The popular compression utility WinZip is moving to the cloud. The company has launched ZipShare, an online file compression, management, encryption, and sharing service, which works with major cloud storage platforms including Google Drive, Box, SugarSync, Dropbox, OneDrive, HighTail, and CloudMe.
The new service, which is currently in its beta phase, lets you upload one or more files from your computer or any of the supported cloud storage services, zipping it during the process. You can then share the compressed file via email or to social networks like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. You can also optionally choose to add password protection before sharing it.
The recipients are offered a URL through which they can download the zipped file. You can use ZipShare to track the delivery of a download, as it provides the time the file was accessed. Not only this, you can also use it to manage files across your preferred cloud services, which means that you can perform operations like delete, move, and more, right from within ZipShare.
ZipShare is not aiming to compete with existing cloud storage services, rather it's like a plugin which can help you save storage space on your preferred provider. While it already supports most of the popular cloud storage services, support for many others is in the works.
There's a free subscription plan with unlimited use (up to 50MB per zipped file) during beta. You can also opt for a paid subscription at $39.95/year or $9.95/month.