Comparison

StuffIt Expander vs Archive Utility

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

StuffIt Expander

Easily open and manage compressed files from various cloud storage services like iCloud, Box, Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive. View, share, or move expanded content to your preferred cloud provider. It also supports opening archives directly from the Files app.

Highlights
  • Open StuffIt and Zip archives
  • Integrates with iCloud, Box, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive
  • View expanded contents
  • Email and share files
  • Move expanded content to cloud providers
  • Open archives from Files App
Read full description

Open StuffIt and Zip archives from iCloud or other Cloud Providers such as Box, Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive. View, email, share or move the expanded contents to your favorite cloud provider. You can also open a StuffIt archive from within the Files App.

About

Archive Utility

This utility app allows users to create ZIP files and decompress a wide variety of archive formats on their iPhone and iPad. It features a document browser for easy file management, including cloud storage integration and drag-and-drop functionality.

Highlights
  • Create ZIP files
  • Decompress multiple archive formats
  • Document browser view
  • Cloud storage integration
  • File management (move, delete, rename)
  • Drag and drop functionality
Features
Read full description

“Archive Utility” is a small and intuitive application to create .zip file and decompress many different kinds of archive files on iPhone and iPad. It supports to unarchive or expand common formats like Zip, RAR, 7-zip, CAB, Tar, Gzip and Bzip2, as well as older formats like StuffIt, Cpio, LZH, ARJ, ARC, DiskDoubler and LBR. It can also expand unusual formats like ISO, BIN, MDF, NRG and CDI, Windows self-extracting EXE files, and can even extract media from Flash SWF files and images from PDF files. Many more archive formats are supported, tap Developer Website to visit product page for the complete list. Your long time wait for computer like compress-uncompress tool on iPhone and iPad is over with "Archive Utility". It integrates Archive and Expand features with Document Browser View to make easy-to-use yet powerful Archive Utility. * How to create a ZIP file? - Use powerful Browser view to select file(s) and folder(s) you want to compress and tap Archive button to create ZIP file beside original items. * How to expand/unarchive/uncompress/extract an archive file? - Navigate to archive file you want to uncompress in Browser view and tap on it to expand. Decompressed file or folder saved in the same folder as the original archive file. - Use "Copy to Archive Utility" to open archive file received as email attachment, downloaded from the the web or contained in another app. You can even add files in the app's Documents folder from your computer through iTunes file sharing. - It lets you preview files and archives that iOS can support. DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT - "Archive Utility" built upon Document Browser view which allows to access files no matter where they’re located — on your device or in the cloud with Archive Utility. Handles access to iCloud Drive and third-party cloud storage services such as Dropbox and Box within the app. - Browse view to navigate folders, organise your files with tags, move files between folders, search and sort. - Share files using the Share button or a drag-and-drop action. - You can move, delete, duplicate and rename a document and folder. - Drag and drop to select files and organise them into folders. - Inherit tagged and favourite items from Files app and allow to create and change within the app. Note: “Archive Utility” is standalone application running natively to archive files and expand archives securely right on your iOS device. You can refer User Manual for any assistance Or Contact Support.

Screenshots

StuffIt Expander4 screens
Archive Utility4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: StuffIt Expander at Free against Archive Utility's $2.99. StuffIt Expander also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 45 months) and review sentiment (20% vs 0%). Archive Utility's advantage is rating (3.9 vs 3.1). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

StuffIt Expander is free to download; Archive Utility costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Archive Utility holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 8 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 20% of StuffIt Expander's written reviews are positive against 0% of Archive Utility's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StuffIt Expander ships an update every 9 days, Archive Utility every 45 months. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
StuffIt Expander versus Archive Utility: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStuffIt ExpanderArchive Utility
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating3.1 (7 ratings)3.9 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings78 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 45 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSmith Micro Software, Inc.RootRise Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Customer experience

StuffIt Expander

All ratings7 ratings
Positive42.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.9%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral6.7%
Negative73.3%

Archive Utility

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

StuffIt Expander

No in-app purchases

None

Archive Utility

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is StuffIt Expander free?
StuffIt Expander is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Archive Utility free?
Archive Utility costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, StuffIt Expander or Archive Utility?
Archive Utility is rated higher. StuffIt Expander averages 3.1 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Archive Utility averages 3.9 from 8 ratings.
Do StuffIt Expander or Archive Utility have ads?
Neither StuffIt Expander nor Archive Utility shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StuffIt Expander or Archive Utility?
StuffIt Expander ships an update every 9 days, and Archive Utility every 45 months. Most recently, StuffIt Expander was updated on September 16, 2026 and Archive Utility on October 7, 2026.

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