RAR is a patented archive file format which supports data compression, error recovery and file spanning. The RAR was developed by a Russian software engineer, Eugene Roshal (and so the name RAR stands for Roshal Archive) and the RAR software is licensed by win.rar GmbH.
The filename extensions indicate a characteristic of the file contents or its intended use. It is used in place of a suffix. For RAR the extension used is .rar for the data volume set and .rev for the recovery volume set. They both are different terminologies and should not be confused. The minimum size o RAR file is about 20 Bytes. The supreme size of a RAR file is 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 (263-1) bytes, which is eight exbibytes minus 1 byte. Yes, it is quite a big value which cannot be easily imagined.
Advantages of RAR file format:
RAR will store classification system attributes of NTFS (like streams, full ACL permissions, modification/access/etc. time, unsure regarding UNIX system) and so makes it a pleasant, complete backup tool with good compression ability. ZIP files will store none of those except plain previous easy DOS attributes (read-only, hidden, system). Additionally, RAR supports solid archiving (one compression lexicon for all files) that improves compression magnitude relation if having plenty of little files within the archive. There also are information redundancy and error correction techniques which might be accustomed fix broken archives (e.g., broken by transmission errors or unhealthy sectors).
Also, RAR has the amazing interface with customizable icons as compared to ZIP and other files. RAR files also have the feature of splitting into multifarious pieces.
Best RAR Extractor For Windows
1. WinZip
WinZip is basically a data compression tool. The extractor can fruitfully extract, compress and is a perfect archive manager. It is thus one of the best RAR extractors. It is well compatible in Windows 10 / Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Vista. Winzip works nicely with multimedia documents as well. This extractor zip files to reduce email attachment size. WinZip can easily link to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and other storage apps. The tool can even open big compression formats such as Zip, RAR, 7Z, TAR., Zipx, XZ, GZIP, POSIX TAR, and many more extracts though you will have to foot the bill for installing WinZip. Still, it is cost effective. The extractor not only extracts the files but also protects your files with banking-level encryption.
2. Ultra File Opener
The second in the list is Ultra File Opener which supports a lot of archive files including RAR files. It supports above 500 various file types all in one application. Not only will it open renown images, text, and archive files immediately but you can also edit, transform, and print them from your Window. If you wish to use every function of the app, then you must have Product license and activation of it. Ultra File Opener saves the uppermost image data stored in your photos and images. It also provides you with the versatile and amazing viewing experience for your photos. The extractor is well compatible with Supports Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 (32 & 64 bit).
3. Zipware
Zipware is considered as one of the best RAR extractors due to the compatibility of the extractor which also supports archive formats RAR, RAR5, Zip, Zipx, 7zip, ISO, Gzip, Tar and many more. Zipware provides each feature one would look for in an archiver like drag and drop files, integrated Windows Explorer over context menu, the creation of self-extracting archives and also the ability to transform archives between formats. Zipware uses WinRAR’s free UnRAR utility to extract Rar files for the most effective activity and compatibility potential. The best thing about Zipware is that it is totally free and considered as the best RAR extractors and can invariably be software with no boundaries to its options. And it always keeps on developing and upgrading to higher levels.
4. WinRAR
Coming to WinRAR software which has the ability to compress, encrypt, package and backup. It is free of charge for 40 days. After that, you need to purchase it for use. This software supports every famous compression formats (RAR, ZIP, CAB, ARJ, LZH, ACE, TAR, GZip, UUE, ISO, BZIP2, and 7-Zip). WinRAR is additionally ideal if you’re sending information through the net. Its 25-bit positive identification coding and its genuine signature technology can provide you with the peace of mind you’ve got been searching for. The licenses of WinRAR is available in all languages and at all platform versions. The best thing about WinRAR is that it comes with antivirus property so that you don’t need to worry about the corrupted files.
5. 7-Zip
It is one of the Best RAR Extractor available in the market due to the high compression ratio and open architecture. It has Strong AES-256 encryption which ultimately enables it for any compression or encryption method. It is a very strong file manager. The most of the code of 7-Zip is under the GNU LGPL license. Few parts of the code are under the BSD 3-clause License. The software also has the feature of self-extracting capability for 7z format. The compression method includes Deflate, PPMD, LZMA2, LZMA, and more. Comes with better compression ratio for ZIP and GZIP formats which is 2-10 % better than famous software WinZip and PKZip. 7-Zip extractor works almost in every windows version. Starting from Windows 10 / 8 / 7 / Vista / XP / 2016 / 2012 / 2008 / 2003 / 2000 to Windows NT.
