Hello! Today we will talk: what is the difference between zip and rar archives; consider how to convert rar to zip and vice versa; how to create and extract zip and rar folders. Probably, I will not write about the history of the creation of each of the formats, all this can be found you know where, and without unnecessary water, I will immediately proceed to the topic.
I already wrote the whole article, when suddenly it turned out that some users do not know what an archive is. As a result, I decided to make an insert, and tell, so what same such an archive on a computer. For those who are in the know, go down to the paragraph below, there is the main article. And so, an archive on a computer is a kind of file, like a regular folder, which can contain all kinds of files, sometimes other archives. Its difference from a regular folder is that the archive, to save space, compresses the files placed in it. Thanks to this property, archives have gained great popularity among users, because it has become possible, with the same amount of computer memory, to store a much larger amount of information, as well as less clog the channel when sent over networks (Internet, internal networks). There are various archive formats - gzip, tar, 7z, ISO, but the most popular are still rar and zip (that's what we're talking about today). And now, the article itself.
Benefits of Zip
Zip- an archive format that is supported by many operating systems: Windows, Mac OS X, Dos, Linux, and more. etc. The main feature of the format is that it can be decompressed by default on all operating systems. In other words, in order to open this archive, a bare OS is enough, without installing archivers (programs for working with archives). And this is a big difference between zip and rar. After all, the latter cannot do without installing its own archiver for work. That is why zip is used in all assemblies of installation files of Operating Systems, as well as when working on almost all hostings, and in cases where files are to be transferred to many users' computers.
Another difference between the zip and rar formats is the speed of compressing files into an archive. Zip compresses faster. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that this advantage becomes apparent only with large amounts of compression (more than 1 GB). Well, or the user has outdated hardware, released, sort of, at the beginning of the 2000s (although I don’t think there are any left).
But, despite the advantages, zip has its disadvantages, which we will discuss in the Rar Advantages section.
Advantages of RAR
rar- like zip, it is able to compress files into an archive and is supported by all major operating systems, including mobile ones (Android and Mac), although, as mentioned above, an archiver program is needed to work with rar. The most popular of them is probably WinRar. True, it is paid. But, for sure, everyone in our country under the name of the USSR, there is a cracked version of it. But, despite the need for additional software, rar is able to compress files much better than zip. You can compress files in rar with selective density. Although, it should be borne in mind that the more the archive is compressed, the longer it will take to compress it.
The second difference between rar and zip is the ability to password-protect the archive. But, it is worth remembering that if you forget your password, then it will be impossible to recover it. The password for rar archives is often used in e-commerce, when the archived product can be downloaded freely, but the password for the archive is sent to the client's mail only after payment.
Another advantage of rar over zip is the ability to archive any amount of information (over 8 million terabytes, however, only on disks with the NTFS system). While zip has certain limitations (for today it is 2 GB).
Also, rar can restore (using special .rev files) damaged or even missing archives, while zip cannot.
How to convert rar to zip and vice versa
In order to convert one format to another, there are several ways, and the first of them:
Online zip and rar converters
There are a lot of such converters on the net, but, unfortunately, most of them only convert rar to zip, and not vice versa. You can find them on request. Transformrar tozip + online(+ online means that even without this word, the search engine output will be relevant (meet the search conditions)) or similar. Despite the fact that their obvious advantage is the absence of the need to have a converter on your hardware, their disadvantage is more than significant - the limitation on the size of the converted file. As a rule, the conversion threshold is set within 50-100 MB (in my opinion, this is ridiculously small). And if you want to convert a file with a large weight, you will either have to pay or subscribe to the mailing list and start receiving spam in the mail (by the way, I wrote here, Very useful article. I advise everyone to read it). That is why I will not advise you on any of the online resources. And I advise you to take a closer look at the second way to convert rar to zip and vice versa:
Stationary ways to convert rar to zip and vice versa
How to convertrar tozip. To do this, there are various programs, both paid and free. I don’t see the need to spend my money here, and therefore I advise you to take a closer look at the free options. There are enough of them in the world wide web. Take at least RAR to ZIP converter (link to the official website of the program).
And here, convertzip torar a little more difficult. There are several paid programs. But, unfortunately, I did not meet free ones. Therefore, I can advise a simple but effective way - unzip the zip and archive it in rar, using the same WinRar program or any other similar program. By the way, you can do the same to convert rar to zip.
But, in order to unzip or archive files, you need to know how to do it. Therefore, I suggest this now and learn. For example, we will use the same WinRar program (it is assumed that it is installed on your computer).
