| TAR | ZIP | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| Metadata | - | - |
| Open / royalty-free | ✓ | ✓ |
| Defined by | - | - |
| Since | - | 1989 |
| Best for | Unix and Linux tooling | sending several files to anyone |
TAR
Unix bundle of files, uncompressed on its own.
ZIP
The archive everyone can open without installing anything.
Questions
TAR or ZIP: which is smaller?
It depends on the content; see our measured benchmarks on the conversion pages.
Can I convert TAR to ZIP?
Yes, in your browser, nothing uploaded.
And ZIP to TAR?
Yes, as well.