6. IZArc
IZArc is the best free file compression utility supporting many archive formats like 7-ZIP, A, ACE, ARC, ARJ, B64, BH, BIN, BZ2, BZA, C2D, CAB, CDI, CPIO, DEB, ENC, GCA etc. The software has a customizable user-friendly interface. The best RAR extractor is free even for commercial purposes. This software also runs on all versions of Windows beginning from Vista and ending at Windows 10. It has also the feature of archives support. With IZArc the user can open CD image files like ISO, BIN, CDI, and NRG. It is also feasible to transform such files from one type of file to another (BIN to ISO, NRG to ISO). IZArc can be arranged to run the preferred Anti-Virus scanner when you start any archives.
Best RAR Extractor For Mac
7. Entropy
The first software in the best RAR Extractors is Entropy. Entropy is free for 15 days but later the user needs to buy the full package for using it perfectly. This Mac unzipper app supports OS X specific technologies like extended file attributes and resource forks, and it also comfortably reads and writes archives. The amazing feature available in Entropy is that it has password protection with AES-256. What else the user needs? The user can easily View contents without Extract. Not only this but existing archives can also be modified using Entropy. As the number of archive increases, it is tough to find the perfect archive. So entropy lets you search within the archives. The software can easily filter out unnecessary files that clutter archives.
8. Better Zip
BetterZip 2 could be a powerful archive manager for MAC. If you simply want many files or folders from a bigger archive like RAR MAC file or the other compressed file format, you don’t got to extract the complete issue. Simply drag the files you would like from the BetterZip window to any Finder window or the desktop. The better zip also allows protecting the files with a password with AES-256. The existing archives can also be modified. If you have mistakenly saved a file in the archive then you can easily remove it from archive via this app. Also, drag and drop archive option is available. There is a presence of Integrated QL generator. BetterZip 4, a further version, also includes Automator actions for compressing and extracting archives.
9. Archiver
The Archiver is one of the best RAR extractors available in the digital world. You can easily extract archives via this software. If your device has less space then you can freely reduce the file size. And for this function, Archiver lets you choose from a palette of high-yielding compression formats. Last but not the least archiver also lets you preview the file after you extracted it. It has the additional feature of split and combines. Along with it, the archiver has cloud support to Google Drive, OneDrive, DropBox, Box, Yandex Disk. It is not free of cost. But it is worth buying.
10. Izip
The name is short but the features are long. It doesn’t require any special skills for working in Izip. The app is totally free-of-cost. There are no advertisements, spyware, limitations, time limits or anything. The app currently supports ZIP, ZIPX, RAR, TAR, TAR.GZ and 7ZIP files with more to come. The user can easily zip and unzip files. Your confidential data can be easily secured by Izip because of the AES encryption. iZip features up to 256 bit AES zip encryption so you can rest assured that unauthorized users will not be able to view any of your secret information. The developers continuously develop their software which is the best thing. Lastly, you can also share the files without facing any bugs.
11. Keka
Keka can conveniently compress your files by just dragging and dropping the desired files and folders to Keka in the Dock. You can drop an uncountable number of files and they will turn into one compressed file. The software usually allows archiving to extensions like 7z, Zip, Tar, Gzip, Bzip2, DMG, ISO. You can make archives that look clear in non-Mac systems, like Linux or Windows. If the files are huge and they do not compensate to fit in your mail or server, just split them into pieces. You don’t need to worry, they will still expand to produce your original file. Beta features are also available. It also provides users with proper privacy.
12. iPack
The name says everything. It generally packs your large unzipped files into a zipped one. The user can compress file extensions like 7z, zip, jar, and RAR archives. While it can decompress file extensions like 7z, zip, jar, rar, cab, deb, iso, arj, gz, and bz2 archives. It has full security so you don’t need to worry about it. It has multi-volumed archives support. You can quickly view any file without extracting the files. So it is speed and time efficient. The iPack also allows searching file names inside archives with fancy highlight effect. iPack is a archives manager integrated with Finder that can conveniently compress and decompress files in Finder immediately.
Final Words!
Coming to conclusion, we have seen various types of RAR extractors. They all are almost the same with a slight difference. It is you to identify that difference and make a proper choice as per your requirement before installing it. The Mac and Windows have a vast list of best RAR extractors. We have listed the top ones in our content. So stop worrying and start unzipping files for having a look at them.