When in need of a free file compression software tool, Ashampoo ZIP 2017 may be an interesting option to consider. Being an Ashampoo tool is already a guarantee of reliability, and its support for more than 30 well-known and widely used archive formats is proof of its flexibility. It comes with interesting tools to edit, repair, or encrypt mainly ZIP archives.
The name says it all – this is a tool designed for ZIP archives. It is true that the program can create archives in other common formats (such as 7-Zip, CAB, or TAR) and extract many more different types of archives (RAR, ARJ, ACE, DMG, and ISO, to name but a few), but most if not all of the most interesting tools provided can only be used with ZIP files. Remember, however, that this is a 100% free tool and that beggars can’t be choosers – I think it’s important to point out though the limited functionality is available for other archive types and the fact that the program hasn’t been updated since 2017 (hence also the name).
Having said that and despite its limited range, Ashampoo ZIP 2017 may easily be the only file compression tool many users will ever need to cover their daily archive needs. To be honest, most of the archives we receive and sent are in the ZIP format, and RAR files (probably the second most common archive type) can be easily extracted using this tool and can only be created by purchasing a WinRAR license anyway, so none of those limitations are actually that limiting.
As a compensation, this free archive utility offers a fast ZIP engine, 256-bit AES encryption, integration with numerous cloud services, support for multi-volume ZIP files, a Multi Extract Tool, an SFX Wizard to create self-extracting archives, and a number of other interesting features and functions that will surely serve the needs of any home user. Some of these tools were only available in the so-called Full Version, which is now made available to all users completely free of charge.
