Introduction:

WinRAR is a very strong archiver and archive manager, which is lightweight, flexible, and easy-to-use. It can unpack most of the archive formats out there and gives the user an option to compress to both RAR and ZIP formats.

Pros:

- WinRAR's interface is very simple and user friendly and no prior instructions are required before using the software.
- There are various options through which an operation can be started. A user can simply drag and drop the required file into the interface or browse through the Folder Tree side panel.
- All the major functions - Add files to, Extract, Test, Delete, and Repair - are displayed right at the top of the interface.
- There are drop-down menus as well. These menus have advanced options like self-extracting archives, archive locking, benchmarking, and auto deletion of temp files.
- There are a number of themes/skins which can be selected. They can be downloaded from the official WinRAR website - http://www.rarlabs.com/.
- The conversion process is very speedy.
- It is by far the most commonly used archiving software. The file size is only 1.68 MB.
- The un-installation process is totally clean; no files and folders are left behind.

Cons:
 
- WinRAR uses a significant chunk of computer’s ram.
- The paid license is for a single user.
- The paid version is not robust, it can be easily cracked.
- It is incompatible with Windows 8.


System Requirements:

This software can be downloaded on any Windows operated system - Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/2003/Vista/Server 2008/7. It does not accompany any spyware and malware and the installation and download process is very simple.

Paid versions:

This software is not free for an unlimited period of time. The publisher gives a 40 day free trial period after which a user has to upgrade by paying $29.00.