How to archive files
For example, we will use a document in the format . PDF. The original file size is 33,465 KB. And so, let's transgress. Getting started for creating archives is the same for everyone. We stand on the desired file with the mouse and press the right button. In the window that opens, select WinRAR, then Add to archive.
How to create an archivezip
If we want to create a zip archive, then we select it by making the appropriate mark in the checkbox on the left side in the position Archive format. If desired, you can check the checkboxes and on the right, in the field Archiving Options.
- Delete files after packing means that the archived file will be deleted and will remain only in the created archive.
- CreateSFX archive means that the archive will have the program format (.exe), respectively, and will open as a program, and not as an archive.
- Test files after packaging means the usual check by means of the WinRAR program for errors during archiving.
Along with this, you can choose Compression method from Without compression before Maximum. The default is Usual. The higher the compression level you choose, the more compressed the source file will be, but the more time it will take to archive. And so, let's try to archive the test file By high-speed method(method Without compression will not be used, it is clear that there will be no differences from the original file) and Maximum.
The high-speed method compressed the file to 28,918 KB. Thus, the difference from the control sample was 4,547 Kb. The maximum method managed to compress the file to 28,696 KB. The difference from the control sample is 4,769 Kb. The difference between the Maximum and High-speed compression method is 222Kb. But in terms of speed, I did not notice a visual difference, although, of course, it was.
How to create a rar archive
Essentially, everything is the same. In position Archive format check the RAR checkbox. But in the field Archiving Options many more selections will appear. The positions discussed in the section on creating a zip archive will not be considered, they are identical. I'll run through the rest of the positions.
- Create a continuous archive- means that several files placed in the archive will be considered as one indivisible.
- Add an electronic signature– contains the name of the author who created the archive, the name of the archive, the time of the last update, and other parameters. Used to encrypt volumes.
- Lock archive- sets a password. Perhaps this is worth stopping.
How to create an archive passwordrar? Checking the checkbox Lock archive.
Then go to the tab Additionally and press the button Set password.
A window opens Archiving with a password. Enter your password in the appropriate positions, and then click OK.
Now, when you try to open a password-protected document, a window will pop up asking you to enter a password.
Let's talk about compression options for rar archives. Still, let's try to archive the test file By high-speed method And Maximum.
The high-speed method compressed the file to 28,159 KB. Thus, the difference from the control sample was 5306 Kb. The maximum method managed to compress the file to 26,873 KB. The difference from the control sample is 6,592 Kb. The difference between Maximum and High-speed compression method is 1 286Kb. The difference in time between the Maximum and High-speed methods was just over one second.
And here is a graph of archiving comparisons between the zip and rar methods (according to the experiment above).
In 2018, the size of the produced multimedia content amounts to tens of gigabytes: movies and series in Ultra HD quality, cutting-edge games, Hi-End music. The capacity of a number of computer drives today reaches a dozen terabytes, however, handling large amounts of data, like twenty years ago, is reduced to archiving.
The archiver is a program that packs files for ease of transfer and storage. The size of the resulting archive is smaller than the size of the source files individually.
The Internet rating showed that the most popular in 2018 are two archivers: WinRAR and 7Zip. Both of these utilities went through a decade and a half of improvements and improvements: the first versions were introduced in 1995 and 1999, respectively. Today it is impossible to say unequivocally which is better - WinRAR or 7 Zip - without a comparative analysis.
What to choose: WinRAR archive or ZIP archive
The main difference between the archiver programs under consideration is the method of distribution. If RARLab charges $29 for the full version of WinRAR, while providing 40 days of trial use, then 7Zip is initially positioned as a free open source project.
The strength of WinRAR is the completeness of support for archive formats: RAR, ZIP, CAB, ARJ, LZH, ACE, TAR, GZip, UUE, ISO, BZIP2, Z and 7Zip. Its free competitor is left behind in this matter.
A weighty argument in choosing 7 Zip or WinRAR is the prevalence of formats. So, the ZIP format is included in the assembly of most desktop and mobile operating systems by default (in particular, Windows and Android). The compression process in ZIP is faster than in RAR, and the archiver of the same name claims a high degree of support for this format. At the same time, ZIP files obtained using 7Zip take up 2–10% less disk space.
RAR archives are the best protected. The ZIP format uses its own cryptographic algorithm, which is weaker than the 128-bit AES in the RAR format. In WinRAR, not only the contents of the file are available for encryption, but also its attributes: name, size, comments, etc. Also, information is added to the archive that allows you to restore a damaged file.
