used, the data on the hard disk increases. The original Windows files should be around 8GB, but after the updates they can stretch past 32GB. When archiving these new files, 7-Zip allows us to compress them and generate storage space savings.

7-Zip: Unzipping Compressed Files

Compressed media files that are stored on a computer take time to open when they are accessed for the purpose of playback. This delay on Windows generally varies from 3 to 10 seconds approximately. And the actual time varies depending on the video file size. If the compression program you are using is not fully compatible with Windows, however, then this delay can be even more pronounced.

For example, with WinRar this increase was around 1 second for 10-megabyte file and WinZip starts video playback 3 seconds later. So we can say extracting files in all these compression programs, 7-Zip is the fastest program. There is only a slight delay before the compressed video plays using 7-Zip.

7-Zip Provides Support in English

If the program is installed on Windows computers, then the language will be set automatically to English. But as we are gonna use an English Windows so we have to select a different language during installation process In case you skipped the step to choose the language during install open the program after install click on the language options button set it to English and save the setting. In detailed usage it is very helpful, to use an English language file compression program. To take advantage of this functionality I suggest you install 7-Zip’s English version.

Does 7Zip Outshine WinRar?

In second place with the highest usage programs was 7Zip in 2024. So even though 7-Zip was THE compression program for 2024, WinRar still remained THE most downloaded compression program. Who knows, if 7-Zip has the ability to create a new version of a stable piece of software in 2025 that would surpass WinRar, it may rival that of adaption and become a must-have computer download for decades to come.

What are we asking of it — are we hoping for this? Absolutely we are. A program that give’s WinRar a run for it’s money in key aspects like file extraction speed and compression rate really deserves to be the most used. That being said, I should say… for me its 7-Zip is THE ONE program to do the best compresson on Windows 7 and Windows 10 OS. I highly recommend using it.

WinRar (RAR File Opener)

The RAR file compression extension which can be used on all devices and computers or mobile phones are developed and produced by the WinRar program. WinRar is the first program that needs to be installed on a computer to open RAR files, which are very widely used around the world.

Most of the users of WinRar are due to the fact that it was the first program to compress files into Windows for the operating systems. But keep in mind that it is a paid software. There is also a free trial version, but if you use this version, a window will appear every time you open a RAR file and remind you to buy the full version. This can be quite annoying. But the free version does not have a time limit. You can keep on using the free WinRar program, just ignore a reminder window. However, when you buy the full version, the reminder window is disabled, which makes it worth paying in my opinion.

Although all the other file compression software have the popularity disadvantage over WinRar but WinRar is on the other hand, losing its usage potential also, day by day as several free alternative software in search of a market share are available in the market. However, 7-Zip comes out as the best-suited program according to our article to overtake the place of WinRar.

Download WinRAR

Despite not having such features, WinRar is extremely useful and perhaps even a must-have for some people. Next, we will look at the things you need to know about WinRar.

What are the key features of WinRar?

I would like to describe its features by considering the buttons in the program menu.

RAR Repair Button:

This Repair option gives us a chance to extract corrupted RAR files. If you encounter a corrupted or unopenable RAR file, using this button is the only means for opening it.

Open WinRar.
Find the RAR file which is causing to extract issue from folders on the window
Ensure the file is selected.
Click on the Repair button.
A window reading “File is being repaired” will appear.
Now you can either save the corrupted archive file in the RAR format or the ZIP format. (Saving the corrupted RAR file as RAR and the ZIP file as ZIP usually helps recover its content. I’d suggest choosing the same file extension as the original file type.)
Press OK and a new file will be created for you once the repair process is completed. The newly created file ops without any issues.

Note: Other programs do not have a RAR repair system like WinRar. This is exactly the reason why WinRar is on the list of essential compression programs for each computer and according to me it should be used on each computer.

