BetterZip

BetterZip is a powerful and versatile file archiver and compression utility designed specifically for macOS.

It is a popular alternative to the built-in Archive Utility, offering far greater flexibility, control, and support for a huge range of file formats.

Key Features of BetterZip

• Massive Format Support: It can open and extract files from over 30 archive formats, including all the major ones like ZIP, RAR, 7-ZIP, TAR, GZip, BZip2, ISO, SIT/SITX, and even less common ones like .winmail.dat files. It can create archives in formats like ZIP, TAR, 7-ZIP, and XAR.

• Preview and Selective Extraction: Unlike the default utility, BetterZip allows you to peek inside an archive without extracting the entire contents. You can browse the files, preview them using Quick Look, and selectively extract only the files you need.

• Modify Archives Directly: You can add, delete, rename, or update files inside an existing archive without having to extract everything, modify the file, and then re-compress it.

• Strong Data Protection: It allows you to protect your sensitive data by creating archives with strong AES-256 encryption. It also has a password manager to securely store and reuse archive passwords.

• Mac/Windows Compatibility: BetterZip can automatically strip Mac-specific files (like .DS_Store and resource forks) from archives, ensuring that files you send to Windows or Linux users look clean and behave correctly.

• Presets and Automation: You can create presets to save common compression or extraction settings (e.g., a "Zip for Email" preset with a specific encryption and destination folder). It also integrates well with macOS Finder extensions, contextual menus, and tools like Automator/AppleScript.