WinRAR or 7Zip - which is better? The issue boils down to the scope of the instruments in question. If you need to quickly transfer a set of non-critical files, 7Zip is the best choice. However, when data requires reliable protection from disclosure and damage, RARLab's product is better suited.
Data compression is such a daily occurrence that many of us take it for granted. In fact, it surrounds us: every installation package with a new program and many file formats, such as JPEG for photos and various formats for video and audio, rely on compression to save storage space or to reduce the time and cost of data transfer.
For the first time, users encounter compression when they have to work under certain restrictions while processing files. So, for example, having one file instead of many is often an important criterion when sending it via e-mail or FTP.
But do not forget that compression and decompression take time, and so that waiting for these processes to not seem like torment, you need to have a certain processor power (especially when using encryption).
We received a lot of questions from readers about the compression tools (archivers) used. Therefore, today we will look at 4 different archivers: 7-Zip, FreeArc, WinRAR and WinZip and compare the compression ratios and compression times shown by them. Which one will be the best?
There are many different programs for saving, compressing and archiving data in various ways. These programs not only reduce the size of files and combine files into a single archive, but also perform virus scanning and even content testing to avoid unwanted compression of files that are already compressed, split, encrypted, etc.
Regardless of the features included in your favorite archivers, the comparison of compression programs usually comes down to their performance and compression efficiency. It is important to understand that not only is a high compression ratio obtained in as many file types as possible, but also processing speed is desirable.
Most tools can handle at least the popular ZIP format, and sometimes even RAR and/or LZH. Some tools are more efficient and offer more flexibility. However, which format matters most when considering file compression and processing time? Do all tools offer similar performance when working with a common format like ZIP?
We couldn't test all of the available archivers, so we decided to focus on some of the most popular ones, which we chose based on a lot of reader questions. Our choice fell on WinRAR and WinZip, which dominate without question. Our additional choices were 7-Zip and FreeArc. Let's see what all these archivers can do.
Archiving options
Application and Compatibility
What do you need to compress or archive? For small files that need to be mailed, you probably need a high compression ratio.
Commercial applications, in particular, offer a high level of integration with the operating system, giving access to their capabilities through a right-click in Windows Explorer.
Focus on ZIP or RAR if you want to send data to people you don't know very well. Most people are able to open and extract files from ZIP or RAR files. However, if you use a different format, you run the risk that "on the other end" there may be problems with unpacking your archive.
Compression, speed and data types
Higher compression helps reduce file sizes, but it also takes a lot more time. Modern applications are usually thread-optimized, which means they take advantage of multi-core processors. However, there are few solutions that still work with only one processor core. This is one of the most compelling reasons why we decided to write this article. After years of using WinZip as our main program, we've come to think it's foolish to pay $30 for a program that has fewer features than the free alternatives.
It is important to understand that some types of files, such as documents, can compress quite well, while other files should be archived only for convenient storage. So, for example, JPEG pictures, program installation files and other similar data are already compressed and therefore you should not expect them to be recompressed.
Compression speed is not the main factor if you just need to pack a few files and send them by e-mail. With a high degree of probability, these files take up only a few megabytes and therefore are archived almost instantly. However, archiving performance becomes important if you need to compress a large amount of data for backup.
For a simple example, packing 50GB of information into a single file with minimal compression takes almost as much time as copying. However, the process can take hours if you are trying to get the smallest possible archive size.
Multi-volume archives
The nature of storage media and email accounts sometimes makes it necessary to limit the size of files. Email accounts are often limited to 10-20MB of data per message, and media (like CDs, DVDs, and even Blu-ray discs) have limited capacities. In these cases, it may be necessary to create multi-volume archives, the sizes of which you can set yourself. These multi-volume archives are supported by many modern archiving programs, although not all. If this feature is important to you, then it's worth seeing if your archiver of choice supports it.
Passwords and Encryption
The best way to protect archives from unauthorized access to the information they contain is to use passwords and encryption. However, the use of passwords and encryption will result in data compression taking longer. On the other hand, it is this combination that represents the most effective protection.
Most archiving tools support AES encryption, and some (like 7-Zip and WinZip) are already taking advantage of the extra processor instructions that Intel has started to implement on its Core i5 processors. As a result, encryption on such processors will have a much lesser impact on the entire archiving process in the future, unless, of course, your archiving tool supports AES-NI. At the same time, for owners of AMD platforms, the appearance of such sets of processor instructions is only a matter of time.
