For the uninitiated, file compression utilities can be fairly confusing due to a bewildering number of file formats out there, many of which are only supported by specific applications. For the power-users among us, a compression tool must also carry advanced settings to tweak every little detail. Most people used to employ file compression tools on computers, but since the advent of powerful smartphones, the task has become common on mobile devices as well. Finding a good file compression app, however, can be a confusing task unless the app is from an authoritative developer. The free RAR for Android from RARLAB – the team behind WinRAR – aims to help.

The app is designed to let you create RAR and ZIP files – two of the most popular archive formats – in addition to repairing damaged items. You can also extract existing RAR, ZIP, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, 7z, ISO, ARJ archives. RAR for Android is also designed to utilities multiple CPU cores of modern devices to speed things up.

The simple and functional interface of the app makes it intuitive for beginners and advanced users alike. The integrated file explorer displays the list of items stored on your phone’s internal or external storage, and lets you extract archives in a snap. You can select multiple archives at a time and extract them in the same location, a particular directory or a new folder, delete, copy and paste. Users can also extract and archive files in batch to save their time.

  

When it comes to archiving options, the app comes packaged with many basic and advanced settings. Not only can you choose the archive type, set a password and create solid archives, but also specify compression type, how many parts to split the file into as well as custom size of the archive. There’s an Options tab under Archiving options where you can toggle a variety of additional parameters to fit your needs, including:

The tool also lets you save profile presets of selected archiving options for later use.

  

For file extraction, you can specify the destination path and choose whether to overwrite existing items upon unzipping or unrarring the files.

Another nifty feature is that you can add frequently used items to favorites to quickly access them later on. To do that, you can make use of the slide-out navigation bar, which can be viewed by swiping in from the left edge of the screen.

  

Overall, a well-crafted archiving tool with a respectable amount of customization options and additional features. You can download the app for free from the link provided below.

Install RAR for Android from Play Store