PowerArchiver
PowerArchiver (ConeXware, Inc.) is a U.S.-based developer of a Windows and macOS file compression and encryption utility supporting 60+ archive formats with AES-256 and FIPS 140-2 validated cryptography, serving consumers, SMBs, regulated enterprises, and U.S. federal government buyers under a perpetual-license model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersReston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What PowerArchiver does
PowerArchiver is a file compression and encryption utility developed and published by ConeXware, Inc., a privately held U.S. software company incorporated in Virginia and headquartered in Reston, VA. First released in March 1999 after development began in August 1998, PowerArchiver supports 60+ archive formats across Windows and macOS, with AES-256 encryption integrated into every operation and FIPS 140-2 validated cryptography delivered through the Microsoft CryptoAPI Enhanced Cryptographic Provider. The technical stack is built primarily in Delphi, features the proprietary PA compression codec (compressing documents 30-70%, JPEGs ~23%, and MP3 archives 3x losslessly), uses PAE2 secure containers with Encrypt-then-MAC for tamper-evident integrity verification, and offers Microsoft Office add-ins for Outlook, Excel, and Word along with a PACL command-line interface for scripted automation and MSI-based enterprise deployment through SCCM, Intune, and GPO.
PowerArchiver targets four concurrent customer segments: long-tail individual/power users and home professionals (self-serve download from powerarchiver.com with a free 30-day trial), SMB IT departments (5-500 seat volume Professional licensing), regulated enterprises (Healthcare HIPAA, Financial Services GLBA/SOX/PCI-DSS/FFIEC, Legal eDiscovery, Education FERPA), and U.S. federal civilian and DoD/DFARS-regulated customers via GSA/SEWP procurement. The product portfolio spans Business ($22.95), Professional ($34.95), Professional Toolbox ($49.95), Pro for Mac, Enterprise ($59.95 per-seat), Enterprise Unlimited ($4,995+ site-wide flat fee), PACL (CLI), PowerArchiver Select (PA Select maintenance at 25%/year or 50% for 3 years), and an MSI installer package for managed deployments. Compliance posture covers FIPS 140-2, DFARS 252.204-7012, HIPAA, FERPA, GDPR Article 32, and Section 508 VPAT accessibility.
The business operates on a perpetual-license model with optional recurring PA Select maintenance, supplemented by a Standard and Premium reseller program (25% commission) and direct enterprise sales engineering. Distribution is global via direct download and resellers, with government buyers served through GSA/SEWP. The company has maintained independent ownership since 1998 with no disclosed venture capital or institutional funding, a 1-10 employee footprint, and lifetime downloads of over 40 million units. Localization extends across English (US/UK), German, French, and Italian editions.
PowerArchiver firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PowerArchiver
- Legal name
- ConeXware, Inc.
- Website
- https://powerarchiver.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- PowerArchiver (ConeXware, Inc.) is a U.S.-based developer of a Windows and macOS file compression and encryption utility supporting 60+ archive formats with AES-256 and FIPS 140-2 validated cryptography, serving consumers, SMBs, regulated enterprises, and U.S. federal government buyers under a perpetual-license model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PowerArchiver industry classification
Industry- Product category
- File Compression and Encryption Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Data Security & Privacy Managed Services (DLP/Encryption) (BPAEADAL)
Keywords
Where PowerArchiver is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Reston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
PowerArchiver business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Perpetual Software License: One-time perpetual license purchase. Customer pays upfront and owns the software forever with free minor updates within the current major version. No subscription or auto-renewal.
- PA Select Maintenance: Optional premium maintenance add-on at 25%/year or 50% for 3 years (33% savings). Includes priority phone/chat support with 48-hour SLA, free major-version upgrades, Live Registration, and AES-256 Cloud Settings Sync.
