Bandizip vs PeaZip (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, PeaZip grades higher than Bandizip: 3.2 against 3.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
PeaZip grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, 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 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
Pick PeaZip if
- Fits if you want one free archiver across Windows, Mac and Linux
- Works for people who want to turn archive jobs into scripts
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want an interface that looks native on macOS or Windows, as it is the same everywhere
- Watch out: Linux ARM support is listed as experimental
- Not for you if you need a phone app, as it is for computers only
- Watch out: donations are requested on the site, with nobody offering paid support
How we grade them
| 3.0GPABandizipVery good | 3.2GPAPeaZipVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | AFree, open-source software with the same feature set on all three systems, under 60% of the cheaper quarter. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe Windows edition is free and fully usable, with ads. Professional-only features need paying. | AFree outright with no cap. The site asks for donations but locks nothing. |
| Features | 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. | BOpens 200+ formats, encrypts with password plus keyfile, exports tasks to a script and has hash, duplicate and search tools. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. |
| Ease of use | BInstall it and extract archives with nothing to set up. No store rating is on record. | BNo rating on record. You install it or run it portable, with nothing to configure. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows and Mac, computers only. No Linux, phone or web version. | CLinux, macOS and Windows, which is computers only. No phone app and no listed integrations. |
| Best for | a free archiver on Windows | a free archiver on Windows, Mac or Linux |
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: Bandizip and PeaZip. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bandizip starts at $0.99 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. PeaZip has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and PeaZip starts $0.99 a month lower. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, none scores higher than Bandizip for less, and none scores higher than PeaZip 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
- PeaZip is open source, according to its own site.
At a glance
| Bandizip | PeaZip | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $0.99 per month (Mac, Bandizip 365); Windows Professional $30 one-time | Free |
| Free plan | Windows edition is free to download and use, with ads; paid editions remove them and add Professional-only features. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Bandisoft International Inc. | Giorgio Tani |
| Price read from | bandisoft.com | peazip.github.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
PeaZip
- The interface is the same on every platform rather than native to macOS or Windows.
- The project asks for donations on its site; the software itself is not paid.
- Linux ARM support is listed as experimental.
Key features
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.
PeaZip
- 200+ formats
- Opens and extracts over 200 archive types and creates formats such as 7z, Zstandard, Brotli and zpaq.
- Two-factor encryption
- Supports password plus keyfile protection for all formats that support encryption.
- Console export
- The Console tab turns a task set up in the GUI into a CLI script for reuse or scripting.
- File tools
- Includes hash and checksum checks, duplicate finding, archive conversion, search in archives and tabbed browsing.
- Portable use
- Runs without installation, so it can be used from removable drives or a network share.
- Same UI everywhere
- Offers the same interface on Linux, macOS and Windows.
Plans
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.
PeaZip
PeaZip$0
Free, open-source software with the same full feature set on Linux, macOS and Windows.
Ways to pay less
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.
PeaZip
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bandizip or PeaZip?
As of Nov 13, 2026, PeaZip is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $0.99 a month for Bandizip. Bandizip starts at $0.99 per month (Mac, Bandizip 365); Windows Professional $30 one-time, and PeaZip is free.
Which has a free plan, Bandizip or PeaZip?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Bandizip and PeaZip have a free plan.
Which platforms do Bandizip and PeaZip run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only PeaZip 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.