Side by side
PECompact vs zELF
Both stand on executable packers. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free trial Windows
PECompact offers PE compression and developer-oriented plugins and utilities, with one-time licenses starting at $429, paid once. Check its architecture and file-type limits before choosing it, and note the trial's eligibility and distribution restrictions.
Visit PECompact Free plan Linux
Choose zELF if you need Linux ELF64 packing across x86_64 or AArch64 and want several codec-selection options. Look elsewhere for 32-bit ELF support; account for codec memory requirements and the need for matching target stubs.
Visit zELFThe facts
| PECompact | zELF | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | A free trial | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Windows | Linux |
| Lowest paid plan | One Product: $429, paid once | Not published |
| Plans published | 3 | None |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | bitsum.com | github.com |
| On executable packers | #18 of 28 | #14 of 28 |
PECompact: what it does well
- Plugin framework supports custom plugins.
- Overlay emulation can handle some installer executables.
- PESuite utilities are included.
- DEP and code signing are supported after compression.
- One-time license includes one year of free updates.
What to know first
- Does not support PE+ (PE64) modules.
- Device drivers are unsupported.
- Some .NET assemblies are unsupported.
- Trial-compressed software cannot be distributed.
zELF: what it does well
- Supports x86_64 and AArch64 static and dynamic/PIE binaries.
- Includes 22 codecs, including LZ4, LZMA, ZSTD, and LZHAM.
- Can create and unpack .zlf and self-extracting archives.
- Automatic codec selection uses trained decision trees.
- Developers can integrate additional compression codecs.
What to know first
- ELF 32-bit binaries are unsupported.
- The packer requires matching target stubs for the target architecture.
- LZHAM uses a 512 MB dictionary and may abort for insufficient memory.
- Linux is the only supported platform.
Alternatives to PECompact Alternatives to zELF The whole list