# 7-Zip

> Free, open-source file archiver with the 7z format

7-Zip is a free, open-source file archiver by Igor Pavlov. It creates and opens archives in 7z, ZIP, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, XZ and WIM, extracts many other formats including RAR and ISO, and can protect 7z and ZIP archives with AES-256 encryption. The Windows version adds commands to the Windows shell and includes a file manager, and console versions are available for Linux and macOS.

- **Category:** Desktop Utilities
- **Made by:** Igor Pavlov (since 1999)
- **Website:** https://www.7-zip.org
- **Runs on:** Windows, Linux, macOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

7-Zip is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** Free, open-source software. No registration or payment is needed on any computer, including one in a commercial organization.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 7-Zip | $0 | The complete archiver for Windows, plus console versions for Linux and macOS. Most of the code is under the GNU LGPL. |

Read from https://www.7-zip.org/ on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with 7-Zip before buying.

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- Windows users who need to open or create archives at no cost
- Compressing large folders into 7z archives with a high compression ratio
- Organizations, since the license allows use on commercial computers without registration

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## Works with

FAR Manager

**Tags:** File compression, Open source, Works offline

## Alternatives

- [WinRAR](https://toolgpa.com/tools/winrar): Windows archive manager for RAR and ZIP files. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/7-zip-vs-winrar)
- [Keka](https://toolgpa.com/tools/keka): File archiver for macOS and iOS with drag-and-drop compression. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/7-zip-vs-keka)
- [The Unarchiver](https://toolgpa.com/tools/the-unarchiver): Free Mac app that opens RAR, 7z, Zip and many older archives. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/7-zip-vs-the-unarchiver)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://www.7-zip.org/
- https://www.7-zip.org/download.html
- https://www.7-zip.org/faq.html
- https://www.7-zip.org/7z.html
- https://www.7-zip.org/sdk.html
- https://www.7-zip.org/license.txt
- https://www.7-zip.org/history.txt

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/7-zip
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).