--- title: "WinRAR Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is WinRAR the right Archiving solution for you? Explore 359 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/207190/WinRAR/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- WinRAR 4.8 (359) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/207190/WinRAR/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated December 15th, 2025 # Reviews of WinRAR Ease of use 4.7 Customer Service 4.3 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews JC Jaya C System EngineerTelecommunications, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “I liked the way that WinRAR deals with batch archiving, where one may choose dozens of files and make a single compressed file in a few seconds.“ June 16, 2025 Martin P FreelancerComputer Software, Self-employedUsed the software for: I used a free trial. “Navigation in the files are a bit difficult and settings are not intuitive.“ August 8, 2023 JM Jean M System EngineerMachinery, 501 - 1,000 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “It accurately combines and extracts them, making it much easier to manage large datasets on my system.“ June 2, 2025 Haresh K Managing PartnerEducation Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Some email servers, especially corporate email ids, may not permit compressed files be it winzip or Winrar“ February 13, 2023 MG Maria G Cloud EngineerMedia Production, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “WinRAR made it very handy to pack the files into an encrypted archive in case of sensitive data.“ June 5, 2025 Gbenga S Construction managerCivil Engineering, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “I have not encountered any difficulties while using WinRAR, and I have yet to find a feature that I feel is missing. though the frequent pop-ups tick me off.“ February 8, 2023 AD Ayman D Senior research fellowResearch, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “WinRAR makes handling big files compressing them quickly without losing data integrity a walk in the park for me.“ May 28, 2025 GT Giuditta T EngineerTransportation/Trucking/Railroad, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Annoying pop up message offering the upgrade to the premium version.“ August 23, 2022 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 359 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Diego Martin R. Marketing Analyst Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Compress your files and keep them safe" September 26, 2021 5.0 Pros WinRAR is one of the programs that I always use. Since the first time I have used it, I have not had any problem. I really like that my files are always safe using this program. Cons The interface is simple but somewhat old. Alternatives considered [Zip](https://www.capterra.com/p/229012/Zip/) Switched from [Zip](https://www.capterra.com/p/229012/Zip/) I preferred WinRAR or Zip because it is more efficient when compressing large files. Review Source Mohamed M. Content creator Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Manage your files and data in one place easily" August 7, 2022 5.0 The product is totally wonderful as I can maintain all my customers' data and reduce the size of their files. Pros I really like the way that is provided to manage and control my work data. Cons Nothing at all, all the features are already provided so no complaints at all. Alternatives considered [7-Zip](https://www.capterra.com/p/246777/7-Zip/) Reason for choosing WinRAR We made that choice because WinRAR is more effective and not expensive. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer student Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "useful in compressing folders and files" June 17, 2021 3.0 WinRAR is the ideal answer for any sort of record archiving, compression and extraction. Pros My general involvement in this product has been extremely satisfying. It is utilized for compressing, filing and record extraction. It is free even after 30 days nothing stops. It is not difficult to utilize and has an exceptionally easy to use interface. Cons For the purpose it is developed it is doing fine. It has little amount of functions but they perform well. Review Source Tobel A. IT technician Law Practice Used the software for: 2+ years ### "WinRAR Reviews" December 16, 2021 5.0 Winrar keeps my files safe from virus attacks easily, merging files has become more easier with the achieve feature which is supported with most achieve software like 7zip. Pros It's a light weight software not more than 10mb and easy to use in encrypting several files. Cons Its hard to recovery a file once the encryption credentials are forgotten. Switched from [PowerISO](https://www.capterra.com/p/230102/PowerISO/) Winrars 40 day trial actually lasts for long Review Source TB Travis B. Solutions Engineer Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Extraction and Extracting made simple" June 17, 2025 5.0 The product is quick and easy to use. It really is a well designed product with an easy GUI to navigate. It is compatible with just about every type of ZIP file out there. Pros It can zip/extract just about any file type out there. It's a quick, lightweight installation and is super simple to use. Cons I wish it was a totally free product. It does what many other free products do so it's hard to justify the cost sometimes. Review Source NB Norhartinie B. Software Engineer Legal Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Gives me flexibility in splitting archives" June 9, 2025 5.0 Pros WinRAR handles additional archive formats beside RAR and ZIP that I like such as 7z and ISO. It compress large files quickly, without losing the data integrity which is important to me when I send big folders to clients or friends. Cons I find that WinRAR is not natively cloud backup integrated. Because of that I have to manually download and upload archives. Review Source MG Maria G. Cloud Engineer Media Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Extensive format support and good encryption features" June 5, 2025 5.0 Pros WinRAR made it very handy to pack the files into an encrypted archive in case of sensitive data. That said, password protection built in is such a relief, I don’t have to use extra tools to send confidential documents