BetterZip for Mac

BetterZip is a small and powerful archiving tool for Mac that enables you to partially extract files from big archives, with support for all the most popular formats that are used to day on computers with all modern operating systems.

This includes favorites such as ZIP, RAR, 7-Zip, TAR, BIN and CAB, to the older and obscure formats such as XAR, ARJ, JAR, DEB, NSIS, NQX and more. It can even manage data that is packed inside CD/DVD disc image storage format ISO.

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Creator of BetterZip was developer Robert Rezabek who coded this app in Objective-C programming language to be run only on macOS, with support for all the modern archiving techniques such as segmented archives, archive compatibility with other operating systems, encryption and password-protected archives, extracting or adding of chosen files without unpacking entire archive and much more.

All of this is done inside very well-organized dashboard that supports not only easy access to tools and file listings, but also drag & drop management and integration into the Mac OS X so that you can easily manage archives no matter what you are doing.

It is important to notice that natively BetterZip for macOS does not support managing RAR archives, but this ability can be easily added by manually downloading and installing command line RAR utility from Rarlab website.

After doing this support RAR archives will become fully integrated into the tool, enabling users to manage those archives same as all others.

Features and Highlights

Extract Only Files You Really Need
If you only need a few files or folders from a larger archive, you don't have to extract the whole thing. Simply drag the files you need from the app window to any Finder window or the desktop.

Open Archives Without Extracting
Not only can the tool open archives without first extracting them but you can also search for a file using the iTunes-like interface. The app can open and extract archives with the most common formats: ZIP, SIT, TAR, XAR, GZip, BZip2, RAR, 7-Zip, CPIO, ARJ, LZH/LHA, JAR, WAR, CAB, ISO, CHM, RPM, DEB, NSIS, BIN, HQX.

Create Archives
Simply drag files and folders from your hard drives, disks, or network places into your new zip file. You no longer have to copy all the files into a temporary folder first. The supported formats are ZIP, TAR, GZip and BZip2 compressed TAR, XAR, 7-ZIP, and RAR (using the external RAR commandline tool). Large archives can also be split.

Protect Your Data
Better Zip can protect your data with a password and create WinZip compatible AES-256 encrypted archives. 7-zip and rar archives can also be protected.

Update Archives
Add new or updated files to existing archives. Remove any file or folder from an archive, or even move files around inside the archive as if it were a normal folder.

Make Archives Compatible
Strip Mac specific files and resource forks from archives for best compatibility with systems like Windows or Linux.

What’s New in BetterZip 5?

BetterZip 5 introduces powerful new features and enhancements, offering seamless macOS integration, expanded format support, and improved usability.

Optimized macOS Integration

• Runs natively on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.
• Quick Look Extension previews archive contents in Finder and apps (macOS 10.15+).
• App (Share) Extension allows direct file compression from other apps.
• Finder Context Menu now includes a BetterZip submenu for quick access to presets.
• Drag & Drop Modernized – Drag files from archives directly to other apps or Finder locations.
• New Automator action for testing archives, with real-time progress reporting.

Expanded Format Support

• Create and extract Apple DMG disk images.
• Supports Zstandard and Brotli compression for high-speed, efficient archiving.
• Opens and extracts XIP archives.

Enhanced File Management with “Places”

• Set favorite folders as quick extraction targets.
• One-click Move Archive button to relocate files or send them to the trash.

Advanced Deletion Features

• Redesigned “Delete with Pattern”: Preview and edit files before deletion.
• One-click removal of Mac-specific files and empty folders from archives.

New Preset Customization

• Advanced filename patterns using fixed text, date, time, and username variables.
• Post-processing scripts now support AppleScript and Automator workflows.
• Option to move original files to trash or a designated folder after compression.

PROS

• Wide Format Support – Works with numerous archive types.
• Password Protection – Strong encryption for security.
• Quick Look Preview – View files without extraction.
• Automated Workflows – Custom scripts for efficiency.
• Integration Friendly – Works with Finder & cloud apps.

CONS

• Paid Software – No free version available.
• Learning Curve – Advanced features need time.
• No Built-in RAR Compression – Only extraction supported.
• Occasional Bugs – Some crashes with large files.
• Limited UI Customization – Few theme options.

Note: 30 days trial version. Requires 64-bit processor.