The Unarchiver
Free macOS app that extracts RAR, ZIP, 7z and dozens of other formats
- #6 of 10 in best file archivers
- Free
- Free to use
- macOS
Ranked 6 of 10 in best file archivers
A free extractor for Mac that opens RAR and dozens of other formats, including RPM and DEB packages. It only extracts archives, so use Keka when you need to create them.
Best for Mac users who mainly open archives sent to them
About The Unarchiver
The Unarchiver is a macOS app that extracts archives in dozens of formats, and RAR is one of its best-known capabilities. The vendor says it supports more formats than the archive tool built into macOS. The site lists version 4.3.9, from March 2025, as the latest release, and the app needs macOS 10.13 or later.
The app is free, and the vendor says it always will be. It only extracts archives and does not create them, so people who need to make archives need another tool. The site also promotes Xee 3, an image browser, and an iPhone and iPad app for handling archives, which are separate products.
Key features
- Extracts RAR, ZIP, 7z and TAR
- Handles RPM and DEB packages
- Free on macOS 10.13 or later
Strengths
- Free for Mac, and the vendor says it will stay free
- Opens RAR and dozens of other formats
Limits
- Extracts archives but does not create them
- Runs on macOS only
Where The Unarchiver ranks
How The Unarchiver compares
| Product | Score | Price | Platforms | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
#4 NanaZip | 85.5 | Free and open source | Windows | Same family as 7-Zip |
#5 WinRAR | 84.5 | Paid | Windows | RAR, ZIP and many others |
| #6The Unarchiver | 83.0 | Free | macOS | RAR, ZIP, 7z, TAR, RPM, DEB |
#7 Ark | 80.5 | Free and open source | Linux | gzip, bzip2, zip, rar, 7z |
#8 Xarchiver | 80.0 | Free and open source | Linux | All common archive formats |
The full comparison table for best file archivers has all 10 products.
Alternatives to The Unarchiver
All 9 alternatives
Questions about The Unarchiver
- Is The Unarchiver free?
- The Unarchiver can be used without paying: Free for Mac; the vendor says it will stay free. Check the vendor’s pricing page for current limits.
- Is The Unarchiver open source?
- No. The Unarchiver is proprietary software; its source code is not public.
- Which platforms does The Unarchiver support?
- The Unarchiver is available on: macOS.
- What is The Unarchiver best for?
- Mac users who mainly open archives sent to them. In our ranking of file archivers it is number 6 of 10 with a score of 83.0.
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