# StuffIt Expander vs RAR Extractor

The clearest difference is review sentiment: RAR Extractor at 87% against StuffIt Expander's 20%. RAR Extractor also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.1) and ratings volume (544 vs 7). StuffIt Expander's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. RAR Extractor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. StuffIt Expander asks for nothing beyond the download.

RAR Extractor holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RAR Extractor has 544 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of StuffIt Expander's written reviews are positive against 87% of RAR Extractor's.

StuffIt Expander ships an update every 9 days, RAR Extractor every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | StuffIt Expander | RAR Extractor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stuffit-expander/id479292116/reviews) | **[4.6 (544 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rar-extractor-unarchiver/id646295438/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 7 | **544** |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews | **86.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 13 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Smith Micro Software, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/300453044) | [青青 余](https://appshunter.io/developer/633344484) |

## What reviewers say

### StuffIt Expander

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stuffit-expander/id479292116)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### RAR Extractor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rar-extractor-unarchiver/id646295438)

Easily extract a wide variety of compressed archive files, including RAR, ZIP, and 7z formats. This utility provides a fast and safe way to open and manage your compressed documents and media.

**Highlights:** Extracts RAR, ZIP, Tar, 7z, and more, Fast and safe extraction, Supports dozens of compressed formats, No ads, Left scrolling to share folders

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Extractor Pro | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 💯 Works as expected
- 🔥 Reliable and consistent
- 🤩 Smooth and seamless

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or errors
- 💰 Requests paid version for certain features
- 🤔 Compatibility issues with some file types
- 📂 Difficulty managing multiple archives in the same folder

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to extract certain RAR files
- Fails to open password-protected archives
- Extracts files to incorrect locations

**Requested features**

- Preview file contents before extraction
- Batch extraction or processing capabilities
- Option to specify extraction output directory
- Support for more archive formats (e.g., 7z, ISO)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is StuffIt Expander free?

StuffIt Expander is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is RAR Extractor free?

RAR Extractor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, StuffIt Expander or RAR Extractor?

RAR Extractor is rated higher. StuffIt Expander averages 3.1 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while RAR Extractor averages 4.6 from 544 ratings.

### Do StuffIt Expander or RAR Extractor have ads?

Neither StuffIt Expander nor RAR Extractor shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, StuffIt Expander or RAR Extractor?

StuffIt Expander ships an update every 9 days, and RAR Extractor every 2 months. Most recently, StuffIt Expander was updated on October 23, 2026 and RAR Extractor on October 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*