Some are dated, while some require you to pay. That’s why there are plenty of third-party apps available on the Internet that claim to be able to do that. Unlike other archive files, for example, a ZIP archive can be directly created or extracted by using the default function on Mac, a RAR file can only be opened using third-party software…which, unfortunately, Apple has not built into the Archive Utility, yet. They are also easier to split or to recover once corrupted than other alternatives like ZIP or 7Zip files. With a RAR, it’s much easier to store on removable media or transferred over the Internet.Īccording to this comparison image provided by Compression Ratings, RAR files achieve much higher compression, especially on multimedia files. Why use RAR? Because it reduces the size of your files and folders while keeping all the content 100% intact. rar file is like a big data container that holds a set of individual files and folders inside. RAR is a compressed file short for Roshal Archive. Free RAR Extractor Apps That Work on Mac.StuffIt serves its purpose, but we can think of bunches of other programs we'd rather use. StuffIt does the basic job of file compression/decompression well, but without much panache, and all in all, the whole program left us strangely unsatisfied. Mainly, we were unconvinced that this program can do many things a free program like PeaZip or 7-Zip can't, and confused by the uncertainty regarding what the standard version of the program actually offers. StuffIt's also packed full of configuration options, so if you want to tweak any of the options, you'll have plenty of scope for personalization.

You can also schedule operations and use the app as a file explorer. We have to admit that the actual StuffIt creation process is quick and painless, and that the initial time estimation drops quickly as the process progresses.Īs well as creating compressed files, StuffIt lets you open and extract previously-created files, convert from a specific variety of formats and make self-extracting files. They don't introduce unnecessary complications, and within a few minutes you should have some nicely compressed files, ready for storage or further actions. These let you easily create basic compressed files in a number of steps. The best place to start when using Stuffit is the Wizards. Under them, there are some quick buttons, and beneath that, tabs giving you quick access to the rest of the program. The interface is divided into three parts, starting with the standard File, Edit, View options. It's an old-fashioned looking program, with a mess of buttons and options that makes it hard to know where to start. On first glance, StuffIt doesn't seem to promise much.

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