Few Restrictions
There are a few limitations, particularly those related to large file sizes and old containers. For example, ZIP 2.0 specifications support individual files up to 2GB in size.
The file system you are using may also be a problem. In particular, FAT32 systems on older Windows do not allow files larger than 4GB to be created. Larger archives will require NTFS.
Finally, modern archiving tools can consume large amounts of RAM. Therefore, the best performance from them can be achieved on computers that do not suffer from a lack of it.
7-Zip 9.1 Beta and FreeArc 0.60
7-Zip 9.1 Beta
7-Zip is a free archiving tool. The program can unpack various archive formats, but it can only pack into a limited set of formats. According to the 7-Zip website, the program compresses 2-10% better in ZIP than competitor programs. The site hints that the compression ratio of 7-Zip in ZIP is higher than that of its peers.
However, 7-Zip's real strength is its own 7z format. This open architecture allows for 256-bit AES encryption, which owners of the new Clarkdale Core i5 processors can take advantage of with six hardware instructions for AES encryption and decryption. AES is supported for 7z and ZIP formats.
However, using 7z you probably won't see much performance gain despite the new instructions. This is because the 7z algorithm is already so heavy that AES hardware acceleration becomes less important. Some people even discussed this topic with Intel employees, and employees of the company confirmed everything.
In general, the 7-Zip archiver is not as common as the other tools in this article. However, the archives of this utility are still supported by other archivers, such as IZArc, PowerArchiver, TUGZip and WinRAR. Usually, 7-Zip uses LZMA (LZ77) compression, but other algorithms are also possible. LZMA supports dictionaries of various sizes (up to 4GB in 64-bit operating systems).
Also 7-Zip 9.1 beta supports improved LZMA2 algorithm. The program allows you to work both from the command line and from the Windows graphical interface, which includes its own file manager. At the same time, the program is available in 74 languages and works with all Windows, from Windows 98 to Windows 7.
Unlike WinZip, 7-Zip is fully thread-optimized and therefore can take advantage of multi-core processors.
The fast and free FreeArc archiver, according to the official website, works 1.5-3 times faster than the best compressing programs at equal compression ratios (the hint probably goes to WinZip and other popular products).
FreeArc works with both command line and GUI. And, according to the site, the utility has an impressive list of benefits. In particular, depending on the file type, the program can switch between different compression algorithms. On the one hand, this helps in maximizing the compression ratio, and on the other hand, it binds the user to FreeArc, because. other compression tools are unlikely to be able to understand and decompress your archives.
In total, FreeArc supports 11 compression algorithms. Remember, however, that this does not necessarily refer to compression itself. Perhaps the program can only read and unpack 11 types of archives. FreeArc also supports the integration of external programs for data compression and filtering.
The program can detect repetitions (REP - in the range up to 1GB), remove repetitions in text (LZP) and also has an executable file preprocessor (BCJ). In addition, FreeArc sorts files to take advantage of the above features. In fast compression modes for texts, the program automatically uses GRZIP, while for binary files it uses Tornado.
FreeArc supports encryption to protect your archives. In particular, the program supports AES, Blowfish, Twofish and Serpent. Self-extracting archives, merging, recompression, and comments are also supported. However, not all file attributes are saved in the archive. Moreover, a 64-bit version of FreeArc has not yet been released, and there is no support for multi-volume archives either. Fortunately, self-extracting archives and the ability to create simple installers are still included.
FreeArc is for anyone who doesn't mind spending a little time customizing archiving solutions for her or his environment. Version 0.7, due by the time this article is published, should make the program as easy to use as WinRAR. Later, the developers want to add full support for RAR and 7z formats to FreeArc.
WinRAR 3.92 and WinZip 14
WinRAR by RAR Labs is a paid solution. We have been using WinRAR as a key evaluation tool for quite some time now. it is one of the most popular archivers supporting multi-threading. In this article, we have used WinRAR version 3.92.
WinRAR fully supports RAR and ZIP archives and can decompress CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE, UUE, BZ2, JAR, ISO, 7z, and Z files. Along with the other tools in this article, WinRAR supports both command line and and work with GUI. The program also supports self-extracting archives and can encrypt data with 128-bit AES.