WinRar’s Wizard Tool Streamlines Operations

WinRar has one more option for userzny, the Wizard button. In case you’re not familiar with archiving tasks, this feature makes it easy for you. WinRar provides Wizard which assists in every action that can be applied for a RAR record to be done in one device. It walks through each stage in the process enabling us to see different forms of approach for the compression operations.

Use the Wizard button when you run WinRar and open any file. You will see forward and backward instructions with a window. Choose the action you would like to execute and hit Next. This is how The Wizard works.

Let’s clarify that with an example

Select “Extract archive” box. Click Next.
In the following window you will see a Browse button to access the archive package. Use this button to choose which file you would like to extract from the archive. Choose any RAR or ZIP file and press Next.
In the next window, there is once again a Browse button as in the previous window. Here you select where the extracted files should be stored. But you don’t have to do this! If we do not specify any path, extracted files will be extracted to the directory where the archive package exists. Hit the last button to extract the files.

Wizard Wizard also guides you through creating a new RAR file. Using the Wizard process to create a new RAR file is as simple as before.

WinRar: Scan Compressed Files for Viruses

Unlike other compression programs, WinRar scans file archives for viruses. You can perform a virus scan on an RAR file downloaded from an untrustworthy source if you haven’t opened it yet. The only thing I have to stress is that archive packages of online games are more and more likely to come packed with viruses. Do a virus scan with WinRar before you open such files!

How exactly do you do a virus scan in the WinRar?

Start by opening the WinRar program.
Within the WinRar window, select the desired file to scan.
In the WinRar menu, click on the “Tools” link.
Select the “Scan archive for viruses” link in the mini window that pops up. (Keyboard Shortcut: Alt+D).
We will get a window for virus protection. Click on the Browse button in this window and go to the directory where the C: drive of your antivirus program is located. The location of antivirus programs is generally: C:\ Program Files\ Name of Antivirus Program
Hit OK to initiate the virus scan.

In case you wish to prevent any harm from compressed archive files acquired from untrustworthy sources it is essential you do a virus scan.

WinZip (The Best Zipping Program)

WinZip is the oldest among file compression programs. As far as I know, windows will open zip files by default since it has been installed on computers. Yet those things do not make WinZip unique and special, the extra features built into the program itself do though making it a must-download compression application. WinZip is very important especially for the users who download the programs or some sort of files from the internet.

WinZip

Also it is handy for file transfer operation including uploading files to websites. Zip files are created to avoid such issues because some sites don’t accept RAR files.

So why should you use WinZip?

When you need to compress files for upload on the website.
If you have a small-sized files want to be sent over email.
If you need to combine all files into one zip file to save disk space on your computer.

Actually users can have many usages according to their requirements but main usages of WinZip are mentioned here where they zip compress send and store files.

AlZip (The Most Recent File Compression Program)

How about getting familiar with a new program that’s been making the rounds lately? No other program I’d seen before could compare to AlZip’s simple and somewhat light interface compared to trying to use all the other compression software. It made up my mind to install it immediately and see how it runs on my PC. First of all I have to say these Penguin icons as indicators on Open or New buttons are quite cute. The underlying idea of these icons is to have files getting compressed like when crushing an egg. This is shown by the addition of a large penguin egg icon just to the left of these icons and this button is used to perform the file call function.

AlZip also follows the familiar right-click and compress pattern of WinRAR and WinZip for compressing files. Unrar is an essential element for any compressor application. But what caught my attention was what happened next once I opened it. I was curious if this program was capable of compressing file types. Yes… When I imported it as the name suggests, by default it welcomed me with ZIP format.

So what else might there have been?

Well here’s the twist: The compression format for this program was EGG yes egg. It was really… I became all files to eggs. Quite enjoyable actually.

So what does this have to do with compression ratio?

Guys don’t worry, there isn’t really much of a difference between compression programs. So far, the system is largely unchanged. Only the brand names change. This program is unique for producing compressed files in the EGG format.

