7-Zip is a free, open-source file archiver that consistently outperforms most commercial tools on compression ratio. It’s a Windows essential for zipping, unzipping and extracting almost any archive format.

Key features

• Very high compression in the 7z format (LZMA/LZMA2)

• Reads and extracts ZIP, RAR, TAR, GZIP, ISO and 30+ formats

• AES-256 encryption for secure archives

• Windows Explorer right-click integration

• Completely free with no ads or bundled software

Is 7-Zip free?

Yes. 7-Zip is free and open source (GNU LGPL) for Windows, with no ads and no paid version.