PeaZipLinux
vs
WinAceWindows
PeaZip as a Linux alternative to WinAce
Updated
Our verdict
PeaZip is a solid replacement for WinAce, especially for users who need to extract ACE archives and work with ZIP, RAR, and CAB files. It offers both a GUI and command-line capabilities via scripting, supports open-source licensing, and integrates well with Linux desktop environments. While it doesn’t use native Linux tools under the hood, it wraps established backends like p7zip and Zstd. Ideal for users wanting a single tool for multiple formats and extra features like encryption and duplicate detection.
- License
- LGPL-3.0-only
- Price
- Free
- Latest version
- 11.4.0 (October 17, 2026)
- Rating
- —
What works the same
- Supports ACE, ZIP, RAR, and CAB archive formats for extraction
- Provides both GUI and CLI access (via script export)
- Free and open-source under LGPL-3.0-only
- Allows creation and extraction of ZIP archives
- Integrates with file managers through desktop actions
What is different
- PeaZip is cross-platform; WinAce was Windows-only
- PeaZip does not natively create ACE archives (only extract them)
- WinAce had direct shell integration in Windows; PeaZip relies on desktop menu entries
- PeaZip includes advanced features like duplicate file finder and format conversion
- Command-line use in PeaZip requires exporting GUI tasks, not direct CLI control
Opening your WinAce files
PeaZip can extract ACE archives using the included unace utility, which is required for this format. However, creating ACE files is not supported due to licensing and lack of open-source tools for ACE compression. For ZIP, RAR, and CAB files, PeaZip offers full read and write support. Users migrating from WinAce can open their old ACE archives without issue, but should plan to transition to open formats like 7Z or ZIP for new archives.
Switching from WinAce to PeaZip, step by step
- Install PeaZip via your distro's package manager or Flathub
- Ensure unace is installed (may be non-free; check your repo)
- Use the GUI to open and extract existing ACE, ZIP, RAR, or CAB files
- Create new archives in ZIP or 7Z instead of ACE
- Export frequent tasks as CLI scripts using the scripting engine
- Set up file manager context menu integration via PeaZip settings
Key features of PeaZip
- Supports over 200 archive formats, including 7Z, RAR, ZIP, TAR, XZ, ZPAQ, Zstd, and PEA
- Integrated file manager with tabs, bookmarks, and search
- Built-in viewers for text, hex, and images
- Archive encryption with optional two-factor authentication
- Duplicate file finder and content filtering
- Convert between archive formats without extraction
- Scripting engine to export GUI tasks as CLI commands
- Cross-platform: works on Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD
How to install PeaZip on Linux
flatpak install flathub io.github.peazip.PeaZipsudo dnf install peazipsudo pacman -S peazipsudo zypper install peazipFrequently asked questions
Can PeaZip create ACE archives?
No. Due to lack of open-source tools for ACE compression and licensing restrictions, PeaZip only supports extracting ACE files, not creating them.
Is PeaZip available in all major Linux distributions?
Yes. It's packaged in Arch, Fedora, openSUSE, and available via Flathub, making it accessible across most desktop Linux systems.
Does PeaZip support password-protected RAR files?
Yes. PeaZip can open and extract password-protected RAR archives using the p7zip backend, as long as the RAR version is supported.
3 other alternatives to WinAce
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P7ZIPp7zip is the Linux command‑line port of the 7‑Zip archiver, supporting 7z and many other formats.Open sourceFreeP7ZIP vs WinAce
ArkArk is KDE's graphical archive manager for creating, extracting and browsing many archive formats.Open sourceFreeFlatpakArk vs WinAce