CabPack
CabPack: Open-Source Compression Alternative
CabPack is an open-source alternative to WinZip and WinRAR for compressing and decompressing files in Windows. It supports common compression formats like ZIP, RAR, 7Z, and more.
What is CabPack?
CabPack is a free, open-source file archiver for Windows that can create and extract archives in various formats including ZIP, RAR, 7Z, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ISO, and more. It provides an easy-to-use interface for compressing and decompressing files to save disk space or bundle multiple files together.
Key features of CabPack include:
- Intuitive explorer-style interface
- Support for drag-and-drop of files/folders
- Password protection of archives
- Compression ratio and dictionary size options
- Integration with Windows File Explorer context menu
- Lightweight and customizable user interface
- Multi-core CPU support for faster compression
CabPack is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0. It runs on Windows 7 or later versions. The project is hosted on GitHub and accepts contributions from developers.
Overall, CabPack is a great open-source alternative for basic file archiving needs on Windows. It may lack some advanced features of proprietary software like WinRAR or WinZip but provides a simple free option for compressing and uncompressing files and folders.
CabPack Features
Features
- Open source alternative to WinZip/WinRAR
- Supports ZIP, RAR, 7Z and other compression formats
- Compress and decompress files
- Integrates with Windows Explorer context menu
- Drag and drop support
- Create self-extracting archives
- Encrypt archives with passwords
- Split large archives into volumes
- Command line interface
Pricing
- Open Source
Pros
Cons
Reviews & Ratings
Login to Review12 reviews
Rating Breakdown
Recent Reviews
Avery Moore
Mar 13, 2026A Solid, No-Fuss Open-Source Compression Tool
CabPack has completely replaced WinRAR on my machine. It handles all the common formats I need—ZIP, RAR, 7Z—without any fuss, and the interface is clean and intuitive. The fact that it's free and open-source is just the icing on the …
Reese White
Mar 11, 2026A decent free alternative, but could use some polish
CabPack does the job for basic file compression and extraction, supporting all the major formats I need. However, its interface feels a bit dated and clunky compared to more established tools, and I had a couple of crashes when handling …
Olivia Garcia
Mar 11, 2026A decent free option with some rough edges
As an open-source alternative to WinZip, CabPack handles basic ZIP and RAR files just fine, and you can't beat the price. However, the interface feels dated and clunky compared to modern competitors, and I occasionally ran into minor performance hiccups …
Michael White
Mar 10, 2026Buggy and Frustrating to Use
I wanted to like this free alternative, but CabPack is just too unreliable. It frequently crashes when trying to open larger RAR files, and the interface feels clunky and unintuitive. For basic tasks, it's okay, but for anything serious, it's …
Quinn Johnson
Mar 09, 2026Buggy and frustrating free alternative
I tried CabPack hoping to save some money, but it's been a headache. It frequently crashes when extracting large RAR files, and the interface feels clunky compared to WinRAR. For basic ZIP files it works okay, but anything more complex …
Rating Distribution
The Best CabPack Alternatives
View all CabPack alternatives with detailed comparison →
Top File Management and Compression and other similar apps like CabPack
Here are some alternatives to CabPack:
Suggest an alternative ❐
Keka
WinZip
PeaZip
Bandizip
IZArc
File Roller
Xarchiver
7-Zip
BetterZip
FreeArc
P7zip
WinRAR
7-ZIP SFX Maker
