WinZip, apparently still a thing, launches Universal app for Windows 10

[Scorpus]

Did you know that WinZip is still around? Me neither. But here we are: a new WinZip application has been announced for Windows 10, built on the Universal Windows Platform, that allows users to compress and decompress files to a number of formats.

Aside from basic compression features, the WinZip UWP app integrates with Cortana. Apparently you can just ask Cortana to zip or unzip files and she will do it. The app also integrates with a range of popular cloud storage services like OneDrive, Googel Drive, Dropbox, and Box.

You might be asking yourself: why would anyone need WinZip when Windows has featured built-in zip archive management for at least 10 years now? That's a very good question, and one I can't really answer. It's true that Windows doesn't support creating or extracting RAR archives, but you can easily download 7-Zip, a completely free utility, to manage those file types for you.

This leaves WinZip in an interesitng place in the market. The Universal WinZip app isn't entirely free – there's a free trial for one year, after which users will have to pay a yearly subscription fee – which doesn't make it a very compelling option over 7-Zip or even WinRAR.

However, if you do want to download WinZip for some reason, the app is available from the Windows Store right now. The standard version has also been updated recently and you can download it here.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/64703-winzip-exists.html

 

[Levi Sterling]

Well, what do you know. I thought they abandoned the project and some of the developers went to work with 7zip and at Microsoft to make their utility.

 

[Puiu]

7zip is still the best one

 

[alabama man]

I've been using winrar for 20+ years and see no reason to switch. I remember trying other programs back in the day but all of them sucked in one way or other. Is 7-zip any good? Could switch to a open source alternative but haven't even thought of other compression programs in 10 years, maybe because only use I can think of is compressing demos.

 

[p51d007]

I've used Directory Opus for my file manager since the XP days, but still use WinRar for zip/unzip because it is so much faster.

 

[Uncle Al]

Yep, WinRar gets my vote!

 

[Greg S]

I absolutely love 7-zip. It's really convenient and it's plenty fast enough with reasonably high compression levels.

 

[aMerkuri]

I've been using winrar for 20+ years and see no reason to switch. I remember trying other programs back in the day but all of them sucked in one way or other. Is 7-zip any good? Could switch to a open source alternative but haven't even thought of other compression programs in 10 years, maybe because only use I can think of is compressing demos.

Did you finally bought winrar?

 

[Experimentongod]

I didn't know they were still around, I used it for 4-5 years and then switched to Winrar about 16 years ago. I still have a couple of the classic "unzipped" folders where I dumped random files.

 

[VitalyT]

WinRar FTW!

 

[Axiarus]

Windows 10 handles zip files pretty nicely. No need for extra software.

 

[Thrackerzod]

Windows 10 handles zip files pretty nicely. No need for extra software.

Until you need to extract a rar or 7z file.

 

[tonylukac]

I still have it on a computer running vista. Decodes rar files and all of them. I think you use those for linux installs, but linux has a utility.

 

[ManuelV]

I remember how years ago a company bought winzip for a lot of millions when everyone was using it and one or two years later no one was using it. Haha, so funny, for the ones that bought it...

 

[Raoul Duke]

WinRAR still rules

 

[Teko03]

Not the best looking app, but it offers a touch optimized experience --- great for Windows 10 tablet users. I personally use 8-Zip when I need to manage zip/7z/rar files, when I'm using my SP4 as a tablet.

 

[Puiu]

I've been using winrar for 20+ years and see no reason to switch. I remember trying other programs back in the day but all of them sucked in one way or other. Is 7-zip any good? Could switch to a open source alternative but haven't even thought of other compression programs in 10 years, maybe because only use I can think of is compressing demos.

yes, it is currently the best performing one.
a quote from tom's hardware benchmark for 7-zip vs both winrar and winzip: "The tool not only compresses files faster than any of its competitors, but it also manages to achieve the highest compression ratio."
7-zip can also open and extract most archive types (including rar). you generally use winrar only if you want to make rar files instead of zip or 7z.

 

[OortCloud]

I've used em all over the years and 7zip does seem to be current king-of-the-hill. It supports everything I need it to, and is fast and lightweight.

 

[Rieksfier]

7zip and Winrar both have the same annoying feature...

Wasting my time to have to go download and install redundant software that has been built in to my OS for years.

 

[Puiu]

7zip and Winrar both have the same annoying feature...

Wasting my time to have to go download and install redundant software that has been built in to my OS for years.

so you can open rar, 7z, gz and other formats? if the archive isn't zip you are pretty much forced to download something. you can always just leave zip files to be opened by default with windows explorer. it only takes 1-2 minutes to download and install 7-zip.
and for developers, you absolutely need to download 7-zip, because sooner or later you'll find something that isn't a regular zip or you need to use higher compression algorithms. it can also save you tens of minutes on really big archives.