WinRAR comes with a wizard assistant, which is a nice addition for ordinary users. In this review, WinRAR is the only program that supports creating multi-volume archives. It may not sound like much, but multi-volume archives are very useful if you need to send a large amount of data via email with a very limited message size. In this case, WinRAR can split the data into more appropriately sized pieces. In addition, there are many add-ons for WinRAR that allow you to customize and optimize the program for various operating systems.
Since version 3.91, WinRAR also supports 7z format with LZMA2 (decompression only). This format usually gives excellent results in terms of performance. Under 32-bit and 64-bit versions of operating systems, there are different versions of WinRAR (and with minor differences). Currently, the program has support for 15 languages and even supports its own themes.
And finally, the last but not least archiver in this review is WinZip. It is the most popular paid archiving tool and has proven itself in two different ways in our testing. On the one hand, WinZip integrates well into the operating system and is very easy to use. WinZip 14 is probably what you need when running Windows Vista or 7. On the other hand, WinZip still hasn't learned how to spread the load across multiple CPU cores, and is therefore pretty damn slow when using LZMA or the Best Method option, which selects the best compression algorithm for specific file types. Even on normal ZIP files, WinZip's performance is only average.
WinZip can create three types of different archives: ZIP, ZIPX, and LHA. However, the program can read much more, including RAR, 7z, BZ2, JAR, image files (IMG, ISO) and CAB. If you frequently work with large ZIP files, you'll be glad to hear that WinZip 14 can handle ZIP archives larger than 4GB.
To protect archives, the program allows you to use 128-bit or 256-bit AES encryption. The auto-cleanup feature will ensure that files temporarily extracted from encrypted archives are destroyed after use. WinZip 14 also supports Intel AES-NI functionality, which is available on Clarkdale Core i5 (and Gulftown Core i7-980X) processors.
It is worth emphasizing that we could not try out all the features of the WinZip archiver, because. their list is impressively long. Even just the archiver's support for the new Windows 7 is very comprehensive. For example, it supports touchscreen gestures, previews, and even so-called jump lists for easy access to its features and ZIP files. The latest version of the archiver also supports photo resizing. Yes, other tools also offer integration with the operating system, but not as extensive a set of features. In particular, WinZip supports multi-volume archives, has an integrated FTP client that allows you to download backup archives (Backup and Pro versions), supports the command line, and even creates self-extracting archives.
H and one owner of a modern PC or laptop can not do without an extremely useful application - an archiver that can create an archive from several files or compress information intended for file exchange several times. The most common and versatile tools in this category are generally considered to be Zip and Rar archivers. We offer to compare their functionality and determine the degree of convenience of each of the programs.
The fundamental difference between the Rar archiver is that it does not take up much space in the device's memory. This program is quite easy to restore in case of its forced loss, allows you to create both continuous or self-extracting archives, as well as archival multi-volumes, which include a lot of various components. The program provides opportunities for setting a password for a particular information cell. In this case, it will be simply impossible to open a file without entering a code word or character set. The Rar archiver is convenient as an internal file storage, but as a link in the file exchange chain it is no longer so effective, because files in audio or video formats are not very convenient to compress, and the compression speed of voluminous text messages is far from ideal.
In the latest versions of this archiver, there are very convenient dialog boxes that allow you to divide all settings into several categories. This simplifies the process of working with the archive. Also, WinRAR is well equipped with functionality. It supports the function of dearchiving files in ISO, CAB, JAR, ARJ, BZ2, LZH, UUE, ACE, GZip, TAR formats, as well as standard RAR and ZIP formats (with the ability to create archives and other functions, of course). When working with this archiver, you can supplement the archive with comments, informational explanations for recovery, set a lock on the function of making changes to archived files, and divide archives into volumes. In addition, in the latest version, the user can even create an electronic signature as an access test, which the program will compare with the submitted samples. However, this feature only works in the full version after registration with the developer.
The WinRAR archiver also has good ability to compress small files, but archiving large files takes quite a long time. This is not very convenient in the process. It is also inconvenient if it is necessary to compress files of one of the audio / video formats, since the process turns out to be too long, and the result does not always reach the required size.
The Zip archiver is one of the most common options for quickly and efficiently compressing a file in preparation for sending via e-mail. This program is pre-installed in the standard package of Windows operating systems, which means that most computers in the world have it. You do not have to search for it and download additionally, wasting time. The configuration interface in WinZip looks like a single dialog box. There is no path window for specifying the shortest path to the file, which is not always convenient.
