If you use the Internet often then, in all likelihood, you’ve more than once downloaded a ZIP file. A ZIP is basically a compressed folder you can download as a single file. A lot of free software is offered in ZIP files. Use the Internet a little longer, though, and you will stumble upon a few RAR files. A RAR is, in many ways, similar to a ZIP. It is a single file containing multiple files, but unlike ZIP files you need special software to open RAR files.

Why doesn’t everyone just use ZIP? Well, because in many ways RAR is better than ZIP.

RAR Is Awesome Because…

The main reason people use RAR is because of the compression rate. Overall, RAR files are smaller than ZIP files, meaning they don’t take as long to upload or download.

Don’t believe me? Check out these ZIP versus RAR tests. You’ll notice higher compression in general, particularly for media files.

The lower the percentage, the better the compression.

Another nice thing about RAR files is that they can be split into multiple pieces. What does this mean? Well, you could split a large file into two or more different RAR files. This is handy if you need to store a very large file on CDs or other small disks.

WinRAR also supports the creation of recovery files, which are very handy in the event of a failing hard drive. To take advantage of this, all you need is to create a .REV file when you’re compressing. If (God forbid) something goes wrong this will increase the chances of you recovering your compressed information.

ZIP Is Still A Good Idea When…

ZIP still beats RAR in one key way, though. ZIP works, by default, on pretty much any computer on earth. Windows, Mac and Linux all support ZIP out of the box, meaning you you can send a ZIP file to a friend who doesn’t know much about computers and he will still be able to open it. Send that friend a RAR file though, and you might end up providing technical support over the phone.

Software For Opening & Creating RAR Files

Want to get started with RAR files? Here’s the best software for the job.

If you’re a Windows user, WinRAR is probably the first program you should check out. I can create and open RAR files, but be warned, it isn’t free. There’s a trial, but after that you need to pay $30 to keep using the software.

WinRAR only works for Windows, but don’t worry, you can download the command line-only program RAR to run on Mac and Linux. It can create and open RAR files, but like WinRAR, it is not free.

Looking for something free? Check out 7ZIP, which supports a number of formats including RAR. Be aware though that it can open, but not create, RAR files.

If 7Zip isn’t to your tastes, check out PeaZip, a great alternative to WinRAR and WinZip. Again, sadly, it cannot create RAR files, only open them. It features an easy user interface:

Both those programs work best for Windows and Linux. Want something for Mac? The Unarchiver is a replacement for the built-in Mac unzipping program, and supports opening RAR files. Again, creating RAR files is not supported – you need to use the official RAR program for that.

Find more WinRAR alternatives on MakeUseOf Answers.

Conclusion

Which format to use is obviously up to you, but now you know why RAR is better than ZIP and what the best RAR software available is.

Do you disagree with me? Let me know why below. Also feel free to pitch in with alternatives programs for creating and opening RAR files, because I know I can learn from you.

So I then did a little digging around on MakeUseOf for free unzip programs that support the format and stumbled upon a 7Zip, an open-source file compression/extraction program which supports a multitude of compression formats.

Although there is also a IZArc which MakeUseOf recently recommended in its 15 Must-Have Free Software Programs I still decided to go with 7zip. While both seem to be rather popular among techies, I went ahead with 7zip mainly for its high compression ratio.

7Zip – How To

So in this article I’m going to get down to basics and show you how to extract and compress files that aren’t of the common variety.

First, download and install the free unzip program, 7Zip, from here.

After it has installed, start up the program from ‘All Programs’ under the start menu. The home screen should look like the screenshot below.

Extraction

Your first step is to locate the file you want to extract.

Normally, after you install 7Zip it should automatically recognize supported archive formats and integrate extract options to Windows context menus. When you right click on the file, there should be a 7Zip option.

Clicking on one of the Extract options will extract the files form the archive.

OR

Alternatively, you can just run 7Zip directly and open the archive from the program interface. You can either paste the file location into the text entry box or browse for it using the icons shown at the bottom part of the above screenshot. Once you have located your file, click on it once. This will highlight it. Then, press the minus sign ( – ) in the menu bar across the top. The window below will open.

Fill out the details below including where you want the extracted file to go and a password (if any). Then select ‘OK’. It shouldn’t take too long to extract and once it does your file will be ready and waiting for you beside the original compressed file provided you didn’t specify another output location.

Compression

Compression follows along much the same lines as extraction. Navigate to the file you want to compress within the 7Zip window and highlight it. Then click the plus sign (+) up in the top left hand corner. The window below will appear.

Enter in the information such as compression level, compression method and password. Then click ‘OK’. Now the compressed file will be beside the original file.

A bit more on compression. 7Zip offers a compression ratio that is about 10% better than WinZip. Moreover, by compressing a file into its native 7z format, you can achieve a compression ratio up to 70% higher than the zip format.

7Zip supports many other formats for extraction and compression. Some the main ones are listed here:

• Extracting and Compressing: 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR
• Extracting Only: ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, DEB, DMG, HFS, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MSI, NSIS, RAR, RPM, UDF, WIM, XAR and Z.

To conclude, 7Zip will take care of most of your extracting/compression needs when your standard extractor isn’t up the the task. And unlike many of its competitors it’ll do the job for free!

We believe we’ve found a completely free file compressor extractor app (alternative to WinZip) called ZipItFree.

Why ZipItFree?

