ZIP vs RAR vs 7Z vs TAR.GZ: Which Should You Use?

All archive formats are lossless: what goes in comes out identical. They differ in how small the result is, how fast it is to make, how well it's encrypted, and whether the receiver can open it.

Quick comparison

The simple rule

• Sending to anyone: ZIP. It always opens.
• Need the smallest file or real secrecy: 7Z with Ultra compression and “Encrypt file names”. See Compress Files.
• Uploading to a Linux server or cPanel: TAR.GZ. See Create TAR.GZ.
• Received a RAR: open it with the RAR Extractor, or convert it to ZIP before forwarding.

Why your archive barely got smaller

JPG, PNG, MP4, MP3 and most PDFs are already compressed, so archiving them saves 0–5%. Big savings (50–90%) come from text, code, CSV, logs, databases and uncompressed images or audio. To shrink videos, use the Video Compressor. It reduces the actual video data rather than packing it.

Compression levels explained

Store just bundles files (instant). Fast gives most of the benefit quickly. Normal is the default sweet spot. Ultra squeezes out the last few percent at 3–5× the time. It's worth it for backups you'll keep for years.