This program is mainly focused on working with Zip files. She knows how to create, and send, and unarchive them. With other data formats, everything is not so simple. It will be possible to unpack only files of the most common formatting categories, but there are all the possibilities for working with UUE files. Of course, this is not the most commonly used format, but still some users prefer it to everyone else. The archiver also allows you to encrypt files, or set a user password for archived data. Data security in this case is protected much more effectively than with simple encryption. Difficulties can also arise when setting up the archive itself, as well as when working on creating self-extracting modules. However, not everyone uses them, and such archiving options are not needed very often.
But the WinZip archiver perfectly copes with its main duties. It quickly and efficiently archives files in audio / video formats, easily copes with archiving text files and documents of any size. The resulting compression is also able to satisfy even the most demanding user.
In fact, comparing both archivers, it should be recognized that the purposes of their use are still somewhat different from each other. The Rar archiver is intended rather for internal system work, it is convenient in scientific or journalistic activities, where it is necessary to store information for a long time. Such a program will allow you to clearly classify the files intended for saving, and additional functions, such as creating multi-volume archives, make it easy to find the information you need by the occurrence of time.
The Zip archiver, of course, outperforms its counterpart in popularity and work on archiving various files (isn't this what an archiver is needed on a computer at all?). In carrying out its immediate duties, this program is certainly good - it works quickly and accurately. The file can be sent via the Internet without leaving the archive. This is also very convenient, especially if you need to send the same document to many users in bulk. In general, the benefits are clear. And external “pretty things” and additional functions are unlikely to be needed for those who, basically, download files themselves or exchange information on work. Here, the universal Zip will be much more convenient than the functionally extended Rar.
The old man had two sons: the younger one with peculiarities, the older one with quirks ... Today, an archiver, for example, WinRar, plays the role of an old man, and two data compression formats play the role of sons: RAR and ZIP. Each with features and quirks. Why are we talking about WinRar? According to statistics, this is one of the most popular archivers today, working with many formats, including RAR and ZIP. And an inexperienced user has to constantly choose between them, sometimes wondering if he made the right choice.
Definition
ZIP is a format for archiving files and compressing information, having the extension of the final file.zip. First published in 1989. Also, ZIP is directly an archiver program.
RAR— a format for archiving files and compressing information, having the extension of the final file.rar. RAR is also an archiving program itself.
Comparison
Let's see what is the difference between rar and zip as independent compressed data formats. The first, in someone's eyes, the most important moment is the developers. ZIP was created by American Phil Katz, and RAR by Russian citizen Evgeniy Roshal. Isn't this a reason to be proud: the archiver and the format have reached worldwide popularity, and a few years ago RAR was the most common archive format in Russia. The standard icon “a stack of books” is known to most users even now, while the usual “folder with a lock” and “boxes in a vise” ZIP is sometimes bewildering for those who have recently sat down at the keyboard - there are no associations with the data archive.
If we talk about the process of working with archives and archiving itself, then ZIP is created somewhat faster than the rival format. True, you can notice this either on very slow systems, or when accessing a huge array of files. RAR, on the other hand, compresses data more strongly, which saves disk space.
Creating multi-volume archives is a “bun” exclusively for RAR: in order to write to small storage media, the archived file is divided into several volumes in the process. ZIP uses in this case a lot of disks (divides the archives by disks), and “glues” them into a single whole. In this case, an attempt to work with a part of the archive will not be effective.
Significant differences lie in the functionality of the formats themselves. RAR allows you to add new files to an existing archive, as well as restore damaged files using the archive itself. The function of setting a ban on changing data in the archive is also in demand in order to avoid file damage. ZIP does not work with files larger than 2 GB, RAR can theoretically archive files up to 8 exabytes in size (over 8 million terabytes).
Another significant point is the prevalence of both formats. Currently, one of them cannot be considered more popular than the other, however, operating system developers have adopted ZIP, integrating it into their default assemblies. When installing a new OS, whether it be Linux or Windows, the user may not care that the first step is to download an archiver program to work with the software. Since ZIP opens by default, many do not need to switch to RAR at all. Such forced distribution focuses on ZIP in the process of exchanging file archives over the network: the archive will be unpacked by the vast majority of users.
Findings site
- The RAR format was created by a Russian developer, ZIP by an American one.
- The compression process in ZIP is somewhat faster.
- The compression ratio in RAR is higher.
- RAR can create multi-volume archives.
- RAR has the ability to repair a damaged file.
- ZIP does not work with files larger than 2 GB.
- ZIP is bundled with most desktop operating systems by default.
