Free Alternative to BetterZip

Keka is the definitive free archive tool for Mac users who need more than basic ZIP functionality. It compresses to 7Z, ZIP, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, XZ, LZIP, DMG, and ISO, while extracting even more formats including RAR, CAB, EXE, and MSI. With AES-256 encryption for sensitive files, archive splitting for large files that need to fit on multiple drives or stay under email size limits, and seamless Finder integration that feels like a native macOS feature, most users never need anything more than Keka.

The app is actively maintained, regularly updated for the latest macOS versions, and optimized for both Apple Silicon and Intel processors. Keka offers the best balance of power and simplicity among free alternatives, with a clean interface that doesn't overwhelm beginners while providing advanced options for power users who need granular compression control.

The Unarchiver is extraction-focused—it opens every archive format you'll encounter, from common ZIP and RAR (including v5) to obscure formats like StuffIt, DiskDoubler, LZH, and Amiga disk images. It handles filename encoding from any region correctly, making it essential for opening international archives where Japanese, Chinese, or Cyrillic characters appear corrupted in other apps. Set it as your default archive handler and forget about format compatibility issues entirely.

The app is simple, lightweight, and designed to do one thing exceptionally well: open archives without fuss. Developed by MacPaw, the same team behind CleanMyMac and Gemini, The Unarchiver receives regular updates and maintains compatibility with the latest macOS releases. Its strength lies in comprehensive format support—it can open literally everything, including formats so obscure that even their original creators have abandoned them.

macOS includes Archive Utility, which handles ZIP files automatically—double-click to extract, right-click to compress. It works invisibly in the background with no Dock icon or windows popping up, making it the most seamless experience possible. The extraction destination can be configured in preferences (same folder, Downloads, Desktop, or custom location), and it handles multiple files and nested folders correctly.

For users who only deal with ZIP files—which is most casual users who aren't downloading software or receiving archives from Windows users—this is genuinely all you need. No installation, no configuration, no third-party apps cluttering your system. Archive Utility is deeply integrated with macOS, using system compression libraries optimized by Apple for performance and energy efficiency. It respects file permissions, extended attributes, and macOS metadata that third-party tools sometimes strip away.

p7zip is the command-line port of 7-Zip for Unix systems, bringing the legendary compression ratios and versatility of 7-Zip to macOS Terminal. It handles nearly every archive format with maximum compression ratios using the 7z algorithm with LZMA/LZMA2 compression, often achieving 30-70% better compression than ZIP. For developers and power users comfortable with Terminal, it's the most powerful and scriptable option—completely free and open-source under LGPL.

You can integrate it into shell scripts, CI/CD pipelines, automated backup systems, and deployment workflows. Once you learn the command syntax, it's faster than any GUI for batch operations. The command-line interface provides granular control over every compression parameter, from dictionary size to solid block size, allowing optimization for specific file types and use cases. Multi-threading support utilizes all CPU cores for maximum performance on modern processors.

Zipeg is a free archive extractor with a unique feature: built-in preview for images, documents, and media files inside archives. While not as polished as BetterZip's preview, it lets you see photos, read text files, and check documents without extracting everything. It supports common formats like ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, and ISO, making it a middle ground between basic extraction and BetterZip's advanced capabilities.

The interface is straightforward—drag an archive to Zipeg, browse the contents, preview what you need, and extract selectively or all at once. For users who occasionally need to verify archive contents before extraction but don't want to pay for BetterZip's premium Quick Look integration, Zipeg provides a functional free alternative. The preview window displays images at full resolution, renders PDFs with proper formatting, and shows text files with syntax highlighting for code.

Entropy is a modern, open-source archive manager with a clean interface that feels native to macOS. It extracts and creates archives with support for ZIP, 7Z, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, and more. What sets Entropy apart is its attention to macOS design principles—it uses system fonts, supports Dark Mode properly, and feels like an app Apple might have made.

It's not as feature-rich as BetterZip, but it covers the essentials with a better user experience than most free alternatives. Development is active with regular updates addressing macOS compatibility. The interface uses native macOS controls, SF Symbols icons, and follows Human Interface Guidelines closely, making it feel more polished than cross-platform alternatives. For users who value aesthetics and native macOS integration alongside functionality, Entropy strikes an excellent balance.