But this scheme has a long way to go to gain popularity and earn its spurs. In addition to EGG it lets you create ZIP ALZ TAR TBZ TGH LZH and JAR files here. You can encrypt files, and even split files into volumes like you can do with WinRAR. But I was actually shocked to discover this program has a paid version too. Other than eggs and its simple interface it is no different than any other programs. I believe that entering the market with a free version would have been sensible. Another downside, in my opinion, is that it can’t create RAR files. Let’s hope they dobetter with successful updates.

Some Aspects of Comparison of File Compression

Here are the compression ratios achieved after compressing 10 MB files:

7-Zip:

PNG: 9.21MB
JPEG: 8.12MB
AVI: 5.59MB
DOCX: 2.36MB
MP4: 8.13MB
MPEG: 7.92MB
ISO: 9.03MB
WAV: 2.46MB
EXE: 8.34MB
ETC: 1.47MB

Winrar:

PNG: 9.78MB
JPEG: 8.97MB
AVI: 6.47MB
DOCX: 3.89MB
MP4: 8.81MB
MPEG: 8.79MB
ISO: 9.94MB
WAV: 3.26MB
EXE: 9.15MB
DLL: 2.18MB

Winzip:

PNG: 9.90MB
JPEG: 9.13MB
AVI: 7.08MB
DOCX: 4.29MB
MP4: 9.11MB
MPEG: 8.96MB
ISO: 9.99MB
WAV: 3.69MB
EXE: 9.47MB
ETC: 2.69MB

Most Popular File Compression Program Of All Time — WinRAR The full version of the ever-popular app is paid, but the ad-supported free version of it is still available for download, and it continues to be incredibly popular. Although 7-Zip was ranked second for compression capacity and speed in the beginning but with the passage of time WinRAR remains the first choice of all for file compression.

What is the best file compression software for Windows?

The compression program we have on our windows computer should have a number of features to create a good compression program. One of them is to maximize the compression of all files in Windows. It should include fast compression of files and be able to perform other operations while decompressing. Most compression programs actually make it very difficult to do anything else while files are being extracted.

It should also be compatible with a 64-bit OS. 7-Zip is the most complete compression program including all features. And unlike WinRAR and WinZip the 7-Zip also makes GZIP files and opens almost all compressed files. Hence I suggest you to install 7-Zip on each of your computers.

Best file type compression programs

Do you know which compression programs are best for compressing PDFs DOCs MP4s AVIs and other common files? Experiment with targeted compression programs for certain file types to preserve some space on your computer.

File Optimizer (FREE program to compress any file)

With this program you can optimize and compress every file on your PC. It does not transform files into a new format unlike WinRAR. Compression preserves the file’s extension; simply its file size is reduced. While many file compressors available in the market are paid, File Optimizer is different in that it is completely free to use.

Now let us look at what we can do using the File Optimizer application:

PDF compression program

If you need to compress a PDF to the smallest possible size, this is a job that File Optimizer does well. Simply drag the PDF file into the program and click the right key to hit the “Optimize All” button. It extracts info in very short time.

This generates separate lines for every entry, which means those which are encrypted files need to have their passwords removed first. This is because the program requires the data inside the encrypted folder. So for security reasons, it is not possible to create an unencrypted version of this file. Before moving on with this one, be sure to have removed the password using a PDF password removal tool.

PDF files compress ratio: 32 MB / 8 MB (compress 32 MB files into 8 MB).

DOC compression program

In its default format, files saved as DOC (a Microsoft Office 365 Word file) represent a lot of memory in its content. With file compression these sort of files we use can free up space in memory. Using File Optimizer you can minimize the size of DOC files and thus save the space of your hard disk. Example a DOC file, which usually weighs 12 MB, is reduced to only 2 MB with File Optimizer.

In addition if your PC has thousands of DOC files, you really do not have to compress them one by one. File Optimizer also simplifies things and compress all your files automatically in one go.

What is the best file compression app in the mobile?

