Best zip and unzip zarchive apps for Android

 If you use an Android smartphone extensively and transfer bulky files to and from your computer, you will be aware that storage is usually a concern when shifting through big files. This is where archiving and compressing can come in handy as it allows you to package a handful of files into one file with a .rar or .7z extension. These files can be extracted on your smartphone as well, although you might need an app for that.

That’s what we’re going to discuss today. You might be aware that a large bulk of the file manager apps support archiving and decompressing RAR files. However, what if you want an app that is specifically used for archiving purposes. Well, there are a handful of apps like that on the Play Store and we’re going to look at five of them closely today. These apps can come in handy if you have a lot of data to transfer regularly. It can also be used to unarchive standard files that you download online. So without wasting any further, let’s have a look at five of the best zip and unzip archive apps for Android.

Also known as WinRAR for Android, this archiving app is pretty well known in the industry. Its logo is reminiscent of the iconic WinRAR logo, which has a lot of memories for older computer nerds. However, the list of extensions supported by the app is limited. You can unpack files from RAR, ZIP, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, 7z, ISO and ARJ formats, while archiving is only supported in RAR and ZIP formats. The app can even handle password-protected ZIP files, so you can use this app just as you would use a standard archiving application.

The UI is pretty basic, however, which might bother a few users. But if you’re looking for a no-frills app that can create archives and unpack RAR files, this has got to be it. It’s not too flashy for a modern app but still gets the job done. The app is free to download, although there are ads and in-app purchases. You can turn off the ads by making an in-app purchase within the app. In terms of onboard features and performance, RAR is a great app to have. It is compatible with devices running Android 4.0.3 and above.

As the name indicates, this is designed to archive and extract 7Zip file extensions. In addition to 7Zip, 7Zipper can also unpack zip, alz, egg, tar, tar.gz, tar.bz2, gz, bz2, rar, jar, 7z, lzh while letting you create zip, 7z and jar archives. The app will also let you view the contents of the archive. You can open large text and image files thanks to the built-in image and text viewer. You can also modify archives the way you want, thus bringing more control into your hands.

If you’re looking to clean up all the mess from your phone, you can use the multi-select feature and pick as many folders and files as you want to delete, rename or move them to another location altogether. This app is pretty old as well, and you will require an Android smartphone or tablet running Android 3.0 or above. Given its time on the Play Store, the app has already been downloaded 50 million times. You can get the app for free although there are ads on board. Oddly, there are no in-app purchases to get rid of the ads for good.

This particular app is a hybrid between an archiver and a file manager, offering you the best of both worlds. It can extract zip, rar, 7z, egg, alz, tar, tbz, tbz2, tgz, lzh, jar, gz, bz, bz2, lha files and split archive of alz, egg and rar file formats while letting you archive contents into zip, egg and alz formats. Clearly, the file formats for archiving your files isn’t that diverse, but since most use zip anyway, we don’t think this will be a massive problem for the users. One of the many intuitive features onboard is the ability to drag and drop files into folders. This feature, no doubt, will work better on phones with bigger screens or tablets.

If you’re not too happy with the background image of the app, you can choose your own favorite picture from your gallery. This is perhaps the only app that offers such a wide range of customization options. ALZip is a free download, although it contains ads. The app is compatible with smartphones and tablets running Android 4.0 and above.

This is a slightly older app on this list here, although that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a decent app. AndroZip allows you to create and modify archive files. Extracting or unpacking existing archives is also supported. A dedicated app backup feature ensures your content is safe when you’re switching over to another device. You can use advanced search features to find your media, documents and other files. The developer mentions that the app works just like an archiving app would work on a computer. The best part here is that the app can even support encrypted ZIP file formats that don’t often work on conventional archiving apps. You can even install apk files using this app. The Pro version of the app will set you back by $1.49, which isn’t much considering what it brings to the table.