Windows can store your files in compressed folders to save space, but it doesn’t give you much choice over how it does this. Andy Shaw tests six free programs that work faster and compress your files into smaller packages
PeaZip (www.peazip.org)
Earlier this year, PeaZip launched a new version (6.0), which brought a handful of tweaks to the already excellent software. It may not have the most dynamic interface but at least it’s clear, functional and works in a sensible way, which certainly can’t be said of all the programs we’ve tested here. It uses the same layout as an Explorer window, so it’s instantly familiar.
Making a new archive is easy: you just select the files you want to include and click the Add button. From the window that appears, you can simply click OK to create the default Zip file or choose from a range of options that include file encryption and a choice between faster or smaller compression options. You can also choose from a broad range of files types, which include self-extracting files (for when you’re not sure the recipient of a file will have the right software) and file formats such as ZIP, ARC, 7Z and PeaZip’s own PEA. It also adds tools to Windows’ right-click menu that make your compressing jobs even easier.
PeaZip’s range of extra tools goes above and beyond those of its rivals, but they’re useful and well aligned with the overall purpose of the software. For example, there’s a handy ‘Secure delete’ button on the toolbar that lets you remove original files securely once you’ve archived them. There’s also an Organize menu that lets you rearrange the interface by removing elements from it, which is great if you’d like to simplify it further, but we preferred using its Explorer-like design.
In our tests, 7-Zip compressed files slightly faster than PeaZip, but only by a few seconds on very large files. Both tools squeezed exactly the same amount of space out of our test files, making them just as good as each other, although PeaZip’s interface is easier to use.
While it’s perfectly functional and sensibly designed, PeaZip’s interface could be a little more attractive. It’s not horrible but it would definitely benefit from a designer’s touch.
PeaZip is a powerful compression tool that’s easy to use and offers much more than Windows’ built-in alternative. What it lacks in looks it more than makes up for in its ability to turn large files into smaller ones.
7-Zip (www.7-zip.org)
7-Zip is a straightforward open-source compression tool that works with both Zip files and the 7Z format. The interface presents a simple list of files: go to the folder that contains the files you want, select them as you would in Windows Explorer, then click the Add button to open a window that lets you control the compression. None of it looks particularly special – it’s even more basic than PeaZip – but all the options you might need are available. The only serious omission is support for a full range of file formats, although it supports the most widely used, including ZIP, 7Z and TAR. It’s also able to open many more formats than it can create.
This software provided the best performance in our tests. It equalled PeaZip’s compression on our test files but performed the process slightly faster. There wasn’t much in it but, if you can live with 7-Zip’s plain interface and limited format types, you’ll save a little time during the process.
7-Zip’s interface could do with a bit of an overhaul and the program can only create a handful of compressed file types, although for most users, ZIP and 7Z should be sufficient.
7-Zip is a reliable old classic. It may not have the good looks or fancy tools of the newer upstarts but it offers superb core performance.
B1 Free Archiver (b1.org)
If you use compression on more than one type of device, such as a Mac, a Linux computer or an Android device, you’ll appreciate B1 because it has versions that work across all these operating systems. The Android version looks a little different, but the computer-based versions all have the same interface, which is as attractive as free compression software gets.
The program offers a good range of options. It can zip and unzip files in its own B1 format, as well as ZIP, 7Z, TAR, GZIP and BZIP2. It has sensible options for splitting archives and encrypting files, and is very nicely presented.
It’s fast, too. Compressing to its own B1 format at maximum compression took a quarter of the time our other award-winners took, although it didn’t squash the files as thoroughly.
The program looks nice, but some of its fine-tuning options aren’t clear. You can choose from compression options that include Store, Smart, Classic or Maximum, for example, and while you may guess that Maximum refers to the level of compression, it’s hard to work out which might be the fastest. Sadly, the Help files don’t help – they appear to be for a previous version.
Looks aren’t everything but if you’re tired of boring-looking tools, B1 Free Archiver brings a little style to compression software. Its fast, too, particularly in its own format, but it doesn’t compress files quite as well.
Bandizip (bit.ly/band397)
Bandizip has put some effort into making its software look nicer than the average compression tool, but the way it works is a bit confusing. Instead of presenting an Explorerlike interface from which you select files to compress, you create the compressed file and then choose the files you want to put in. After using the other programs, this feels counterintuitive.
IZArc (www.izarc.org)
IZArc is a simple if rather basic compression tool, and while it didn’t compress our test files as well as PeaZip and 7-Zip, it came very close in a fraction of the time. The only thing holding us back from recommending it is that, until the very latest version, IZArc came bundled with OpenCandy adware. The developer claims it’s now free of adware, and we found this to be the case, but it might be worth treating it with caution for a version or two to ensure it stays that way.
FreeArc (freearc.org)
We had high hopes for FreeArc, which claims to offer “fast but efficient compression.” We weren’t enamoured with its interface, however, and in our tests we found that its ARC format files were slow to compress and ended up larger than with any of the other tools we tested.