Keka

Name: Keka
Availability: InStock
Author: Aone (aonez)

Free archiver that creates 7z and zip and extracts almost anything

Price: Free

FreewareNothing to buy

Get it App Store

Checked 22 Sep 2026 on keka.io, the page Get it opens.

The catch

It creates 7z and zip but only extracts rar, and cannot edit an archive you already have

The full picture

Keka reads RAR but cannot write it, and there is no way to open an archive, swap one file and re-save — that is what paid tools like BetterZip are for. It is also not open source: the repository at github.com/aonez/Keka publishes no code and no licence file and exists, in its own words, to handle issues and host a wiki. Paying $6.49 on the App Store buys you App Store updates and a tip to the developer, nothing functional.

Replaces: BetterZip, Archiver, WinZip for Mac
Developer account: None needed

What it looks like

Keka: Keka's Preferences window on the Compression tab (General/Appearance/Compression/Extraction/File Access/Performance/Passwords/Finder Extension/Love toolbar) with default format, save location and the full checkbox list, plus the main compression drop window set to DMG with method slider, volume name, password fields and ULFO format. Caption: 'Easy to use interface with lots of customization'. — Keka's Preferences window on the Compression tab (General/Appearance/Compression/Extraction/File Access/Performance/Passwords/Finder Extension/Love toolbar) with default format, save location and the full checkbox list, plus the main compression drop window set to DMG with method slider, volume name, password fields and ULFO format. Mac App Store (itunes lookup id=470158793, screenshotUrls, upscaled to 2000x0w.png)

Keka: The 7Z compression window (method slider, split to 50 GB Blu-ray, password + repeat, encrypt filenames, solid archive, verify integrity) next to the Keka task queue window with four jobs in progress and a password prompt. Caption: 'The power of encryption and multitasking'. Note the large Keka mascot render occupying the centre of the frame. — The 7Z compression window (method slider, split to 50 GB Blu-ray, password + repeat, encrypt filenames, solid archive, verify integrity) next to the Keka task queue window with four jobs in progress and a password prompt. Mac App Store

Keka: Finder integration: a Finder window of archive files, the right-click contextual menu open on the Keka submenu (Compress here, Compress to..., Extract here, Extract to...) and Keka's Finder Extension preferences pane beside it. Caption: 'Deep Finder integration'. — Finder integration. Mac App Store

3 screenshots published by the developer on the Mac App Store.

Images belong to their developers.

What you’re buying

Keka is the archiver you install once and then stop thinking about. Drag a folder onto its Dock icon and you get a 7z or a ZIP; double-click almost anything and it comes back out — RAR, ISO, DMG, CAB, LZMA, the various TARs. Password protection with AES-256 is built in, as is splitting an archive into volumes when something has to fit under a size limit.

The money is worth being clear about. The download from keka.io is free and complete, and it is the same build as the Mac App Store copy, which costs $6.49. The developer says as much on the front page: buying from the App Store supports development and gets you updates through the App Store, and that is the whole difference. The App Store version also offers tip purchases from $0.49 to $49.99. None of them unlock anything.

Two things it will not do. It cannot create RAR archives, only read them. And it cannot open an existing archive, change one file inside and write it back — for that, BetterZip or Archiver earn their price. Also, despite appearances, the GitHub repository is an issue tracker with a wiki, not source code, and carries no licence. Keka is free, actively developed and closed.

What owners report

Points that recur across the discussions below. A report of what users say, not our verdict: we don’t review software.

Praised

When someone in these threads asks for a Mac tool that writes 7z or password-protected archives, Keka is the answer that gets seconded most often
Owners say the draw is that password protection and splitting into volumes are easy without dropping to the command line

MacRumors Forums · 23 Dec 2020ZIP utility for M1
Asked for a graphical 7z tool, three posters independently land on Keka, two of them for password-protected archives, while the rest of the thread argues Finder's Compress is enough for plain ZIP.
MacRumors Forums · 16 Feb 2022How to Password protect/encrypt file to send to someone else?
Two posters answer with Keka set to ZIP plus a password, pairing it with The Unarchiver for opening things, and the asker goes off to try it.
MacRumors Forums · 15 Jan 2025Why do 7Zip archives take up more "size on disk" than .ZIP after DECOMPRESSION?
An owner archiving project folders reports Keka's 7z coming out 10-20% smaller than Finder's ZIP; the thread digs into Mac resource forks and never fully settles the disk-size oddity.
MacRumors Forums · 24 Dec 2011What is better? Stuffit Expander or Unarchiver?
Keka turns up as the free 7z answer and collects seconds for splitting large files, and the same thread establishes that it will not let you browse an archive and pull one file out.

Details

Works offline: Yes
Apple Silicon: Native
On Setapp: No
Minimum macOS: not stated
Developer: Aone (aonez)

The Keka page at keka.io — The developer’s own page. keka.io, captured 22 Sep 2026

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