- Enterprise Unlimited Site License: Site-wide flat-fee perpetual license for unlimited deployment across organization. Custom-scaled to org size, starting from $4,995. Includes compliance documentation package.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Business: Core archiver with AES-256 encryption |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Professional: Encryption Suite with Backup and FTP |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Professional Toolbox: Pro with Virtual ISO and Burner |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Enterprise: Per-seat with FIPS 140-2 compliance |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Enterprise Unlimited: Site-wide flat fee |
| Subscription | Annual | PA Select Maintenance |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
PowerArchiver product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PowerArchiver develops and sells a file compression and encryption utility suite for Windows and macOS that supports 60+ archive formats (ZIP, 7Z, RAR, TAR, ISO, CAB and proprietary legacy formats) with AES-256 encryption integrated into every operation. The product is offered under a perpetual licensing model (no auto-renewal subscription) and includes FIPS 140-2 validated cryptography via Microsoft CryptoAPI for government and regulated-industry customers. The portfolio spans Business, Professional, Professional Toolbox, Pro for Mac, Enterprise, Enterprise Unlimited, and Command Line (PACL) editions, plus Office add-ins and MSI enterprise deployment.
Product overview
PowerArchiver is a comprehensive file compression and encryption utility suite offered as multiple tiered products. The portfolio includes PowerArchiver Business (entry commercial tier with 60+ formats and AES-256), Professional (adds FIPS, backup, FTP, Office add-ins, PACL), Professional Toolbox (adds Virtual ISO, disc burner, enhanced FTP tools), Professional for Mac (native macOS with Apple Silicon), Enterprise (FIPS 140-2/HIPAA/DFARS compliant with audit logging), and Command Line/PACL for automation. PowerArchiver Select is a maintenance add-on providing priority support and major-version upgrades. The company offers perpetual licensing rather than subscriptions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- PowerArchiver Business Entry-level commercial license offering core archiver functionality with support for 60+ archive formats, AES-256 encryption integrated into every operation, and a cloud browser. Priced at $22.95 perpetual.
- PowerArchiver Professional Mid-tier Encryption Suite adding FIPS validation, backup features, Secure FTP, Office add-ins for Outlook/Excel/Word, and PACL command-line access on top of the Business feature set. Priced at $34.95 perpetual.
- PowerArchiver Professional Toolbox Professional edition plus Virtual ISO support, full disc burner capabilities, and enhanced FTP power tools. Priced at $49.95 perpetual.
- PowerArchiver Pro for Mac Native macOS application with Apple Silicon support, offering 60+ archive formats and AES-256 encryption for Mac users.
- PowerArchiver Enterprise Enterprise-tier offering with FIPS 140-2, HIPAA, and DFARS compliance validation. Includes built-in audit logging for SOX, HIPAA, and DFARS audit packages. Available at $59.95 per-seat or via Enterprise Unlimited site-wide licensing from $4,995.
- PowerArchiver Command Line (PACL) Command-line interface for scripted batch operations and automation. Enables CI/CD pipeline integration, scheduled tasks, and enterprise scripting workflows.
- PowerArchiver Enterprise Unlimited Site-wide perpetual license with unlimited deployment across the organization. Fixed cost model at $4,995+ with custom scaling to organization size, eliminating per-seat counting and audit reconciliation. Includes compliance documentation package.
- PowerArchiver Select (Maintenance Plan) Optional premium maintenance add-on providing priority phone/email/chat support with 48-hour SLA, free major-version upgrades, Live Registration, and AES-256 Cloud Settings Sync. Costs 25%/year or 50% for 3 years of the license price (33% savings).
- PowerArchiver Portable Portable version of PowerArchiver that runs from any folder or network share without writing to the system registry, enabling use on locked-down or non-admin environments.
- PowerArchiver Outlook Plug-In Standalone Outlook integration add-on (v3.1.1) providing direct email attachment encryption and compression from within Microsoft Outlook.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30-70% document size reduction
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use PowerArchiver
Customer profileSegments8 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
PowerArchiver technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature5 records
PowerArchiver partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- MicrosoftcorePowerArchiver uses Microsoft CryptoAPI Enhanced Cryptographic Provider for all cryptographic operations. This integration provides FIPS 140-2 validated cryptography inherited from Windows NIST CMVP certification. The same cryptographic module is used across federal agencies and enterprise Windows deployments.
