file compression program · Tino Reichardt

7-Zip ZS

Free, open-source build of 7-Zip that adds Zstandard, Brotli, LZ4 and other codecs.

81/100

#5 of 10 file compression programs
Facts checked 9 Oct 2026

In short

Free and open source; most of the code is under LGPL v2.1 or later¹.
AES-256 encryption is the default 7-Zip method, and header encryption hides file names¹.
Adds Zstandard, Brotli, LZ4, LZ5, Lizard and Fast LZMA2 codecs to 7-Zip¹.
Release 26.02 (July 2026) ships x64, x86 and ARM64 Windows installers^3,4.
Linux builds come as zip downloads; no macOS build appears in the release files⁴.

7-Zip ZS suits people who want the free 7-Zip tool with Zstandard and other newer codecs¹. It encrypts with AES-256 and can hide file names¹. It has an ARM64 Windows build⁴. The catch: the project's pages say nothing about split volumes or repair data^1,2, and its README says the fork will currently not be included in mainline 7-Zip¹.

Best for: People who want 7-Zip plus newer codecs such as Zstandard.

Where the points come from

Formats18 of 20

Protection24 of 29

Tools13 of 22

Systems6 of 9

Price20 of 20

Formats 18 of 20 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Archive types you can create	ZIP, 7z, TAR, GZIP, ZstandardREADME names 7z and Zstandard creation; ZIP, TAR and GZIP come from upstream 7-Zip's pack list, which this fork builds on^1,5.	10 / 12
Archive types you can open	RAR, 7z, ISO, CABREADME lists RAR decoding plus 7z, CAB and ISO codecs; upstream 7-Zip lists RAR, ISO and CAB as unpack-only^1,5.	8 / 8

Protection 24 of 29 points

Rule	What is published	Points
AES-256 encryption	YesREADME: 7zAES is the default, AES-256 in CBC mode with SHA-256 key derivation¹.	12 / 12
Hides file names	YesREADME names header encryption with the -mhe=on switch¹.	7 / 7
Repair of damaged archives	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's README or readme.txt^1,2.	0 / 5
Open source	YesSame licence as mainline 7-Zip, mostly GNU LGPL v2.1 or later; source is on GitHub^1,2.	5 / 5

Tools 13 of 22 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Split into volumes	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's README or readme.txt^1,2.	0 / 6
Self-extracting archives	Yesreadme.txt lists 7z self-extracting modules (7z.sfx, 7zCon.sfx) in the package².	3 / 3
Command line	YesREADME shows 7z command examples; readme.txt lists 7z.exe as the console version^1,2.	5 / 5
File Explorer menu	YesThe full setup adds a modified Explorer context menu; readme.txt lists the shell extension^1,2.	5 / 5
Portable version	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's release page; assets are installers, codec packs and Linux builds, no portable package^3,4.	0 / 3

Systems 6 of 9 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Systems	LinuxRelease files include Linux zip builds for x64 and arm64; no macOS build is listed⁴.	3 / 6
Windows on ARM	YesRelease 26.02 R2 includes 7z26.02-zstd-arm64.exe⁴.	3 / 3

Price 20 of 20 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Free to use without a time limit	YesOpen source under the same licence as mainline 7-Zip, mostly GNU LGPL v2.1 or later¹.	8 / 8
Cost for the first year	$0Free and open source; AES-256 is in the free build¹.	12 / 12

The rule behind each line: how we score file compression programs.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

Plan	Price as listed	Per month	Notes
Free1 person	Free^1,4	$0	Open source; installer or codec plugin

Strengths

Free to use, with source code public under LGPL v2.1 or later¹.
AES-256 encryption plus an option to encrypt file names¹.
Native ARM64 Windows installer in the latest release⁴.
Command line, Explorer context menu and self-extracting modules are part of the project^1,2.

Limits

RAR archives can be opened but not created^1,5.
The project's pages do not document split volumes or recovery data^1,2.
No macOS download appears in the latest release files⁴.
The README says the fork will currently not be included in mainline 7-Zip¹.

Other file compression programs

1
PeaZipPeople who want a free archiver with file-name encryption and many formats
95/100
$0cost for the first year
2
7-ZipPeople who want a free, open-source archiver with strong encryption
91/100
$0cost for the first year
3
NanaZipWindows 11 users who want 7-Zip's features with a File Explorer menu
87/100
$0cost for the first year
4
BandizipPeople who want a free Windows archiver with an Explorer menu
83/100
$0cost for the first year

All 10 file compression programs

Sources

mcmilk/7-Zip-zstd README, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
7-Zip ZS DOC/readme.txt, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
7-Zip ZS releases, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Latest release data for mcmilk/7-Zip-zstd, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
7-Zip, 7-Zip. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.

Website: github.com/mcmilk/7-Zip-zstd · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Tino Reichardt.