RAR vs ZIP Compression: Main Differences & How to Choose?

Compression is often the first choice that comes to our mind when we want to make it easier to transfer files via external devices or over the internet, as compression refers to the process of reducing the size of folders or files, which can also help save storage space.

RAR and ZIP are the most popular compression formats that most Windows users trust and rely on. Some users not familiar with compression wonder about the top differences between these two formats and how to choose based on different situations. Let's dive into RAR vs ZIP difference that can help you make better choices.

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Reddit discussions on RAR vs ZIP compression

You can view the following post on Reddit to check the major differences between RAR and ZIP and people's stances on them.

rar vs zip vs 7z
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RAR vs ZIP: Major differences between RAR and ZIP

In this part, we elaborate on the key differences between RAR and ZIP, including compression efficiency, recovery, security, software support, speed of compression, and extraction.

RAR vs ZIP: Compression Ratio

RAR: RAR compresses files to a size that is 20 to 50% smaller than the original size. RAR is particularly helpful when dealing with large files or folders, as RAR supports creating multi-volume archives, which allow you to split large archives into smaller parts for easier transfer.

ZIP: The ZIP doesn't make files as small as RAR does, especially when dealing with very large files, but it works well for small and everyday tasks.

RAR vs ZIP: Compatibility (Software Support)

RAR: RAR compression always requires third-party software like WinRAR, otherwise, you can't open a RAR file on a computer without specialized software.

ZIP: Most operating systems, like Windows, macOS, and Linux, come with built-in support for compressing and extracting ZIP files. For example, you compress a folder using ZIP on your Windows PC, and later on you can directly decompress it on a macOS computer, without requiring third-party software.

RAR vs ZIP: Protection and Security

RAR: RAR features highly secure AES-256-bit encryption and you are allowed to set passwords to protect your compressed files against unauthorized access.

ZIP: Though ZIP supports password protection, the AES-128-bit encryption that ZIP uses is not as robust as RAR. Some newer versions of ZIP tools support AES-256 encryption, but it's not as widely supported as RAR's encryption.

RAR vs ZIP: Error Recovery

RAR: If a RAR archive gets damaged or corrupted during transfer, the built-in advanced error recovery feature helps you fix the archive or at least recover most of its content.

ZIP: ZIP lacks the advanced recovery feature when compared to RAR. If a ZIP file gets damaged, it may be more difficult for you to recover the file.

RAR vs ZIP: Compression Speed and Efficiency

A comparison will not be made in this part, as RAR and ZIP use different compression algorithms and support different compression settings. Some algorithms or settings focus more on how quickly the compression can be completed, while some sacrifice speed to compress files to a smaller size.

Furthermore, file types make a difference to the compression speed and efficiency as well. For instance, the text file can usually be largely compressed, while the compression effect applied to the audio or video file is a little bit more slight.

Conclusion

When you need better compression ratios and higher levels of security, especially for large files, RAR compression is highly recommended. On the contrary, ZIP compression focuses more on the compression or decompression speed and features wide compatibility.