A good file compression and decompression utility is a must-have for most computer users. The problem is that the best compression/decompression utilities are not free, and many of the free ones are far too complicated and difficult to use.

Enter PeaZip.

The first and perhaps most important feature you’ll notice about PeaZip is a simple, intuitive interface. A graphical file explorer in the right pane of the interface lets you easily choose the files you want to work with. You can then either right-click and choose compress or decompress, or choose the action you want to perform from the mail toolbar at the top of the window.

PeaZip compresses and decompresses files quickly and offers an easy-to-use process for users who simply want to create or open ZIP files and other file formats.

For users who want more advanced features, PeaZip also allows you to set passwords and encrypt files, so that just anyone can’t open your compressed files. This can be especially useful when sending sensitive files to another party as a compressed file.

You can also set various compression variables using PeaZip, which is great for those who know what they’re doing and want to change a specific variable or several variables.

Some files are too large for email or for a chosen medium, such as CD, even when compressed. With PeaZip you can split files to fit them onto a CD or email them. You can of course then join split files with PeaZip. The surprising feature in PeaZip related to split files is that you can view the checksum file, as well.

PeaZip is easy to use, supports most compression formats, and integrates well with Windows Explorer. It’s great for the casual users, and its advanced features are quite impressive. The only real downside to PeaZip is that it does not support creating RAR files.