RAR vs ZIP: What's the Difference on Mac?
Updated · Sanii Verma
Guide · 2 min read
ZIP is an openly documented format that macOS opens and creates on its own; RAR is RARLAB's format, which a Mac needs a separate app to open and which, in practice, only RARLAB's own tools create. RAR adds features like recovery records, but for sharing with Mac users ZIP is the format that just works.
Both formats do the same basic job: they pack many files into one, usually compressed, so they are easier to send. The differences that matter on a Mac are about who controls the format and what your Mac can do with it out of the box.
At a glance
| ZIP | RAR | |
|---|---|---|
| Who defines it | PKWARE publishes the specification (APPNOTE.TXT) | RARLAB, the maker of WinRAR, publishes a technical note on the RAR5 layout |
| Open on a Mac without extra apps | Yes — double-click, Archive Utility expands it | No — Archive Utility does not read RAR |
| Create on a Mac without extra apps | Yes — Finder's Compress command | No — creating RAR needs RARLAB's own software |
| Encryption | Traditional ZIP encryption and AES, depending on the tool | AES-256 in RAR5 |
| Encrypted file names | Not with traditional ZIP encryption: names stay readable | Optional: the whole header can be encrypted |
| Split into parts | Supported by some tools | Common: .part1.rar, .part2.rar, … |
| Recovery record (repair data) | No | Optional |
Who controls the format
ZIP's specification is published by PKWARE, and many programs write ZIP files, including macOS itself: Finder's Compress command makes one, and double-clicking one expands it.
RAR belongs to RARLAB. Its technical note describes the RAR5 archive layout, and RARLAB publishes source code for extracting RAR, but its license forbids using that code to create RAR-compatible archives. In practice, RAR files are made with WinRAR or RARLAB's command-line RAR, and every other app — on a Mac, Rar Extractor, The Unarchiver, Keka and others — can only extract them.
Compression
RAR has a reputation for packing files a little smaller than ZIP. How much smaller depends entirely on the files and the settings used, so there is no honest single number; already-compressed files such as photos, videos and most installers barely shrink in either format.
Encryption and passwords
RAR5 encrypts with AES-256, and can also encrypt the archive's header, so nobody can even list the file names without the password. ZIP has two kinds of encryption: the original "traditional" ZIP encryption, which is weak by current standards, and AES, which only some tools write. Either way, the strength of a password-protected archive depends mostly on the password.
Split archives and repair data
RAR is often split into parts for uploading or old size limits:
name.part1.rar, name.part2.rar, and so on. To extract, you need every part
in one folder and open the first. RAR can also include a recovery record,
extra data that WinRAR can use to repair a damaged archive.
Which should you use?
- Sending files to someone on a Mac: ZIP. They can open it with a double-click, and you can make it with Finder's Compress.
- You received a RAR: you just need an extractor that reads RAR; see how to open RAR files on a Mac.
Related
- Rar Extractor vs Archive Utility: Can a Mac Open RAR?
- How to Extract a Multipart RAR Archive on Mac
- How to Open RAR Files on Mac: Step-by-Step Guide