ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, ISO, DMG, CAB, JAR, and 30+ more.
It operates on a traditional paid license model, costing $24.95 for a single-user license. It offers a 30-day free trial but requires a significant upfront financial commitment compared to Keka. 6. Which One Should You Choose? Choose BetterZip if:
Keka shines by natively supporting compression into highly efficient formats like 7Z and RAR (via external binaries), alongside standard ZIP and TAR. BetterZip also supports these formats but adds deep integration for specialized workflows, including the ability to manipulate archives created on Windows or Linux without character encoding issues (preventing the dreaded "corrupted filename" bug). Advanced Features and Customization
You want a simple, lightweight archiver that works instantly via drag-and-drop.
Supports AES-256 encryption for ZIP and 7z files. Setting a password is easy (a single field). However, Keka does not support encrypting file names inside a 7z archive (a serious privacy flaw). Anyone opening an encrypted 7z file from Keka can see the file names without the password; they just can't open the contents. betterzip vs keka
Keka is free to use. You can download it directly from their website. However, to support development, they ask for a small fee (typically $4.50) via the Mac App Store. The free version is fully functional, has no ads, and no time limits. The App Store version is essentially a donation.
If you'd like to narrow down which archiver fits your specific workflow, let me know:
Both apps can open almost anything you throw at them, including standard formats like ZIP, 7Z, TAR, GZ, and BZ2. Crucially for Mac users, both flawlessly extract archives. Creation (Archiving)
Both apps offer free trials (Keka is literally free; BetterZip has a 15-day trial). Download both. Try to modify an archive in Keka (you can't), then try it in BetterZip. That single test will tell you everything you need to know. ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, ISO, DMG,
Creates password-protected archives with strong AES-256 encryption.
Honestly, none. Keka has a "Compress to..." context menu option, and it supports password-protected ZIPs, but that's standard.
Both applications handle standard formats like ZIP, 7z, and TAR with ease. However, their capabilities diverge slightly when dealing with proprietary or less common formats. Feature / Format
Both applications handle almost any format you throw at them, but there are subtle differences in their capabilities. Feature / Format BetterZip also supports these formats but adds deep
If you want to dive deeper into either tool, let me know if you would like to explore in BetterZip or how to configure Keka to automatically delete source files after extraction. Share public link
BetterZip wins for reliability and support.
Like BetterZip, Keka can strip away hidden Mac system files (like .DS_Store ), ensuring that Windows users don't see messy, broken system folders when opening your ZIP files. 5. Pricing and Licensing