For Mac OS and Mac OS X, what programs are available to make and decode tar archives?

Tar is a Unix-based protocol which was originally used for manipulating tape archives, but is now commonly used for making archives in other environments, particularly Mac OS X. A number of tar utilities are available for Mac OS and Mac OS X:

• StuffIt: StuffIt Expander is a freeware drag-and-drop utility for Mac OS and Mac OS X. It can decode most compression and archive formats, including tar. To create tar archives, use DropTar, which is shareware. DropTar can also compress tar archives with GNU Zip. StuffIt Deluxe is a commercial application that can both create and unarchive tar files. All three applications are produced by Smith Micro. See For Mac OS X, where can I download freeware, shareware, commercial software, and software updates?
  
  
• OpenUp and ColdCompress: OpenUp and ColdCompress, available only for Mac OS X, are two simple applications for unarchiving and creating tar files, respectively. ColdCompress automatically compresses tar files it creates with GNU Zip. OpenUp and ColdCompress are by Scott Anguish and available from Stepwise.
  
  
• MacTar: MacTar is a freeware program that can both create and unarchive tar files. In Mac OS X, it will run in the Classic environment, and it can run in versions of the operating system as old as 7.0. It is maintained by Joe Strout and is available from Strout.Net.

In addition to these programs, if you are using Mac OS X, the Unix command line tar program is available. For more information, see In Unix, what is tar, and how do I use it?

Also see:

• In Mac OS and Mac OS X, is there a program to compress/decompress files with a .gz or .z extension?
• How do I decode a Macintosh file with a .bin extension?
• In Mac OS and Mac OS X, how do I compress and archive folders, files, and applications with StuffIt?
• How do I decode a file with a .sit or .sea extension?