safely. Cons ZIP recovery isn’t as reliable, causing problems when dealing with damaged files from external sources. Review Source JC Jaya C. System Engineer Telecommunications Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Reliable compression with every batch job" June 16, 2025 5.0 Pros I liked the way that WinRAR deals with batch archiving, where one may choose dozens of files and make a single compressed file in a few seconds. Automatic split-volume enables me to attach large files without any difficulties. Cons It cause me with overwriting files without evident warnings during extraction, and I replace files accidentally when I have to do it quickly. Review Source MK MOHAMED K. Computer Facilitator Higher Education Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Facilitates in storing large technical documents" June 16, 2025 5.0 Pros I have always used WinRAR in archiving software releases, documentation installations and encryption backups. Its profile and archiving preset levels of customization make it a preferred choice of repeated uses. Cons When archiving is automated in scripts I usually need to look up parameters outside rather than consult contextual help. Review Source RE Raheel E. IT Engineer Construction Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Manages passwords and ensures all files are intact" June 10, 2025 5.0 Pros It was helpful that WinRAR allows users to also use compression types besides RAR and ZIP. Most of the time I deal with TAR, ISO, and CAB files, and using a single tool for them is convenient. Cons An issue I noticed is that unless I put all the parts of large files that are split across volumes into one folder, they won’t be extracted automatically. Review Source JM Jean M. System Engineer Machinery Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Accepts various types of archives" June 2, 2025 5.0 Pros When dealing with downloaded software or backup files split into a few data volumes, I’ve used WinRAR quite a lot. It accurately combines and extracts them, making it much easier to manage large datasets on my system. Cons It doesn't have automatic update checking. I’ve actually used an outdated version for weeks and ran into minor compatibility issues when extracting archives. Review Source LS Leila S. Research Scientist Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "helps putting files together for upload" September 20, 2024 4.0 Pros It's great tool for putting files together specially when want to upload or email several files together. Cons It doesn't compress the files a lot. In many cases it may just decrease the file size by1% or event not at all. It would be much more helpful if it could compress the files to like 50% or so. Review Source AM Alexander M. Repair technician Biotechnology Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Winrar is a great choice for your files" August 23, 2024 5.0 If you need software for exploring different types of files, unzipping files or anything like that, then winrar is a great option. Pros My favorite thing about winrar is the user interface and the amount of different file types it supports. Cons I have not had any issues with winrar so far. Its been an amazing product. Review Source TPD Thilina Prasanga D. Researcher Writing and Editing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The best unzipping tool for zipped files & folders!" November 18, 2020 5.0 In my professional career I have sent enormous amount of emails to clients, students & employees, most of the time as an compressed or archived file to keep them within standard "attachment size limits" of email service providers. On the other hand when I received an email almost always it contained a zipped file! I must say that without WinRAR my job would have been a really difficult one. Pros Most probably WinRAR is the best ever archiving & unzipping tool for windows ever! I have used WinRAR to archive & uncompress files & folders since I started using a personal computer. Without a proper archiving & unzipping tool you are basically helpless most of the time when you send & download files/folders. WinRAR does have a very user friendly, easy to understand interface. At the same time it has advanced options like "archive password protection" & "adding comments". This harmony between simplicity and advanced features is quite impressive. Also the features of right click menu is really useful to quick access WinRAR's most used features. WinRAR has really attractive license options for cooperate environments. The free version is really amazing as well, "rarlab" really know the meaning of the word "free" unlike many other companies out there. Cons There's almost nothing that I don't like about WinRAR. But I wish that it had greater compression speed and more associated file types. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Assistant Manager - IT Network and Operations Banking Used the software for: 2+ years ### "WinRAR - Total Zipping" August 22, 2021 4.0 Overall, WinRar gives you a good zipping and unzipping experience when it comes to office work. Pros Coolest advantage WinRaR has that is very much needed as System Admins is, it's capability to extract ISO images. Any ISO image, you can easily extract and take the files only you need from it. Cons Though it is a good extractor, when it comes to compressing, I feel that WinRar could be built to compress at much higher speed. Also, supported file versions also limited. Alternatives considered [Winzard](https://www.capterra.com/p/230467/Winzard/) Review Source AS Amir S. project Manager Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "the Best Compression Application" December 23, 2020 5.0 Over the time and specially while internet was not as fast as today, I used winrar to compress/merges files and drawings to send to my allies/clients. Sometimes job site were in a remote location and internet was as slow as 128 KB/s . It was crucial to use a platform to make it easier to download all necessary file at once. Pros Winrar gives so many option to compress a file, which includes providing all popular extension as well as WinZip. It also lets to make the file with EXE extension to excitable and self- extract. Winrar is a very easy application to operate, however still comes with a wizard that makes is a wonderful tools for not savvy tech users. In addition of compression of a file,or folder, one can merge several files into one compressed file. This makes it easy to download all files at once, especially for places that still have no high gigabyte internet speed. Cons Winrar should have export to email option, which is an standard option for most of application these days. Adding this option will make the winrar more efficient for sending files to another parties. Review Source Sabarish S. L3/L4 Support Lead Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Archiving and storage at ease" February 7, 2023 5.0 Pros The product is simple and it still simplifies all your file zipping and archiving. It can be done in multiple ways and its compatible with multiple levels of hierarchies as well. Cons Nothing to mention bad about this software as it provides the max of what it is supposed to. