# WinZip review (2026): is it worth $3.33 a month, billed yearly? > Archiver with encryption, cloud sharing and file management tools Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. WinZip compresses, extracts and encrypts files on Windows and Mac, and adds tools for sharing, backup and cloud file management. It is sold as annual subscriptions in three tiers (Standard, Pro and Ultimate), with a separate quote-based Enterprise edition for IT-managed deployments. It is made by Corel. - **Category:** Desktop Utilities - **Made by:** Corel Corporation - **Website:** https://www.winzip.com/en/ - **Runs on:** Windows, macOS - **Who should skip it:** Pricey if all you do is unzip files, because free archivers do that for nothing. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, WinZip is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $3.33 per month, billed annually (incl. VAT). - **Pricing model:** Free trial - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** 21-day free trial. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Standard | $3.33 per month, billed annually (incl. VAT) | Zip, protect, share and manage files; includes WinZip Standard for Windows and Mac, Courier and Ad Remover. | | Pro | $5.00 per month, billed annually (incl. VAT) | Adds Secure Backup, SafeShare, Image Manager, Duplicate File Finder and the System Utilities Suite. | | Ultimate | $10.00 per month, billed annually (incl. VAT) | Everything in Pro plus WinZip PDF Pro, the PDF editing and watermarking tool. | | Enterprise | Custom | Quote-based edition for IT teams with AES-256-GCM encryption, policy enforcement, recovery keys and volume licensing. | Read from https://www.winzip.com/en/pricing/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with WinZip before buying. ## Key features - **Compression and extraction:** Zips and unzips files and opens other archive types such as RAR, 7Z, TAR and ISO. - **File and email encryption:** Encrypts files and email attachments, and lists secure, unrecoverable file wiping among its core capabilities. - **Multi-cloud file management:** Browse and manage files across several cloud storage accounts, with batch file conversion. - **Backup and advanced tools:** The comparison table lists automated backups, secure FTP transfers, malware scanning of zip files and PDF and image management. - **System utilities:** Pro and Ultimate bundle the System Utilities Suite: disk and memory cleanup, registry optimization, a driver updater and a speed booster. - **Enterprise controls:** Enterprise adds AES-256-GCM with FIPS 140-3 compliance, an IT-held recovery key and policy enforcement across the organization. ## Good for - Users who want one subscription covering compression, encryption and sharing - People who also want PDF tools or system cleanup bundled in - IT teams that need enforced encryption policies on shared files ## Worth knowing - Sold only by subscription, billed annually; there is no free edition beyond the 21-day trial. - The pricing page labels prices as including VAT, so the amount charged may differ by region. - Backup, SafeShare, image tools and the system utilities suite need Pro or Ultimate. - Enterprise has no published price and is sold through a quote request. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.4 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. WinZip compresses, extracts and encrypts on Windows and Mac. But it is sold only as yearly subscriptions, backup and the system tools need Pro or Ultimate, and Enterprise has no published price. - **Value for money: C.** Standard is $3.33 a month billed yearly, which is this category's typical monthly price. Pro is $5.00 and Ultimate is $10.00. - **Free plan and trial: C.** There is a 21-day trial. The page we read doesn't say whether a card is asked for, and there is no free edition after it. - **Features: B.** Compression, extraction, encryption, cloud file management, backup and system utilities across the tiers. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job, though much of it is above Standard. - **Ease of use: B.** Install it and zip or unzip files with nothing to set up. No store rating is on record. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Windows and Mac, computers only. No Linux, phone or web version. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Corel's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among desktop utilities - WinZip's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 35 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 33. - It stands best on features (B, above 113 of 186) and worst on value for money (C, above 5). - Its paid plans start at $3.33 a month, against a middle price of $2.99 for the category: 20 of the 36 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/utilities ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** The plain part of WinZip you could make: file compression. What surrounds it you could not. The 5 things listed below take a company, not a weekend. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 118 of the 186 other desktop utilities grade higher. It costs $39.96 a year. - You could make: File compression: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: A file manager working directly on your disk. - You could not: Storing and serving files for other people. - You could not: Editing the text inside a PDF without breaking its layout. - You could not: A real app for macOS and Windows. Something home-made would be a web page. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** File compression, File management, File sharing, PDF editing ## Alternatives - [Bandizip](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bandizip): Archiver for Windows and Mac that opens 40+ formats including RAR. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bandizip-vs-winzip) - [7-Zip](https://toolgpa.com/tools/7-zip): Free, open-source file archiver with the 7z format. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/7-zip-vs-winzip) - [WinRAR](https://toolgpa.com/tools/winrar): Windows archive manager for RAR and ZIP files. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/winrar-vs-winzip) - [PeaZip](https://toolgpa.com/tools/peazip): Free file archiver for Linux, macOS and Windows. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/peazip-vs-winzip) - [BetterZip](https://toolgpa.com/tools/betterzip): Mac archive tool for creating, browsing and extracting files. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/betterzip-vs-winzip) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.winzip.com/en/ - https://www.winzip.com/en/pricing/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/winzip Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).