BetterZip
A document-based archive manager for macOS that lets you open an archive, browse its contents, add or remove files, and save changes back without the extract-and-repack cycle typical of basic unzip tools.
Everyday archive work on Mac
BetterZip treats each open archive like a file you edit: in Normal Mode you add, rename, reorder, or delete entries and nothing hits disk until you save; Direct Mode rewrites immediately for large archives where staging copies would waste space. Icon, column, outline, and flat list views help you navigate dense ZIPs, comic-book CBZ/CBR sets, or nested folder trees the way Finder would. A built-in preview and full-screen image viewer show contents without extracting everything to a temp folder first.
Creation and extraction cover more than 30 formats—ZIP, 7-ZIP, TAR variants, DMG, RAR (via external helper), ePub, Java JAR/WAR, ISO, and others—with presets that bundle destination, format, encryption, filters, renaming rules, conflict policy, and optional post-processing scripts or Shortcuts. Collect Mode builds archives by copying items from Finder or other apps; standard paste adds Finder-copied files into the current archive folder.
Integration and automation
Finder gets a contextual-menu submenu and toolbar button for preset-driven compress or extract; a Share extension compresses from other apps, and a Spotlight importer indexes filenames inside supported archives. BetterZip 6 adds Shortcuts actions and App Intents, a CLI helper, AppleScript, and hooks for Alfred, LaunchBar, Hazel, and BetterTouchTool. AES-256 encryption and an encrypted password vault protect sensitive archives; hash create/compare supports integrity checks.
Licensing and platform
BetterZip requires macOS 13.5 Ventura or later. A 30-day full-featured trial is available; a one-time license is roughly $35 with no subscription. A free Quick Look extension previews archives in Finder regardless of license.
Version 6.0.2 (Jul 27, 2026) is a polish and bug-fix release: sidebar and settings improvements plus fixes for Finder extension icon stamping on external drives, archive save timestamps, favorites scanning, and paths containing asterisks.
