PeaZip vs The Unarchiver (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, PeaZip grades higher than The Unarchiver: 3.2 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
PeaZip grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
The Unarchiver
Free Mac app that opens RAR, 7z, Zip and many older archives
Free
Which one is for you
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
Pick The Unarchiver if
- Fits if you're on a Mac and keep being sent RAR or 7z files
- Works for old archives in formats such as StuffIt or DiskDoubler, or with non-Latin file names
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need to make archives too, as it only extracts them
- Not for you if you want an app with a window on Windows or Linux, where it's command-line tools only
- Too light for Ace 2.0 and later or multi-part ARJ archives, and StuffIt X is only partly supported
- Watch out: version 4.3.9 added product usage analytics and a survey invitation, the App Store notes say
- Skip it if your Mac is older than macOS 10.13, the minimum for the app
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAPeaZipVery good | 2.8GPAThe UnarchiverGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree, open-source software with the same feature set on all three systems, under 60% of the cheaper quarter. | AFree from the vendor's site or the Mac App Store, downloaded and run like any other app. The site says there are no in-app purchases for additional features, so nothing gets sold to you later. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright with no cap. The site asks for donations but locks nothing. | AThe complete app, free, with every format it supports included. There's no paid tier at all, so nothing is being held back for one. |
| Features | 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. | CIt opens many formats, from Zip and RAR and 7z to StuffIt and DiskDoubler, encrypted and multi-volume ones included. But it only unpacks: the site describes no way to make an archive. StuffIt X is partial, Ace 2.0 and later isn't supported, and multi-part ARJ doesn't work. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record. You install it or run it portable, with nothing to configure. | BNo store rating on record, but there's nothing to set up. Install it, set it as the default for archives in Finder's Get Info window, and from then on they just open. |
| Platforms and integrations | CLinux, macOS and Windows, which is computers only. No phone app and no listed integrations. | DThe app is Mac only, macOS 10.13 or later, with no integrations listed. Windows and Linux get the unar and lsar command-line tools and no app with a window. |
| Best for | a free archiver on Windows, Mac or Linux | opening RAR, 7z and odd old archives on a Mac |
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: PeaZip and The Unarchiver. How we grade
Price against what you get
PeaZip has no paid plan and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. The Unarchiver has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
PeaZip scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, none scores higher than PeaZip for less, and none scores higher than The Unarchiver 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.
- PeaZip also covers file management.
In commonFree planmacOSFile compression
At a glance
| PeaZip | The Unarchiver | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | None | The whole app is free from the vendor's site or the Mac App Store. The site says there are no in-app purchases for additional features. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Giorgio Tani | MacPaw Way Ltd. |
| Price read from | peazip.github.io | theunarchiver.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
The Unarchiver
- It only extracts: the site lists the formats it can open and describes no way to create archives.
- The app is for macOS 10.13 or later. Windows and Linux get only the unar and lsar command-line tools, with no graphical app.
- Some formats are partly supported: StuffIt X is partial, Ace 2.0 and later is unsupported, and multi-part ARJ archives do not work.
- Version 4.3.9 added product usage analytics and a survey invitation, according to the App Store release notes.
Key features
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.
The Unarchiver
- Common archive formats
- Lists full support for Zip, Zipx, RAR, 7z, Tar, Gzip, Bzip2, LZMA and XZ, plus CAB, MSI, NSIS installers and common disc images such as ISO and BIN.
- Encrypted and multi-volume archives
- Opens RAR archives with encryption and multiple volumes and Zip archives with AES encryption, and can join split files named .001, .002.
- Older and unusual formats
- Unpacks formats such as StuffIt, DiskDoubler, LZH, ARJ and ARC, and Linux packages such as RPM and Deb. Support for some, including StuffIt X and Ace, is partial.
- Filename encoding detection
- Tries to detect and handle the filename encoding used inside an archive, so files named in non-Latin characters are not garbled.
- Default app for archives
- Can be set as the default app for archive files through Finder's Get Info window, after which archives open with it automatically.
- unar and lsar command-line tools
- The same unarchiving code is offered as two command-line tools, unar and lsar, which run on macOS, Windows and Linux.
Plans
PeaZip
PeaZip$0
Free, open-source software with the same full feature set on Linux, macOS and Windows.
The Unarchiver
The Unarchiver$0
The complete app for macOS 10.13 or later, with every supported format included and no in-app purchases.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, PeaZip or The Unarchiver?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both PeaZip and The Unarchiver are free to use.
Which has a free plan, PeaZip or The Unarchiver?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both PeaZip and The Unarchiver have a free plan.
Which platforms do PeaZip and The Unarchiver run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only PeaZip lists Windows and Linux apps. Both list a macOS app. 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.