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Tech Support Engineer Computer Hardware Used the software for: 2+ years ### "One of the greatest archive manager for excellence" September 30, 2021 5.0 It's been great, WinRAR will always be in my computer, although now Windows has an integrated "similar" function, still WinRAR is my # 1. Pros The way it has been available for decades and easy to use, now that documents are getting heavier, the function to compress these files makes it easier to share it with other people. Also this free space from your disk if you want to maintain compressed files, and most important, the way you can create password to protect the data. Cons Comparing to others, the compress time is a bit slower than other similars. Review Source Sofia B. Architecture and programming student Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The best file compressor ever" August 29, 2021 5.0 In general, since it is a software that everyone has to have on their computer, some things seem more complicated than it really is, but when you get used to it, it is very easy to use. Pros It's great, it works perfectly no matter what computer you have. Very easy to use. Cons Some heavier files can be compressed but the way to compress them is more complicated. Review Source Gbenga S. Construction manager Civil Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Unleashing the Power of WinRAR" February 8, 2023 5.0 I have had a fantastic experience with this software. The user-friendly interface and the variety of features have made file management and compression a breeze. The software is well-designed and runs smoothly, making it easy to navigate and use. Pros I've found that the software is packed with powerful features that allow me to efficiently manage and compress my files. I consider WinRAR to be a valuable tool in my toolkit and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable and user-friendly compression software Cons I have not encountered any difficulties while using WinRAR, and I have yet to find a feature that I feel is missing. though the frequent pop-ups tick me off. Review Source EA Evelyn A. Sociologist Civic & Social Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "WinRAR in my working life" March 1, 2022 5.0 Usually in my work I manage many databases, which are extremely heavy, so in order to work with them I must download them and the software allows me to visualize and perform my work activities Pros I like to use the softwere as I constantly use heavy documents, which are downloaded easily and quickly Cons nothing, there’s nothing I don’t dislike, everything seems right Review Source LA Luiz A. Jornalist Writing and Editing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy and simple to use!" September 9, 2021 5.0 The experience was fantastic. I've been using it for years to unzip works and movies. It's part of my routine to use this program. I just have to thank you for all the functionality. Pros WinRAR is easy to use. It's simple, practical and the free version meets the demand of every pc user. I've been satisfied with Winrar for years and how easy it is to unzip anything that involves work or play. Cons Honestly, I think it has no faults. WinRAR's proposal is so simple and straightforward, that it executes with perfection. Review Source Victory S. Software Developer Financial Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Winrar is light but powerful" September 26, 2020 5.0 My overall experience with WinRAR has been very satisfactory. I always ensure that I have it on my device because it never disappoints. Pros WinRAR does not consume space yet gets the job done efficiently and quickly. I use this software to unpack my compressed files anytime, anyday. I also like that it allows me choose where I want to unpack the files to. Cons I really don't have anything against this software because it has been serving me well. I always download it on my PCs as well as mobile device. Review Source RR Rakesh R. Design Head Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best Software to zip and unzip files" July 25, 2024 5.0 It has been a great experience with WinRAR, I use it frequently for my files to be at a same place compressed which I do not use but I need to keep them Pros WinRAR has ease of implementation, everyone can use it and it is free of cost. It is fast and can zip larger files too. You can also password protect the files. It helps to reduce consumption of storage by compressing files Cons There are no such cons for WinRAR it is easily available so no cons by my side. Review Source AA Avery A. Worship Leader Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Go To product for Archiving files." November 12, 2021 5.0 Having big music files is tough to store, and even with big file storage devices, there are some things you would rather not delete. I've found ways to make space with other files by archiving them in a .RAR file. It's simple interface helps me select what I need to use, and saved me many headaches for making space. Pros I love how easy this program is to use. I started using it after upgrading to Winzip, and no other program has taken it's throne. Whether it's archiving my files or opening .RAR files, it has been very beneficial for my work. Cons Sometimes the program would crash when I archive big items. Happened a few times, and it halted my progress a bit Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.