P7ZIPLinux
vs
WinAceWindows
P7ZIP as a Linux alternative to WinAce
Updated
Our verdict
P7ZIP is a solid replacement for WinAce for users who need a command‑line tool or a file‑manager integration that can handle most archive types. It can extract ACE, ZIP, RAR, and CAB archives, and it can create ZIP files, so it covers the core functions of WinAce. Users who rely on a graphical interface will need to add a GUI wrapper such as Ark or File Roller, but otherwise the workflow is comparable.
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Price
- Free
- Latest version
- 17.06
- Rating
- —
What works the same
- Both can extract ACE, ZIP, RAR, and CAB archives
- Both are available in major Linux distributions
- Both support command‑line operation
- Both preserve file permissions when extracting
- Both can be integrated into file managers via custom actions
What is different
- P7ZIP does not have a native GUI; WinAce did
- P7ZIP cannot create ACE archives, only extract them
- P7ZIP uses GPL‑2.0 license, WinAce was proprietary
- P7ZIP’s compression format is 7z, not ACE
- P7ZIP lacks built‑in support for Windows‑specific features like password‑protected archives in the same way WinAce did
Opening your WinAce files
P7ZIP can open ACE, ZIP, RAR, and CAB files created by WinAce without issues. It can also export archives in ZIP format that WinAce users expect. For files created in the proprietary ACE format, P7ZIP will only extract them; creating new ACE archives is not supported. All other common formats are fully compatible.
Switching from WinAce to P7ZIP, step by step
- Install p7zip via your distro’s package manager (apt, dnf, or zypper).
- Add a custom action in your file manager to call '7z' for extraction or compression.
- Replace WinAce command‑line calls with '7z' equivalents (e.g., '7z x file.ace' or '7z a -tzip archive.zip *').
- If you need a GUI, install Ark or File Roller and configure it to use 7z for supported formats.
- Verify that extracted files retain permissions and timestamps by checking 'ls -l' after extraction.
Key features of P7ZIP
- Create and extract 7z archives with high compression
- Supports zip, tar, gz, bz2, xz and many other formats
- Command‑line interface suitable for scripting
- Solid compression and multi‑threaded operation
- Preserves Unix file permissions and timestamps
- Available in standard repositories of Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu
- Can be called from file managers via custom actions
How to install P7ZIP on Linux
sudo apt install p7zipsudo apt install p7zip-rarsudo dnf install p7zipFrequently asked questions
Can P7ZIP create ACE archives?
No, P7ZIP can only extract ACE files. It can create ZIP, 7z, and many other formats, but ACE is not supported for creation.
Does P7ZIP support multi‑threaded compression?
Yes, 7z supports multi‑threading on modern CPUs, giving faster compression for large archives.
Will my WinAce archives work on a Linux system with P7ZIP?
All standard WinAce archives (ACE, ZIP, RAR, CAB) will open with P7ZIP without problems. Just use the '7z' command or a file‑manager action.
3 other alternatives to WinAce
File RollerFile Roller is GNOME's default archive manager for opening, creating, and editing compressed files.Open sourceFreeFlatpakFile Roller vs WinAce
PeaZipPeaZip is a free, open-source archive manager for Linux and other platforms that handles over 200 archive…Open sourceFreeFlatpakPeaZip vs WinAce
ArkArk is KDE's graphical archive manager for creating, extracting and browsing many archive formats.Open sourceFreeFlatpakArk vs WinAce