7-Zip vs WinRAR vs WinZip: Which is Better?

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WinZip (Best for ZIP and Cloud Integration)

WinZip is the oldest among all these. It was first released in 1991 by Corel Corporation. It is a commercial program available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android operating systems. The primary format is .zip and .zipx. For .zip compression, the software uses the Deflate algorithm, while it supports modern algorithms for .zipx. ZIPX is the proprietary extension requiring WinZip or other compatible programs to extract. With the Zip format, the compression ratio is moderate, but it increases when you combine ZIPX and LZMA or ZSTD. WinZip is known for its higher performance, multithreading support, and user-friendliness. However, I don’t like the WinZIP Image Manager, PDF Express, and SafeShare shortcuts that it creates on the desktop after the installation.

WinZip also has AES-256 encryption with password protection of metadata (filenames). It offers file shredding or a secure selection feature. The user interface is much more advanced and easy to use. It also has the wizard mode for beginners. If you go for the paid plan, you get options to use built-in cloud and backup integration, including Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc. WinZip has a command-line add-on that you have to download separately. It allows you basic scripting, backup, and automation tasks.

Pros	Cons
User-friendly interface with modern design	Proprietary Software/Closed-Source
File preview, editing, and conversion	Only free for 21-day trial
Wide platform support (desktop + mobile + web)	ZIPX format is proprietary
Good for business users needing automation	Less efficient compression ratios than 7z and WinRAR
Only free for a 21-day trial

Supported Archive Formats in WinRAR

Read + Write (Compress & Extract):

.ZIP, .ZIPX, .LHA/.LZH

Read-Only (Extract Only):

.ZIP, .ZIPX, .RAR (read-only; cannot create), .7Z (read-only), .BZ2 (BZip2), .CAB, .ISO (CD/DVD images), .IMG, .TAR, .GZ/.TAR, .GZ, .XZ /.TAR.XZ, .LHA/.LZH, .Z, .VHD/.VMDK (virtual disks), .XZ/.LZMA, .UUencode, BinHex, MIME.

Key Features of WinZip

Uses multiple compression algorithms: Deflate, BZip2, LZMA, PPMd, XZ, ZSTD
Offers AES-256 encryption with password protection
Includes digital signature and watermarking (Pro editions)
Allows direct sharing to email and social media
Includes file preview (images, Word, PDF) and editing tools
Converts documents to PDF and adds watermarks (Pro feature)
Has a modern, user-friendly GUI with ribbon interface
Includes command-line interface via a separate add-on

WinZip Compression and Extraction Test

Again, the same file of around 36GB was compressed in the .zip format. Now, WinZip is a pretty automated tool and you get no extra functionalities to change the parameters. However, it was able to create the similar file size of 5.71GB. But, it took the lowest time, i.e., 2 minutes and 30 seconds.