Utilities · €0
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Archiver 4
Compress and decompress any archive on Mac, including formats macOS does not handle.
- Category
- Utilities
- Pricing
- Included in Setapp (~€9.99/month) · Paid
- My rating
- 4.3 out of 5
In short
Archiver 4 is useful when someone sends you a .rar or a .7z. Essential for those cases, useless the rest of the time.
- Ideal for
- Developers who receive or send archives in formats not natively supported by macOS
- Use case
- Compression/decompression: ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, ISO and more than 30 formats
What it costs
Entry price: Included in Setapp (~€9.99/month). Prices taken from the official site, excluding tax.
| Plan | Per month | Per year | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setapp · Recommended | ~€9.99/month (Setapp subscription) | – | Setapp subscribers who already use the suite |
| One-time purchase | €24.99 (one-time) | – | Users without a Setapp subscription |
Alternatives I ruled out
| Alternative | Why I did not keep it |
|---|---|
| The Unarchiver | The Unarchiver for decompression only (free). Archiver 4 if you also need to create archives in these formats. Better at: Free, integrated into macOS, decompresses RAR and 7Z with a double-click Worse at: Decompression only, no creation of RAR or 7Z archives |
| Keka | Keka is an excellent free alternative. Archiver 4 adds RAR creation support and preview. Better at: Open source, free on the official site, creation of 7Z, TAR, ZIP Worse at: Less polished interface, no RAR creation support (license limitation) |
Strengths and limits
Pros
- Supports RAR (reading and creation), 7Z, ISO and more than 30 formats
- Preview of archive contents before extraction (without decompressing)
- Drag-and-drop compression with target format selection
- AES-256 encryption for protected archives
- Included in Setapp at no extra cost
Cons
- Very occasional use for 95% of projects, ZIP is enough and native
- Interface a bit dated compared to modern macOS standards
Compatibility
- macOS : compatible
- Windows : not compatible
- Linux : not compatible
- iOS : not compatible
- Android : not compatible
- Browser : not compatible
- API : not compatible
Final verdict
The best tool for handling all archive formats on Mac. Essential once in a while, included in Setapp.
- I recommend it to
- Setapp subscribers who occasionally work with RAR or 7Z archives.
- Not suited for
- Users who only handle ZIP files, macOS Archive Utility is more than enough.
- Value for money
- Good · 4.3 out of 5
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