- Third-Party Vendors (Licensees of PA Codec)minorThe proprietary PowerArchiver compression codec is licensed to other vendors. This codec compresses documents 30-70%, JPEGs by ~23%, and MP3 archives 3x losslessly.
- LiveAgentminorLiveAgent provides the support ticketing system used by ConeXware for customer support requests. Data is relayed through LiveAgent's infrastructure.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PowerArchiver competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- NXPowerLite: File compression and optimization tool focused on reducing the size of images, documents, and emails rather than archive formats. Comparable in targeting enterprise file-size-reduction use cases (e.g., email attachment limits) but uses a different technical approach than PowerArchiver's archive-format model.
Direct peers
- Bandizip: Lightweight Windows archiver with free and paid editions supporting 30+ formats and AES-256 encryption. Targets the same individual and SMB Windows user base as PowerArchiver's Business/Professional tiers.
- WinZip: The dominant commercial Windows compression utility and PowerArchiver's primary named competitor. WinZip offers a comparable feature set (FIPS 140-2, Office integration, enterprise deployment) but uses a subscription licensing model that PowerArchiver explicitly contrasts against.
- WinRAR: Commercial shareware archiver with strong RAR format support and broad Windows penetration. Directly comparable perpetual-license compression utility competing for the same SMB and power-user audience as PowerArchiver.
- PeaZip: Free, open-source archive manager for Windows and Linux supporting 200+ formats. Competes with PowerArchiver on format breadth and zero-cost positioning in the consumer and prosumer segments.
- IZArc: Free Windows archiver supporting numerous formats including ZIP, 7Z, and RAR. Provides a free alternative to PowerArchiver's Business tier for budget-conscious individual users.
- 7-Zip: Free, open-source compression utility supporting 7z, ZIP, and many other formats. Represents the most material price-pressure alternative for PowerArchiver across both consumer and SMB segments.
- Ashampoo ZIP: Commercial Windows archiver with AES-256 encryption, Office integration, and perpetual licensing — directly comparable feature set and licensing model to PowerArchiver, marketed to similar consumer and SMB buyers.
- StuffIt: Long-standing commercial compression utility (Smith Micro) for Windows and macOS. Historic direct competitor in the paid archiver category with overlapping format support and similar perpetual licensing.
Broad incumbents
- Corel Corporation: Parent company of WinZip and a broader productivity/security software vendor. Provides competitive context on how an incumbent bundles compression into a wider commercial software portfolio — a model PowerArchiver could not match at its current scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PowerArchiver social profiles
Digital presencePowerArchiver compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
PowerArchiver financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PowerArchiver leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
PowerArchiver funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PowerArchiver M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PowerArchiver
What does PowerArchiver do?
PowerArchiver develops and sells a file compression and encryption utility suite for Windows and macOS that supports 60+ archive formats (ZIP, 7Z, RAR, TAR, ISO, CAB and proprietary legacy formats) with AES-256 encryption integrated into every operation. The product is offered under a perpetual licensing model (no auto-renewal subscription) and includes FIPS 140-2 validated cryptography via Microsoft CryptoAPI for government and regulated-industry customers. The portfolio spans Business, Professional, Professional Toolbox, Pro for Mac, Enterprise, Enterprise Unlimited, and Command Line (PACL) editions, plus Office add-ins and MSI enterprise deployment.
Is PowerArchiver a public or private company?
PowerArchiver is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was PowerArchiver founded?
PowerArchiver was founded in 1998. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is PowerArchiver based?
PowerArchiver is headquartered in Reston, United States, in the North America region.
How does PowerArchiver make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Perpetual Software License is the primary driver. The others are PA Select Maintenance and enterprise Unlimited Site License.
Who are PowerArchiver's main competitors?
NXPowerLite is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Bandizip, WinZip, WinRAR, PeaZip, IZArc, 7-Zip, Ashampoo ZIP and StuffIt. Corel Corporation is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does PowerArchiver have an API?
No public API is recorded for PowerArchiver.
What industry is PowerArchiver in?
PowerArchiver's product category is File Compression and Encryption Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEADAL, Data Security & Privacy Managed Services (DLP/Encryption). Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7372.