Compressed files are even more important for mobile phone users. More so, when internal memory is low storage, it quickly becomes saturated and is not enough to continue downloading new photos or videos. A file compression program comes in handy in such cases.

So what compression program should you install to gain more room on your phone? If we take a glance at the file compression apps that are accessible for Android devices, we would see that both WinRAR and WinZip is probably the most generally utilized and will give the best compression ratios. Like their desktop counterparts, both applications provide similar rates of compression.

You can go in many directions with compression apps, but I suggest sticking to one of these two well-known programs, as sending a compressed file to someone else means they’ll have to have that app installed to open it.

WinRAR Mobile (RAR file extractor)

WinRar Mobile

The official file compression program from the creators of RARLAB (WinRAR) available on the Play Store app store. Supported compression extensions include RAR ZIP TAR GZ BZ2 XZ 7z ISO ARJ ZIPX BZIP2 LZMA and PPMd. Compressed files with the extensions Rar and Zip can be stored. Files generated can be opened easily on any android smart phone that has installed WinRAR or similar compression application.

Compression ratios depend on the file type just like those on computers. The best file compressor for mobile phones because it can compress the file a lot. It opens files that are compressed on computers. So this is the program that I suggest you use.

Download WinRAR Mobile

This was installed using the Play Store.

WinZip Mobile (Zip file opener)

WinZip Mobile

Let’s begin with the lightFree Unzip for Android’s top paid offering, to unzip Zip files. It’s ideal for anyone who wants a free file compression utility. WinZip Mobile takes Zip Zipx 7z RAR and LHA files and compresses them into terribly smaller sizes for saving space on your phone. The types of files that often need the most compression on a mobile phone are videos and photos — they fill memory quickly. This will save disk space and help you/stora more videos on your phone.

In the case of this essential file compression application is the English interface and through the help of the user-friendly interface with only a few buttons. WinZip can recover around 3 GB of memory on a 10 GB space, which is a significant compression ratio. If you have more photos and videos to back up, you can use Google Cloud services instead.

Download WinZip Mobile

Installation is via the Play Store.

What is the use of file compression programs?

Compression software are one of the most-needed programs to have on any computer. But why are they so important — do we know? Let’s take a brief look at this under several headings.

Freeing up disk space :

Our hard drives are not bottomless pits. Particularly so with today’s video and images files becoming ever bigger. Where previously image files only spanned approximately 1/2 MB new images can be found from approximately 4/6 MB. And the same goes for videos. Before, the size of a video file was 100/200 MB but nowadays it is measured in GB.

What happens is that when receiving such bulky files, the hard disk quickly fills up, thus exceeding its storage capacity and not leaving any physical space. It means that we can not save new files anymore. This is where compression programs rescue our lives. Compression programs free up memory by reducing the space large files take up on the hard drive significantly.

Isn’t the benefit great —

The Uses and Benefits of File Compression Programs.

File transfer acceleration

Compression programs are also used to accelerate file transfers between servers. Sending uncompressed files causes the system to try and send them one by one which can be quite slow with their bigger size. Some servers might not even allow uncompressed files to begin with. In order to prevent these problems and to have a faster file transfer we prefer compressed files. In such situations, Utilization of a file compression program becomes mandatory.

Improves website loading speed

The Mind Bending — GZIP Compression Today Modern web pages consisting of HTML CSS JS and other code are compressed with GZIP compression for faster loading times. Compression programs see a lot of action in this part as well. For example a 1MB page is compressible to 200KB and so these just load faster. So one other main aim of compression programs is to increase websites loading speeds.

Creates password protected files

Isn’t this cool feature? At times we need to protect a certain file and keep others away from it on our PC. This is because there can be several files. And at this stage we can add a password to be required to open the file. This keeps files stored securely. There are many benefits to compression programs, but these are the most common areas of use. Other choices serve more specialized needs. Yet these general-purpose programs are tools that all computer users should keep on hand. You need to download and always retain the best compression program on your computer.