7-Zip vs Bandizip (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, 7-Zip and Bandizip share a 3.0 GPA, both have a free plan, and 7-Zip has no paid plan to buy, against $0.99 a month for Bandizip.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
7-Zip grades higher on the free plan. Bandizip grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bandizip
Archiver for Windows and Mac that opens 40+ formats including RAR
Which one is for you
Pick 7-Zip if
- Fits if you're on Windows and need to open or make archives without paying
- Works for companies, since it's allowed on commercial computers with no registration
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on a Mac or Linux and want windows and buttons, as those downloads are console only
- Not for you if you need to create RAR archives, since it only unpacks them
- Too light for anyone who wants a support line, because help is a forum and bug reports on SourceForge
- Not for you if you want it on a phone or in a browser, as there's no mobile or web version
Pick Bandizip if
- Fits if you want a free Windows archiver that opens RAR, ALZ and 40 other formats
- Works for compressing large or split archives on a Windows PC
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if ads bother you, as the free Windows edition shows them
- Skip it if you use Linux, because no version is listed
- Watch out: repair, password recovery and the password manager are Professional, $30 one-time
- Watch out: the Mac edition creates ZIP, 7Z, TAR, GZ and TGZ only, and is sold only on the Mac App Store
How we grade them
| 3.0GPA7-ZipVery good | 3.0GPABandizipVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AIt costs nothing, at home or at work. 7-Zip is free and open source, a plain download, and you can put it on any computer, including one in a commercial organization, with no registration or payment. | AThe Windows edition is free to download and use. Professional is $30 one-time, and the Mac edition is $21.99 or $0.99 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe complete archiver is free. There's no paid edition and nothing held back, so there's no limit to run into. | BThe Windows edition is free and fully usable, with ads. Professional-only features need paying. |
| Features | CArchiving is one job and 7-Zip covers it: packs 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP and WIM, unpacks RAR, ISO, DMG and more, does AES-256 encryption and self-extracting archives. The listing names the limits too. It can't create RAR files, and the graphical app and File Manager are Windows only. | BZIP, 7Z and TAR creation, 40+ formats opened, AES-256, split archives and editing without extracting. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating is on record, but on Windows there's nothing to set up: it adds its commands to the shell and brings its own File Manager, so nobody has to type anything. On Linux and macOS it's a console version, which does mean commands. | BInstall it and extract archives with nothing to set up. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | CIt's a program for computers and nothing else: Windows, Linux and macOS, with no web version and no phone apps. Three desktop systems is still one kind of device, and the only integration on record is FAR Manager. | CWindows and Mac, computers only. No Linux, phone or web version. |
| Best for | opening and making archives on Windows for free | a free archiver on Windows |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: 7-Zip and Bandizip. How we grade
Price against what you get
7-Zip has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Bandizip starts at $0.99 a month and scores 2.7.
Bandizip scores higher, and starts $0.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, none scores higher than 7-Zip for less, and none scores higher than Bandizip for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- 7-Zip is open source, according to its own site.
- Bandizip also covers file management.
At a glance
| 7-Zip | Bandizip | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $0.99 per month (Mac, Bandizip 365); Windows Professional $30 one-time |
| Free plan | Free, open-source software. No registration or payment is needed on any computer, including one in a commercial organization. | Windows edition is free to download and use, with ads; paid editions remove them and add Professional-only features. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Igor Pavlov | Bandisoft International Inc. |
| Price read from | 7-zip.org | bandisoft.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
7-Zip
- The graphical app and File Manager are for Windows; the Linux and macOS downloads are console versions only.
- RAR archives can be unpacked but not created; RAR is listed under unpacking-only formats.
- Help comes through the forum, bug reports and feature request systems on the project's SourceForge page.
Bandizip
- The free Windows edition shows ads, and Professional-only features need a paid license.
- The Mac edition is sold only through the Mac App Store, as a one-time purchase or subscription.
- No Linux version is listed.
- The Mac edition creates fewer formats than Windows: ZIP, 7Z, TAR, GZ and TGZ.
Key features
7-Zip
- 7z format with LZMA and LZMA2
- Creates 7z archives using LZMA or LZMA2 compression. The format supports solid compression, Unicode file names and compressed archive headers.
- Wide format support
- Packs and unpacks 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP and WIM, and unpacks many more formats, including RAR, ISO, DMG, CAB, MSI, VHD and VMDK.
- AES-256 encryption
- Archives in the 7z and ZIP formats can be encrypted with AES-256.
- Windows shell integration and File Manager
- Integrates with the Windows shell and includes its own File Manager for browsing and working with archives.
- Command line version
- A command line version ships with the Windows release, and console builds are offered for Linux and macOS on x86 and ARM processors.
- Self-extracting archives
- Can create self-extracting archives in the 7z format.
Bandizip
- Many formats
- Creates ZIP, 7Z, ZIPX, TAR, TGZ, ISO and self-extracting EXE, and extracts 40+ formats, including RAR, ALZ and EGG.
- Multi-core compression
- Uses several processor cores for compression, which the vendor says is up to 6 times faster on Windows.
- Large and split archives
- Supports archives over 4 GB and multi-volume compression for splitting a file across email attachments.
- AES-256 encryption
- Password-protect archives with AES-256, and test an archive's integrity before opening it.
- Edit without extracting
- Add, delete or rename files inside an archive without unpacking it first, and preview contents from the archive list.
- Professional extras
- Paid editions add a password manager, repair of corrupted ZIP files, brute-force password recovery and image thumbnails.
Plans
7-Zip
7-Zip$0
The complete archiver for Windows, plus console versions for Linux and macOS. Most of the code is under the GNU LGPL.
Bandizip
Windows Free$0
Compress and extract common formats on Windows. The vendor says a license removes the ads in this edition.
Windows Professional$30
one-time, per user, up to 5 PCs
No ads, plus password manager, archive repair, password recovery, image preview and antimalware scan.
Windows Enterprise$20
one-time, per PC, minimum 2
Commercial edition for organizations, sold per single-PC license with a minimum purchase of two.
Mac (one-time)$21.99
one-time, Mac App Store
Bandizip for macOS as a one-time purchase on the Mac App Store, with the Mac feature set.
Mac (Bandizip 365)$0.99
per month, or $6.99 per year, Mac App Store
Subscription version with the same functions as the one-time purchase, with a 1-week free trial.
Ways to pay less
7-Zip
No public discounts listed.
Bandizip
- Other savings
Bandizip plus Honeycam package, 20% off
The Windows buy page sells a Bandizip and Honeycam bundle at $55.20 instead of $69.
- Annual discount
Bandizip 365 yearly plan
The Mac App Store lists Bandizip 365 at $0.99 monthly or $6.99 yearly, against $11.88 for twelve monthly payments.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, 7-Zip or Bandizip?
As of Nov 13, 2026, 7-Zip is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $0.99 a month for Bandizip. 7-Zip is free, and Bandizip starts at $0.99 per month (Mac, Bandizip 365); Windows Professional $30 one-time.
Which has a free plan, 7-Zip or Bandizip?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both 7-Zip and Bandizip have a free plan.
Which platforms do 7-Zip and Bandizip run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only 7-Zip lists a Linux app. Both list macOS and Windows apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.