The difference is that the first one is usually suggested for text, image, video files and others, while the latter option creates a more professional appearance when users install an application. You can either create a standard self-extracting ZIP file, or a self-extracting ZIP file for software installation. The user interface of WinZip Self-Extractor consists of a wizard that carefully guides you to the desired results. This type of program is highly recommended when you upload a file that you want to share with multiple users. WinZip Self-Extractor is a tool designed to assist you in building Windows self-extracting ZIP files, so WinZip is not necessary for decompression.