Stealing an older comment of mine since this comes up occasionally
- better .tar.gz handling: Winrar treats it as one file, 7zip as a tar in a gz that have to be extracted separately
- recovery records to be able to recover from mild bit rot (basically built-in .par2 without the mess)
- support for more NTFS attributes and features (saving alternate streams, security records, storing hard links as links instead of separate files, etc)
- can do useful things with the archive attribute of files if you so desire (archiving only files with the attribute set, clearing the attribute after, optionally deleting them)
- better GUI (the style is a bit dated, but the 7zip UI is just an incomplete WinRAR clone with smaller icons)
Overall WinRAR is the much more solid archival tool. If all you need is something to decompress archives WinRAR isn't too different from 7zip, but has a slightly nicer UX.
FAQs
And actual Winrar still offers you a lot of features that Windows doesn't have and seems to be a lot faster, so there are still plenty of reasons for power users to use it. Personally I own a winrar license primarily for its features when creating archives, and Windows isn't encroaching on that.
Is WinRAR better than 7-Zip? ›
For compressing files to ZIP, 7-Zip is slightly slower than WinRAR. But for other formats like 7z, 7-Zip performs quickly. Is WinRAR better than 7-Zip? WinRAR can provide a faster speed and a variety of decompressed formats than 7-Zip.
Why would anyone use WinRAR? ›
Its primary function is to compress files and pack them into one archive file. WinRAR is best known for packing and unpacking RAR and ZIP files, but it can also unpack ARJ, 7-ZIP, UUE, LZH, Z, ISO, BZIP2, TAR, CAB, and a few other file formats.
Which is better, 7-Zip or WinRAR reddit? ›
Both are solid programs, both have similar functions. WinRAR is a little bit smoother to use, but I prefer 7zip being open source. In terms of performance, I think there was a tom's hardware article a while back that did some bench marking and 7zip did very well.
Why do people use RAR instead of ZIP? ›
The RAR file format makes use of a compression algorithm. It is comparatively much more efficient and substantially better than the DEFLATE method of compression in ZIP. The ZIP format is comparatively much more popular because it came into existence much long ago.
Can you use WinRAR forever? ›
WinRAR licenses are perpetual and valid for a lifetime. You cannot register your license without purchasing it first, and WinRAR is not a free product.
Is WinRAR safe? ›
WinRAR protects files with the highest level of encryption, securing files against accidental modification or viewing by third parties.
Is WinRAR any good? ›
WinRAR has an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 346 user reviews on Capterra.
Is there a better alternative to WinRAR? ›
What is the best WinRAR alternative? WinZip is the best WinRAR alternative because it offers all the same functionality of WinRAR … plus much, much more. After all, there's a reason WinZip is the world's #1 compression software. As an alternative to WinRAR, WinZip is more powerful, versatile, and convenient.
Is it illegal to use WinRAR after 40 days? ›
WinRAR is free to use for 40 days. If you wish to continue using WinRAR beyond this 40-day trial period, you must purchase a license.
By consistently creating smaller archives, WinRAR is often faster than the competition. This will save you disk space, transmission costs AND valuable working time as well. WinRAR supports all popular compression formats (RAR, ZIP, CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZip, UUE, ISO, BZIP2, Z and 7-Zip).
Is it safe to delete WinRAR files? ›
Yes, if there was only that one file in the RAR archive, or if you don't want any of the other files that might be in there. Once you've extracted a file from the RAR, the extracted file exists on its own and is completely independent of the archive, there is no connection any more. You can safely delete the RAR file.
What is the difference between 7-Zip and WinRAR? ›
While both are compression programs, 7-Zip can compress files into a wider range of format types, including 7z. WinRAR can only compress into RAR or ZIP formats. However, both can decompress a wide variety of format types. Also, 7-Zip is open source and free, while WinRAR costs over $30 for a lifetime license.
Is 7-Zip trustworthy? ›
Yes, 7-zip supports file encryption. When creating an archive, you can set a password to protect the contents of the archive. This ensures that only individuals who know the password can extract the files from the archive. It's important to choose a strong and unique password to maintain the security of your files.
Is 7-Zip still needed? ›
Good news: You may not have to download 7-zip or WinRar anymore, unless you really want to (or like to password-protect files). In a new cumulative update, Microsoft added support for five new file archive types: . tar, . tar.
Is 7-Zip still necessary? ›
Good news: You may not have to download 7-zip or WinRar anymore, unless you really want to (or like to password-protect files). In a new cumulative update, Microsoft added support for five new file archive types: . tar, . tar.
What are the disadvantages of 7-Zip? ›
Cons: While 7-Zip is highly effective, its user interface could be more intuitive for first-time users. Some may find the interface slightly dated and less user-friendly compared to other archiving tools.
Is 7-Zip OK to use? ›
7-zip is generally considered safe to use. It has been widely used for many years, and its source code has been reviewed by security experts due to its open-source nature. However, like any software, it's important to download it from trusted sources and keep it up to date to minimize any potential security risks.
Why use 7-Zip over ZIP? ›
In 2011, TopTenReviews found that the 7z compression was at least 17% better than ZIP and 7-Zip's own site has since 2002 reported that while compression ratio results are very dependent upon the data used for the tests, "Usually, 7-Zip compresses to 7z format 30–70% better than to zip format, and 7-Zip compresses to ...