Besides the fact that (as it states it in its name) this app is free there are no annoying and irritating registrations or fees to pay. As soon as you unzip a file you have full control of functions through a modern and stylish graphical user interface while also being able to enjoy the benefits of its speed as well.

Decompressing files is even easier (as it should be) then zipping them up. All you have to do is open your ZipItFree file and locate the extraction button and click it. Your extraction should instantly begin.

The method of file compression this app uses is many times referred to as the “Black Hole” by developers because of its extremely high compression ratios and mega-fast decompression.

Another reason this desktop app (compatible with Windows versions NT-Vista) can be placed at the top of fellow similar software is its ability to utilize ZipV2 encryption algorithms to archive contents within a zipped file. This has been classified as over 100 times more secure than AES encryption algorithms (used by several un-zipping apps).

Our Journey Ends

ZipItFree handles several different formats with ease and allows you to leave comments on your archives describing what that specific archive contains so that you don’t have to unzip every file every single time you may be searching for something.

A few things that could be fixed on this fairly new app would be the support of additional formats, for now ZipItFree can support a wide variation of files; however, it still does not support all formats. The only other con I came across is that although the encryption method is substantially strong, it still may not be enough for everyone. It would be a much stronger app if it were able to somehow allow app users to choose stronger and better encryption methods totally dependent on their needs.

Here are a few files that ZipItFree easily supports: ACE, ARC, BH, BZip, CAB, GZIP, JAR, LHA, RAR, TAR, UUE, XXE, ZIP, and Zoo.

What file compressor/extractor do you use? Let us know in comments.

Besides, there’s not much compression that can be done to multimedia files, and we know that today’s hard drives can be filled with LOTS of pictures, sounds and videos. I tried to compress a 2,142KB video file and the result was a 2,088KB Zip file. Insignificant savings.

Folder versus Archive

Sure, people still use compression utilities, although these days we call them by a different name – archiving utilities – simply because the purpose is more to archive than to compress.

“Then why not use a folder instead?” some might ask. Because ten files in a folder will be counted as ten files while ten files in an archive equals one file. A folder is better if we talking about storing the files in the hard drive for easy browsing and viewing.  An archive is better and faster for sharing and moving files between storage spaces.

But there are times when you will need / want to do a quick browse inside an archive without needing / wanting to unarchive it first. There are a few commercial pieces of software which are able to do that while the free options are second to none. Luckily, I found Zipeg.

Quick and Simple Archive Explorer

Available for Windows (XP and Vista) and Mac (Tiger and Leopard), Zipeg is a free alternative archiving utility to WinZip, WinRAR, and/or StuffIt. It supports a wide variety of archiving formats (ZIP, RAR, ARJ, LHA/LZH, 7z, TAR, and more) and provides users with the ability to browse, preview and open specific file(s) directly from inside the archive.

You can read the full list of features from their website, but here are a few that I find helpful:

• users can see what’s inside the archive BEFORE extracting files.
• it allows users to open files using associated application directly from the archive
• it displays image thumbnails (EXIF) in tooltips;
• it can explore CD and DVD “.iso” image files.
• users can extract/unzip items simply by dragging them.
• users can choose which archiving formats to associate with Zipeg (using menu: “Options –> Settings –> Files” for Windows or “Zipeg –> Preferences –> Files” for Mac).

Zipeg supports password protected archives – the user still needs to provide the password to be able to extract the content. Zipeg also supports multi-part archives – just open the first part and the other parts will be picked up automatically. Just make sure that all the parts are within the same folder.

As an added bonus, Zipeg is also able to open CBR (Comic Book Archive – RAR) and CBZ (Comic Book Archive – Zip) format. So now I can decide wheter or not to read the comic by previewing the pages quickly.

Do you know any other free alternatives to Zipeg or do you have thoughts about it to share?  If so, let us know in the comments below.

Mount Zip files as Folders

Pismo provides you the ability to mount most zip files as folders. Not only can you read the files that are contained in the zip file but you can also execute any executable file that might be contained in the zip file. This is made possible by the zip file reader included with Pismo.

However, what this also means is that currently you cannot write back to the zip files if you wanted to.

Mount CD and DVD images

Pismo File Mount also allows you to mount common CD or DVD image formats like ISO, DAA and others as a virtual folder. You can then access the CD/DVD image file just like you would access the contents of a CD when you insert it in the CD drive. At mount time you are presented with a number of options to fine tune the visibility and access of files.

Encrypted Private Folders

Pismo File Mount then allows you to create encrypted private folders. The contents of these folders are kept in an encrypted, compressed .PFO container. Click on File > New Private Folder , specify a password and that is all that is required to create a private folder for your sensitive data. You will have to mount the encrypted folder to access its contents, then you will be asked for the password you provided to authorize the access to your sensitive data.

Private Folders are not bound to a single system or user login and can be freely copied and moved between systems while locked just like normal folders.

Map folders to drives

You can also map the folders you mount with Pismo File Mount to drive letters for easy access. This feature however requires administrator privileges. Pismo File Mount chooses the drive letter automatically or you can choose an unused letter from the drop down menu. Also check out this alternative method to achieve similar results.

Download / Install

You can download Pismo File Mount here. The download is only 928 KB for the Audit Package build 047. Installation is simple, fast and clean. You should be ready to use this baby in under a minute!

Pismo File Mount is a very nice app. Now there is no need to unzip those zip files to access the contents, Virtually mounting CD/DVD images is great as well but the ability to maintain private folders is a killer!

Let us know what you think! Know of anything similar to Pismo? Tell us all about it!