The Best Beyond Compare AlternativesTop Diff Tools & File Comparison Tools like Beyond Compare

Beyond Compare is described as 'Compares files with source control integration, supports FTP and cloud storage, offers 3-way merge, and uses commands to manage syncs and differences' and is a very popular Diff Tool in the backup & sync category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Beyond Compare for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Web-based and BSD apps. The best Beyond Compare alternative is Meld, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Beyond Compare are WinMerge, KDiff3, Unison File Synchronizer and Araxis Merge.

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Beyond Compare alternatives are mainly Diff Tools but may also be File Comparison Tools or Folder Comparison Tools. Other popular filters include Linux + Open Source and Mac + Open Source and Online + Free + Diff Tool. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Beyond Compare.
Beyond Compare iconBeyond Compare
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Compares files with source control integration, supports FTP and cloud storage, offers 3-way merge, and uses commands to manage syncs and differences.

More about Beyond Compare
More about Beyond Compare
Beyond Compare alternatives page was last updated Feb 13, 2025
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Alternatives
  1. Meld icon

    Meld

     413 likes
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    Meld is an open-source, Python-based visual diff and merge tool that allows you to compare and edit files, supports syntax highlighting, and integrates with version control systems like CVS, Subversion, and Mercurial for dynamic diff updates. It works offline, is lightweight, portable, and ad-free.

    46 Meld alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • AU flagAustralia

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Python
    • GTK
    File comparison

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Compare Source Code
    2.  Folder Comparison
    3.  Syntax Highlighting
    4.  Comparing folders
    5.  3 way merge
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  No registration required
    9.  One-click merging
    10.  Real Time Comparison
    11.  Portable

    Meld VS Beyond Compare

     
    Comments about Meld as an Alternative to Beyond Compare
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    Dec 8, 2016
    6

    Free. but it lacks FTP compare function

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    Apr 6, 2018
    6

    Cannot be added to context menu. Sometimes folder comparison doesn't work. Says empty folder.

    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Positive •Jan 5, 2025
    0

    I work on Linux Mint and Meld work fine for me

    Show more comments
    3 of 5 comments
    Beyond Compare Icon
    Meld icon

    • Most users think Meld is a great Beyond Compare alternative.

    • Meld is the most popular Windows & Linux alternative to Beyond Compare.

    • Meld is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Beyond Compare.

    • Meld is Free and Open SourceBeyond Compare is Paid and Proprietary
    • Meld is LightweightBeyond Compare is not according to our users
  2. WinMerge icon

    WinMerge

     546 likes
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    WinMerge is an open source differencing and merging tool for Windows. WinMerge can compare both folders and files, presenting differences in a visual text format that is easy to understand and handle.

    63 WinMerge alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    • Wine
    File Comparison

    WinMerge Features

    1.  Folder Comparison
    2.  Diff detection
    3.  Image-Diff
    4.  Shell integration
    5.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Portable
    8.  Directory sync
    9.  Compare Text

    WinMerge VS Beyond Compare

     
    Comments about WinMerge as an Alternative to Beyond Compare
    Guest
    Negative •Aug 10, 2020
    -3

    doesnt even show text differences

    Guest
    Positive •Nov 12, 2015
    -5

    It's does most of what BC does.

    Beyond Compare Icon
    WinMerge icon

    • Most users think WinMerge is a great Beyond Compare alternative.

    • WinMerge is Free and Open SourceBeyond Compare is Paid and Proprietary
  4. KDiff3 icon

    KDiff3

     117 likes
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    KDiff3 is a file and directory diff and merge tool.

    55 KDiff3 alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    KDiff3 screenshot 1

    KDiff3 Features

    1.  3 way merge
    2.  Side-by-Side Comparison
    3.  Text Wrapping

    KDiff3 VS Beyond Compare

     
    Comments about KDiff3 as an Alternative to Beyond Compare
    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Positive •Jan 10, 2017
    3

    As BC and unlike Meld, it align changes by adding lines, which is a key feature to visually compare code. Meld explicitly states it does not do that. kdiff3 also supports multiple platforms (as stated). Unfortunately, it does not support on-click line/block merging (merge from side to side visually) like Meld or BC.

    Guest
    Positive •Nov 12, 2023
    0

    Who pays for software in 2023? Only iLuddites. This type of software is done. New “features” nowadays are merely capitalist job creation schemes. Failing attempts to justify still taking money for an abundant resource.

