Archive tools on Android compared
Most people need an archive tool twice a year and then need it badly, usually for a multi-part download or something with a password. The two mainstream options handle the everyday case identically and diverge on the awkward ones.
Format and feature support
| ZArchiver | RAR | |
|---|---|---|
| ZIP, 7z, tar, gz | Yes | Yes |
| RAR extraction | Yes | Yes, from the format's authors |
| RAR creation | No | Yes |
| Split archives | Yes | Yes, and more reliably |
| Password-protected | Yes | Yes |
| Repairing a damaged archive | No | Yes, with recovery records |
| Advertising | Free version has some | Free version has some |
The tools
ZArchiver. Handles more formats than anything else on Android, extracts everything, and is small and fast. The general answer.
From the format's authors. The only one that creates RAR archives and the only one that repairs a damaged one using recovery records.
A file manager with archive handling built in, which is often enough and saves installing anything extra.
Same reasoning, with a simpler interface.
WinZip. Familiar to desktop users, with cloud integration; the free tier is limited.
B1 Archiver. Handles B1, ZIP and RAR with a simple interface.
X-plore. A dual pane file manager that browses inside archives as if they were folders.
Material Files. Opens common archives inside an open source file manager.
FX File Explorer. Creates and extracts archives as part of normal file management.
ES File Explorer. Archive support built in, though it carries more advertising than the rest.
Split archives, the part that goes wrong
A large file split into part1, part2 and so on has to have every part present in the same folder before extraction. Opening part1 alone gives an error that does not explain this.
- Put every part in one folder Not spread through Downloads. The tool finds the others by filename.
- Do not rename anything The sequence is read from the names. A renamed part becomes invisible.
- Open the first part Not the largest, and not the last. The first part contains the index.
- Check every part downloaded completely One truncated part fails the whole extraction, usually near the end.
- Every part present, original names
- Extracted from the first part
- Enough free space for the result
- A missing part
- Renamed files
- One truncated download
- Less free space than the extracted size
The space requirement
Extraction needs room for the archive and the extracted contents at the same time. For a compressed archive the result can be several times the archive size, which is a surprise if you were already short of space.
Check the uncompressed size before starting, and extract to somewhere with room. On Android 11 and newer the tool also needs all-files access to write outside its own folder, and without it extraction fails with a permission error that reads like a corruption error.
ZArchiver for everything, RAR when you need to create or repair one. Keep every part of a split archive together and unrenamed.
Frequently asked questions
Can I extract a password-protected archive without the password?
No. That is what the encryption is for.
Why does my split archive not extract?
A missing or renamed part, or one that did not download completely. Open the first part with all parts in the same folder.
Do I need an archive app at all?
Not for plain ZIP files, which several file managers handle. For RAR, 7z or split archives, yes.
Read next
A dot in the wrong city is not a broken receiver. It is a WiFi network that moved house.
There is no print button. There is a print service, and an entry in the share menu.
Aeroplane mode and a turn-based game will outlast any setting inside the game itself.
Read next
A search engine gives you a definition. A dictionary tells you how the word behaves.
A contraction timer is a stopwatch with good manners. It is not monitoring anything.
Every one of these apps is a location service with a chat attached. It is worth knowing what it is broadcasting.
