WinZip

Extracting files is almost taken for granted these days since there are quite a few programs that handle the task. WinZip is definitely one of the most popular tools for the job, but you will have to pay for it after the trial period expires.

The Pro Edition enables some extra features, such as previewing the contents of a zip file, advanced backup options and direct sharing capabilities. An optional add-on when buying a license is an Upgrade Assurance subscription, which is charged once per year.

Cloud connectivity and file support

What WinZip excels at is dealing with cloud files. It makes it easier to grab files from your accounts or to move them between different services. The file support is otherwise great and you can expect to open just about any archive file.

Interface and conversion tools

When you open its user interface, you are presented with an empty archive, and you can use the menu at the left to add new files. The right pane presents all available options you can use to customize the zip file. For example, files can be encrypted using several encryption methods and watermarks can be added to picture files.

It also makes it easy to convert all pictures into a single format, to scale them to a certain resolution, or to convert numerous file formats into PDF. Finally, you can remove private information from files you add to the zip file.

System integration and automation

The installation will self-implement an entry in the right-click menu of Windows Explorer, so that you can easily create and extract archives. Another useful feature is the Self-Extracting EXE, which creates an executable file that extracts itself automatically when run.