WinRAR Alternatives for Mac in 2026: Open and Make RAR Files

Short answer: WinRAR has no Mac app, but you do not need one. To open RAR files, install The Unarchiver or Keka, which are free. To create archives, Keka makes 7z, ZIP and TAR. Creating an actual RAR file is the one thing a free Mac app will not do, because it needs Rarlab's command-line tool, which BetterZip ($35) and PeaZip can drive. Send ZIP or 7z whenever the recipient allows.

What matters for WinRAR on a Mac

Most people searching this have a .rar file in hand, so the first question is whether the app opens it. The second is whether you ever need to create RAR, because that is where the options split. Then price, whether you are comfortable in Terminal, and which macOS versions the app supports.

Forum users in 2013 described the same pain: WinRAR is a Windows program, one app failed on a particular archive, and a member advised trying a different RAR tool when one fails. That advice still holds, since the apps below are free to try side by side.

According to Rarlab's download page, the WinRAR downloads are Windows installers, and the only macOS option is a command-line RAR build under a trial license. WinRAR itself has a 40-day trial and a perpetual license, per its license page.

macOS built-in tools

Before installing anything, know what Apple gives you. According to Apple's help page, Control-click a file or folder in Finder and choose Compress to get a .zip, and double-click a .zip to open it.

Apple lists no RAR support there. So Finder covers ZIP in both directions, and anything else needs an app.

The Unarchiver

The Unarchiver is a free Mac app for opening archives. According to its site, it is free with no in-app purchases, requires macOS 10.13 or later, and handles Zip, Zipx, RAR, 7z, Tar, Gzip, Bzip2, LZMA/XZ, CAB, MSI, ISO and split files.

The site describes opening and extracting only, and does not say it creates archives. It is the right install if your whole job is "open this .rar". Skip it if you also want to compress files, since you would need a second app.

Keka

Keka is a free Mac archiver that extracts RAR and creates other formats. According to Keka's site, it creates 7Z, ZIP, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, XZ, LZIP, DMG, ISO, BROTLI, ZSTD, LRZIP, AAR and WIM files, and extracts many more including RAR. RAR creation is not supported.

The direct download is free with optional tips, and buying the Mac App Store version supports development. The direct download supports Mac OS X 10.10 and later.

Choose Keka if you want one free app for both directions. It cannot produce a RAR file.

BetterZip

BetterZip is a paid archive manager. According to its site, it costs $35, with a 30-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, and it supports over 30 formats.

On RAR, the site is specific: BetterZip creates RAR archives only through the external command-line utility, RAR. That means installing Rarlab's tool alongside it. A 2013 forum member called it worth the price.

Pick it if you handle archives daily or need a graphical way to make RAR. If you only open files, it is more than you need.

PeaZip

PeaZip is a free, open-source archiver that runs on macOS. According to the PeaZip site, it supports Apple silicon and Intel Macs, is LGPLv3, is free for private and professional use, and opens over 200 formats. Creation covers 7Z, ZIP, TAR and Zstandard.

For RAR, the page says compression works only if WinRAR is installed. It opens over 200 formats.

It suits people who also use Windows or Linux and want the same archiver everywhere.

Rarlab's command-line RAR

If you need a real RAR file, Rarlab's download page offers RAR for macOS as a command-line tool, version 7.30 beta 1 for ARM64 at the time of reading, under a trial license. It has no graphical interface.

Use it from Terminal, or let BetterZip or PeaZip call it. It fits scripts and one-off needs from people who already use Terminal.

Other options

7-Zip's download page lists a macOS console version for arm64 and x86-64 in release 26.05, with no graphical app mentioned. Bandizip for Mac is paid, per its Mac page: it compresses ZIP, 7Z, ZIPX, TAR, TGZ and GZ, with no RAR creation stated.

Comparison

How to choose

You just got a .rar file. Install The Unarchiver and double-click it. If it fails on that archive, try Keka, as forum members advised in 2013.

You send files to Windows users. Use Keka to make ZIP or 7z, which Windows opens with common tools. Only make RAR if someone explicitly asks.

You must deliver RAR. Install Rarlab's tool and use it from Terminal, or buy BetterZip for a graphical front end.

For wider context, see the free zip extractor guide, free file compression software and free virtual machine software if you would rather run Windows apps.