WinRAR has been around for decades, and for a long time it felt untouchable. It was the tool everyone used, the one that lived on almost every Windows PC. Then came 7-Zip. It was faster, open-source, and completely free. It could do almost everything WinRAR could do without those annoying “trial ended” alerts popping up again and again.
While both WinRAR and 7-Zip are still great tools in 2026, I recently came across something even better. NanaZip is forked from the 7-Zip source code, which means you get all the great features you already enjoy with 7-Zip. What sets it apart, though, is its modern interface, better integration with the Windows context menu, and automatic updates that keep everything secure.
NanaZip
- OS
- Windows
- Price model
- Free, open-source
NanaZip is an open source file archiver intended for the modern Windows experience, forked from the source code of well-known open source file archiver 7-Zip.
What makes NanaZip so good
It feels like an upgrade
NanaZip is built on top of the 7-Zip engine, which means you still get the same legendary compression and extraction performance. It can handle everything you throw at it. ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, ISO, you name it. If it’s an archive, NanaZip probably opens it.
And much like 7-Zip, NanaZip is also fully open-source and completely free. You don’t see any pop-ups asking you to buy a license or any trail countdown. So yes, there’s no guilt every time you close the app after “evaluating” it for five years.
What I really like about NanaZip, though, is its interface. It looks modern in a way most compression tools never bothered with. The UI is clean, with simple icons instead of giant, dated buttons. It honestly feels like the compression tool Microsoft would make if they ever decided to.
Why I’m choosing NanaZip over 7-Zip
A better version of what I already loved
7-Zip is the most popular WinRAR alternative out there, and personally, it was one of the first apps I installed on any PC until now. NanaZip keeps everything that made 7-Zip great and fixes the parts that never aged well.
The first thing you’ll notice is NanaZip integrates with Windows’ new right-click menu, much like WinRAR. This makes creating and extracting an archive feel instant. 7-Zip also has context menu support, but you need to click Show more options to access it.
Then there is the design. This one can be subjective, but 7-Zip’s interface doesn’t blend well with Windows 11. It’s functional, but not exactly attractive. NanaZip looks like a modern Windows tool, something that’s built for Windows 11 and not from another era.
Finally, NanaZip updates itself automatically in the background, so you don’t have to worry about running an outdated version of the app. This matters more than you might think, especially for a tool that’s used to open files from all over the internet.
Don’t get me wrong. 7-Zip is still a legendary tool, and WinRAR will always have its place in internet history. But NanaZip is the perfect blend of both. It has the power of 7-Zip, the convenience of WinRAR, and a modern feel that matches Windows.
Using NanaZip feels just like 7-Zip
Familiar, fast, and beautiful
If you have ever used 7-Zip before, you already know how to use NanaZip. That’s because both of them behave exactly the same way.
Creating an archive, extracting files, and browsing compressed folders is easy once you open NanaZip. Diving into NanaZip’s settings menu lets you customize the context menu items, so you only see the options you actually use. From there, you can open the Windows Settings app to set NanaZip as the default file extraction tool. Once you do, Windows will use NanaZip for every compressed file you open.
You can also right-click a file or folder, go to NanaZip, and choose what to do. Once you select any action, you’ll see an interface that looks just like 7-Zip.
I made the Windows 11 right-click menu make sense with one free app
My right-click menu no longer gives me decision fatigue.
NanaZip has a few limitations
None of us are perfect
As much as NanaZip, it’s not perfect. Since it’s built on top of the 7-Zip engine, it inherits a few of the same limitations. For example, it can open RAR files, but it cannot create them. This is a licensing restriction, not a technical one. Still, it is something to keep in mind before you uninstall WinRAR for good.
It also misses a few of the more advanced features like, archive repair tools or recovery records, the way WinRAR does. These are designed for very specific situations, and most people will rarely need them, but it's worth noting.
For everyday use, these limitations are easy to live with. But if you rely heavily on RAR creation or advanced recovery tools, you might still want to keep WinRAR around as a backup.
NanaZip doesn’t try to be revolutionary. It simply builds on what’s already there. I like how it keeps the raw power and simplicity that made 7-Zip so popular, while modernizing everything around it. And unless 7-Zip updates its interface to match Windows 11’s look and feel, I don’t see myself going back.