ZipFolder

ZipFolder is a command-line application that gives you the possibility to compress a specified folder and all its subfolders into a ZIP file without any hassle.
Although utilities that can only be accessed via Command Prompt are typically preferred by tech-savvy users, this app has a simple syntax that can be easily understood by users who are not accustomed to console tools.

How it works

The usage is ZipFolder "SourceFolder" "ZipFileToCreate". After calling the tool's process from a Command Prompt window, it's only necessary to indicate the folder you're attempting to compress, as well as to establish the output file name and format.
If the two items are in different locations that ZipFolder, make sure to indicate the full paths, in order to prevent the tool from returning errors in the console.
All files from the root directory and any containing subdirectories are automatically taken into account for the new ZIP archive. There are no commands implemented for including or excluding specific files.

No setup required, besides .NET Framework

The entire program's wrapped in a single executable file that can be saved anywhere on the disk or copied to a removable storage unit to directly run it on any PC.
Just keep in mind that .NET Framework must be installed, since it was developed with the help of this platform. It doesn't create files on the disk without your permission, nor does it add new entries to the system registry.

Evaluation and conclusion

Archives were swiftly created in our tests while system resources consumption was minimal, since the utility needed a low amount of CPU and RAM to work properly. It remained stable throughout its runtime, without hanging, crashing or displaying errors.
Although it hasn't received updates for a long time, we haven't experienced compatibility issues on newer Windows editions in our tests. To sum it up, ZipFolder delivers a straightforward solution for creating ZIP archives from a specified folder with all containing files and subfolders.