PeaZip is a comprehensive open-source archive manager that handles over 200 archive formats, making it the most versatile free alternative to BetterZip in terms of format support. Originally developed for Linux, PeaZip brings its extensive format compatibility to macOS with support for everything from modern formats like 7Z, RAR, and ZIP to obscure legacy formats like ACE, ARJ, CAB, DEB, and RPM. It features strong encryption with AES-256, two-factor authentication for archives, secure deletion of sensitive files, and advanced compression options.

The interface is cross-platform rather than macOS-native, which means it doesn't follow Apple's design guidelines, but the functionality is unmatched among free alternatives. PeaZip excels at batch operations, allowing you to compress or extract multiple archives simultaneously, convert between formats, and automate repetitive tasks with saved compression profiles.

iZip is a straightforward archive manager that focuses on simplicity while supporting all major modern formats including ZIP, RAR, 7ZIP, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, and XZ. It strikes a balance between basic tools like Archive Utility and complex powerhouses like PeaZip, offering essential features without overwhelming users. iZip can create password-protected ZIP and 7Z archives, extract all common formats, and integrate with cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive for direct archive operations. The interface is clean and approachable, making it suitable for users who find Keka too minimal but don't need PeaZip's extensive feature set. iZip includes a built-in file browser for navigating archives before extraction, email integration for sending compressed attachments directly from the app, and multi-language support for international users.

SimplyRAR is a specialized free utility focused on RAR file extraction with a minimalist approach. While it handles other common formats like ZIP, 7Z, and TAR, its primary purpose is providing reliable RAR extraction for Mac users who frequently receive RAR archives from Windows users or download software distributed in RAR format. The app lives in the menu bar, providing quick access to extraction without cluttering your Dock.

It features automatic archive detection when files are downloaded, one-click extraction to predefined locations, and simple preferences for controlling extraction behavior. For users who primarily need RAR extraction with occasional support for other formats, SimplyRAR provides a lightweight alternative to comprehensive archive managers. The menu bar presence makes it accessible from any app without switching contexts or opening a separate application window.

B1 Free Archiver is an open-source archive manager that supports its own B1 format alongside standard formats like ZIP, RAR, 7Z, and others. The B1 format promises better compression ratios than ZIP and faster compression speeds than 7Z, though it's less widely adopted than standard formats. B1 Free Archiver provides full archive management capabilities including creating, extracting, and browsing archives with a simple interface that works consistently across macOS, Windows, Linux, and Android. The cross-platform nature makes it valuable for users who work across multiple operating systems and want identical functionality everywhere.

While the proprietary B1 format limits interoperability—recipients need B1 Archiver or compatible tools to extract—the app handles all standard formats competently. The interface is straightforward with archive browsing, selective extraction, and basic compression options accessible without extensive configuration.

UnRAR is the official command-line utility from RARLAB for extracting RAR archives, including the latest RAR5 format with improved compression and recovery records. While it cannot create RAR archives (that requires the paid WinRAR license), UnRAR excels at extraction with full support for all RAR features including password protection, multi-volume archives, and recovery records. For developers and automation workflows that specifically need RAR extraction, UnRAR provides the authoritative implementation directly from the RAR format creators.

It integrates perfectly into shell scripts, build systems, and automated pipelines where RAR extraction is required. The command-line interface is simpler than p7zip for RAR-specific operations, making it easier to script RAR extraction without learning complex syntax. UnRAR is particularly valuable when working with RAR recovery volumes and damaged archives, as it implements the full RAR error correction capabilities.

Archiver is a commercial-grade archive manager available through Setapp subscription that rivals BetterZip in features while offering a modern interface and regular updates. It handles over 30 archive formats with creation, extraction, preview, and editing capabilities. Archiver supports password-protected archives with AES encryption, archive splitting for large files, and format conversion between different archive types.

The interface is polished and native to macOS with Dark Mode support, Quick Look integration, and Finder extensions. While not technically free, Setapp subscribers get access to Archiver alongside 200+ other Mac apps for $9.99/month, making it cost-effective for users who already subscribe or need multiple productivity apps. Archiver includes unique features like archive comparison, batch operations on multiple archives, and preset compression profiles for different scenarios. For users who find free alternatives lacking but don't want to buy BetterZip outright, Archiver through Setapp offers professional features at subscription pricing.