ZipGood vs macOS Archive Utility
A fact-based comparison of two macOS archiving options. Every claim below is taken from the vendor's official website or documentation, and capabilities that could not be confirmed are marked as not verified.
What each product is
Archive Utility is the archiving tool built into macOS and is used when you choose Compress in the Finder or double-click a ZIP file. Apple documents it as creating and expanding ZIP archives. It offers no encryption, no choice of output format and no split-volume support.
ZipGood is a native archive utility for macOS that compresses files into 14 output formats, extracts 25+ archive formats, and can protect supported archives with AES-256 encryption. It is distributed through the Mac App Store as a one-time purchase.
At a glance
| Property | ZipGood | macOS Archive Utility |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | macOS | macOS |
| Licence | Proprietary | Bundled with macOS |
| Price | $3.99 (one-time purchase) | Included with macOS |
| Distribution | Mac App Store | Built into macOS |
| Minimum macOS | macOS 13.0 | See official site |
| Vendor | nuanyue | Apple |
Capability comparison
Comparison information verified 2026-10-02. Values marked Not verified could not be confirmed in the vendor's official documentation and are not assertions that the capability is absent.
| Capability | ZipGood | macOS Archive Utility |
|---|---|---|
| Create archives | Yes — 14 formats | Yes — ZIP only |
| Extract archives | Yes | Limited formats |
| Open RAR archives | Yes | No |
| Create RAR archives | No | No |
| Create 7z archives | Yes | No |
| AES-256 encryption for 7z | Yes | No |
| AES-256 encryption for created ZIP archives | Yes | No |
| Encrypted DMG disk images | Yes | No |
| Create split (multi-volume) archives | 7z and ZIP | No |
| Join split archives automatically | .7z.001, .z01, .part1.rar | No |
| Create DMG and ISO disk images | Yes | No |
| macOS Finder context-menu commands | Compress, encrypt, extract | Compress only |
| Passwords stored in the macOS Keychain | Yes | No |
| Progress, speed and ETA reporting | Yes | Basic progress |
| Per-format option memory | Yes | No |
| Distributed on the Mac App Store | Yes | Built into macOS |
| Sandboxed app | Yes | System component |
| Documented as requiring no network access | Per product description | Built into macOS |
| Price | $3.99 one-time purchase | Included with macOS |
When to choose ZipGood
- You want AES-256 encryption for both 7z and ZIP archives
- You want a Mac App Store app with a "Data Not Collected" privacy disclosure
- You want the product description to state that the app has no analytics, no tracking and no network access
- You want per-format options that remember your settings between sessions
- You want compress, encrypt and extract commands in the macOS Finder context menu
When to choose macOS Archive Utility
- You only need to create or open plain ZIP archives
- You prefer to use only the tools that ship with macOS
- You do not need encryption, other formats or split volumes
How to read this comparison
Comparison tables about archiving tools are easy to get wrong, because "supports format X" usually does not distinguish between creating an archive and only reading one. This page separates those capabilities explicitly, and marks anything that could not be confirmed in the vendor's official documentation as Not verified rather than guessing.
Where a value is given as "Yes", it is stated on the vendor's official website or documentation. Where it is given as "No", the official documentation states the capability is absent. Nothing here should be read as a claim that an unverified capability is missing.
Sources
Sources
- Apple Support — Zip and unzip files on Mac Level 5
- ZipGood on the Mac App Store Level 1
- ZipGood Product Description Level 2
Product facts on this page were last verified on October 2, 2026.