PeaZip is a powerful free alternative to built-in archive tools
Modern OS can handle common archives on their own, but PeaZip gives you finer control over compression, broader format support, encryption, split archives, integrity checks, and file conversion. It's available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. PeaZip is also featured in TechSpot's Essential Apps . Read Entire Article
PeaZip is a robust and free open-source file archiver that stands as a viable alternative to well-known tools such as WinRAR, WinZip, and 7-Zip. Compatible across Windows, Linux, and macOS, this application boasts a user-friendly interface complemented by advanced features. Its foundation lies in open technologies like 7-Zip/p7zip, Zstandard (Facebook), Brotli (Google), FreeArc, PAQ, and the PEA project, enabling comprehensive file compression and extraction.
PeaZip can handle over 200 archive formats, including 7Z, RAR, ZIP, ISO, TAR, CAB, and ACE, and produces compressed archives in major formats like 7Z, ZIP, TAR, and WIM. Beyond standard compression, it shines in managing encrypted archives, offering support for strong encryption algorithms such as AES, Twofish, and Serpent. The program also features a full-featured file manager for browsing, viewing, editing, and searching within archive contents.
Security is reinforced with an encrypted password manager, two-factor authentication (password and keyfile), secure file deletion, and file hashing. Actions taken through the graphical interface can be exported as command-line scripts for automation. PeaZip supports robust encryption using AES, Twofish, and Serpent algorithms, allowing both opening and creation of encrypted archives, secure password management, and two-factor authentication for enhanced protection.
With a modern GUI, support for a wider range of formats than competitors, strong security tools, and scripting capabilities, PeaZip is a reliable and privacy-focused alternative to traditional archive tools. The latest version, 11.2.0, emphasizes quality-of-life improvements, including a functions picker (F12), enhanced keyboard shortcuts, improved drag and drop functionality, and file manager auto-refresh.
The backend is updated to 7z/p7zip 26.02 and Pea 1.32, and remains compatible with Lazarus 3.x and 2.x. PeaZip now supports 243 archive extensions, including the addition of .ZIM files for Wikipedia and Project Gutenberg data dumps. The application also includes an internal drag-and-drop menu with options for adding to archive, extraction, and copying/moving entries.
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