Format Comparison
Compression Format Comparison Format Compression Ratio Speed (Compression/Decompression) Encryption Speciality/Uniqueness Open Source/ License gz (.gz) Moderate Fast / Fast No native (use gpg) Widely supported and fast for most general uses. YesGNU GPL bzip2 (.bz2) Better than gzip Slow / Moderate No native (use gpg) Higher compression ratio and robust error detection. YesBSD xz (.xz) Best Very slow / Fast No native (use gpg) Highest compression ratio; slow compression speed. YesGNU GPL zip (.zip) Moderate Fast / Fast Built-in encryption Commonly used with built-in encryption and wide software support. YesVarious (Info-ZIP) tar (.tar) Depends on method Fast (archive only) / Fast (archive only) No native (use gpg) Primarily used for archiving; compression depends on additional tools. YesGNU GPL 7z (.7z) Excellent Moderate / Slow at high settings AES-256 encryption Excellent compression with advanced encryption options. YesLGPL rar (.rar) Good Moderate / Moderate AES-256 encryption Includes error recovery and strong encryption; proprietary format. NoProprietary lzma (.lzma) Very high Very slow / Moderate No native (use gpg) High compression ratio with reliable decompression; requires separate decompressor. YesGNU GPL Key Points gz (.gz): Well-rounded for speed and compatibility, commonly used for general purposes. bzip2 (.bz2): Provides a higher compression ratio compared to gzip, though slower. xz (.xz): Offers the best compression ratio but at the cost of slower compression speed. zip (.zip): Convenient with built-in encryption and broad compatibility. tar (.tar): Primarily an archiving format; often used in combination with other compression methods. 7z (.7z): Excellent compression and strong encryption; requires specific software for full support. rar (.rar): Known for robust recovery features and encryption, but is proprietary. lzma (.lzma): Delivers a high compression ratio and reliable decompression, though it’s slow.