FreeArc is a modern general-purpose archiver. Main advantage of FreeArc is fast but efficient compression and rich set of features. FreeArc works 1.5?3 times faster than best compression programs. Includes LZMA, PPMD, TrueAudio and generic Multimedia compression algorithms with automatic switching by file type. Filters that further improve compression: REP (finds repetitions at the distances up to 1gb), DICT (dictionary replacements for texts), DELTA (improves compression of tables in binary data), BCJ (executables preproccesor) and LZP (removes repetitions in texts). Last version also can make ZIP and 7Z archives.
Overall, 11 compression algorithms and filters are included (compared to 4 in 7-zip and 7 in RAR) and this number still grows. Ability to create SFX (self-extracted) archives and installers.
Advantages: * Free, open-source, with console and GUI versions for both Windows and Linux * Special compression algorithms are used in fast compression modes (GRZIP for texts and Tornado for binary data) * Smart file sorting that groups similar files together and fully customizable sorting order (see below) further improve compression * Typically, FreeArc works 1.5-3 times faster than best programs in each compression class (ccm, 7-zip, rar, uharc -mz, pkzip) while retaining the same compression ratio; from technical grounds, it?s superior to any existing practical compressor * Moreover, you can use any external program as compressor or filter as easy as internal ones, with Precomp, ECM, CCM(x), PPMonstr, Durilca, LPAQ, UDA and PAQ are already preconfigured in arc.ini as shipped * You can fine-tune settings for each compression algorithm, and which compression algorithms are used for each type of files; you can create new compression profiles and modify existing ones; use -dic$ option in order to see all details of compression used