    Guest
    Positive •Jun 21, 2020
    0

    its got lovely windows context menu file comparison option. it gets my vote.

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    3 of 4 comments
    Beyond Compare Icon
    KDiff3 icon

    • Most users think KDiff3 is a great Beyond Compare alternative.

    • KDiff3 is the most popular Mac alternative to Beyond Compare.

    • KDiff3 is Free and Open SourceBeyond Compare is Paid and Proprietary
  5. Unison File Synchronizer icon

    Unison File Synchronizer

     95 likes
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    Unison is a file-synchronization tool for POSIX-compliant systems (e.g. *BSD and GNU/Linux), macOS and Windows, with the caveat that the platform must be supported by OCaml. It allows two replicas of a collection of files and directories to be stored on different hosts (or diffe.

    52 Unison File Synchronizer alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Unison running in KDE terminal window

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Bidirectional sync
    2.  Synchronization
    3.  File Sync
    4.  2 way sync
    5.  Command line interface
    6.  Folder Sync
    7.  Decentralized
    8.  Support for Rsync
    9.  No registration required
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  No Tracking
    12.  Gtk

    Unison File Synchronizer VS Beyond Compare

     
    Comments about Unison File Synchronizer as an Alternative to Beyond Compare
    Guest
    Negative •Sep 24, 2020
    0

    It only compares two disks to each other. You cannnot compare just two files by choosing them by your own.

    Beyond Compare Icon
    Unison File Synchronizer icon

    • Some users think Unison File Synchronizer is a great Beyond Compare alternative, some don't.

    • Unison File Synchronizer is Free and Open SourceBeyond Compare is Paid and Proprietary
    • Unison File Synchronizer is Decentralized, Privacy focused and LightweightBeyond Compare is not according to our users
  6. Araxis Merge icon

    Araxis Merge

     43 likes
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    Merge is the visual file comparison (diff), merging and folder synchronization application from Araxis. Use it to compare and merge source code, web pages, XML and other text files with native application performance.

    57 Araxis Merge alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Overview

    Araxis Merge Features

    1.  Compare Text
    2.  Folder Sync

    Araxis Merge VS Beyond Compare

     

    • Almost everyone thinks Araxis Merge is a great Beyond Compare alternative.

    • Araxis Merge is the most popular commercial alternative to Beyond Compare.

    • Araxis Merge is Paid and ProprietaryBeyond Compare is also Paid and Proprietary
  7. P4Merge icon

    P4Merge

     26 likes
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    P4Merge uses color coding to allow users to visualize the differences between file or images. It allows three-way merging among files, and shows side-by-side file/image comparison.

    42 P4Merge alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    P4Merge screenshot 1

    P4Merge Features

    1.  Syntax Highlighting
    2.  Works Offline
    3.  No registration required
    4.  Command line interface
    5.  Side-by-Side Comparison
    6.  Image Comparison

    P4Merge VS Beyond Compare

     
  9. Meld for OSX icon

    Meld for OSX

     11 likes
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    Meld is a visual diff and merge tool targeted at developers. Meld helps you compare files, directories, and version controlled projects. It provides two- and three-way comparison of both files and directories, and has support for many...

    41 Meld for OSX alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Meld for OSX screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Portable
    3.  No registration required
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  Syntax Highlighting

    Meld for OSX VS Beyond Compare

     
  10. UltraCompare icon

    UltraCompare

     6 likes
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    UltraCompare Professional is folder/file compare utility loaded with features to enable you to compare text files and folders, word documents, and even zip files and jar archives. UltraCompare includes text compare, binary file compare with the capability to merge differences...

    15 UltraCompare alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    UltraCompare screenshot 1

    UltraCompare Features

    1.  Folder Sync
    2.  Compare Text
    3. Git icon  Git integration

    UltraCompare VS Beyond Compare

     
  11. DiffMerge icon

    DiffMerge

     39 likes
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    DiffMerge is a graphical file comparison program for Windows, Mac OS X and Unix, published by SourceGear.

    51 DiffMerge alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    DiffMerge screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    The program is no longer updated. Last version, 4.2.0, released in October 2013, can be still downloaded from the official website

    Properties

    1.  Configurable

    Features

    1. File Explorer icon  Windows Explorer Extension
    2. Git icon  Git Support
    3.  Support for Unicode
    4.  Side-by-Side Comparison

    DiffMerge VS Beyond Compare

     
9 of 64 Beyond Compare alternatives