7-Zip vs. BitLocker Drive Encryption

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
7-Zip
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
7-Zip is a file archiving tool free and open source under the GNU LGPL license, which features strong AES-256 encryption in 7z and ZIP formats, self-extracting capability for 7z format, and localizations for 87 languages. It is available for Windows.
$0
BitLocker
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft's BitLocker is an endpoint encryption option.
$100
One Time Fee
Pricing
7-ZipBitLocker Drive Encryption
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Windows 10 Home
$100.00
One Time Fee
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
7-ZipBitLocker
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
7-ZipBitLocker Drive Encryption
Best Alternatives
7-ZipBitLocker Drive Encryption
Small Businesses
Cove Data Protection
Cove Data Protection
Score 9.8 out of 10
Bitdefender GravityZone
Bitdefender GravityZone
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Cove Data Protection
Cove Data Protection
Score 9.8 out of 10
Symantec Encryption
Symantec Encryption
Score 9.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Microsoft Exchange
Microsoft Exchange
Score 9.1 out of 10
Trellix Complete Data Protection
Trellix Complete Data Protection
Score 8.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
7-ZipBitLocker Drive Encryption
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(10 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
7-ZipBitLocker Drive Encryption
Likelihood to Recommend
Open Source
Support a wide range of languages .
Fast for preview zipped files.
Very good compress ratio in 7z format.
Old style interface, but quick and easy to learn.
Command line version with parameter switches for batch scripts.
In advance settings the amount of concurrent threads can be decided by the user.
Free of charge without advertisement, bloatware o potentially unwanted program.
A bit slow and cpu consuming when there are a lot of heavy files
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Microsoft
It is well suited especially for users that access or store sensitive/confidential data on their computers. In the case of where users are accessing confidential data over the network, it is highly recommended to use Bitlocker to encrypt the computer. In the case where users are storing confidential data on their computer, it should be a requirement that BitLocker is used/enabled. It would be less appropriate if someone was using a computer and they were not dealing with any sensitive data, or in cases where the computer is used for recreational purposes (browsing the web, playing games, etc).
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Pros
Open Source
  • compress/decompress fast
  • interface easy of use
  • command line capabilities
  • various format supported
  • multiplatform
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Microsoft
  • Encrypts the entire drive and provides a high level of security.
  • In an Active Directory environment, you can set up BitLocker to automatically save keys to AD.
  • As part of Windows, no additional licensing costs.
  • Set up and configuration is relatively easy.
  • Uses TPM module to increase security.
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Cons
Open Source
  • outdated interface... but is very quick and is not so bad
  • improve speed of compression algorithm
  • some compressed files are not fully supported
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Microsoft
  • Even if it's the best we tested, I think write performance could be improved. Maybe with dedicated hardware inside the TPM?
  • No integration with OS password is a shame as most others have it and it is Microsoft on Microsoft so they can probably do it better then anyone else and safer.
  • I wish they would support multiple passwords like FileVault on macOS. If it's a shared computer, you have to give the only password to Bitlocker to both users.
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Usability
Open Source
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Very easy to enable.
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Support Rating
Open Source
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Not good nor bad, BitLocker encryption is a symptom of our era, we need to protect ourselves and our data, BitLocker is a tool, as an IT we have to deal with it but it doesn't bring any benefit to my daily operations.
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Alternatives Considered
Open Source
7-Zip is free of charge and meets all our needs in handling compressed files, both those produced by us and those that come from third parties.
The interface is the faster I've ever seen.
The competitor evaluation versions have ads or a lot of reminders that I've to pay now or then.
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Microsoft
BitLocker Drive Encryption solution offering is cheaper than the one that McAfee offers, it will help you with specific business concerns like "how many encrypted assets do I have?" it's easy to maintain, easy to deploy, and easy to track. It's best suited for companies that are not trying to go far away on the disk encryption matter
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Return on Investment
Open Source
  • 0 cost with no suprises
  • 1 tool for many formats
  • 0 time needed to learn how to use
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Microsoft
  • The biggest positive impact it has on ROI is the cost savings, since there is no cost to using the software.
  • Since it's widely available to anyone with a Windows computer, and the program is built into the operating system, there is no need to really install anything. This helps to save time of the IT department having to do installs, and also keep track of licensing, etc.
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ScreenShots