Beyond Compare AlternativesOnly Free apps categorised as Folder Comparison Tools

The best free Folder Comparison alternative to Beyond Compare is Meld, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Beyond Compare and 11 are free Folder Comparison Tools so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free Folder Comparison Tool alternatives to Beyond Compare are WinMerge, KDiff3, Diffinity and Meld for OSX.

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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 includes 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
  318
  • ...

Easily compare files and folders on FTP, local and cloud storage with source control integration and 3-way merge support.

More about Beyond Compare
More about Beyond Compare
Beyond Compare alternatives page was last updated Jan 5, 2025
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  1. Meld icon
    Meld icon

    Meld

     412 likes
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    Meld is a visual diff and merge tool. You can compare two or three files and edit them in place (diffs update dynamically). You can compare two or three folders and launch file comparisons. You can browse and view a working copy from popular version control systems such such as...

    46 Meld alternatives
    File comparison

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Python
    • GTK
    Folder comparison
    Version control
    +5
    Folder comparsion

    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 iconBeyond Compare Icon

    Meld VS Beyond Compare

    Is Meld a good alternative to Beyond Compare?
     
    Comments about Meld as an Alternative to Beyond Compare
     
       
    Guest

    Free. but it lacks FTP compare function

    Top positive comment •Dec 8, 2016
    6
    Guest

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

    Top negative comment •Apr 6, 2018
    6
    Guest

    I work on Linux Mint and Meld work fine for me

    Positive comment •Jan 5, 2025
    0
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    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 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.

    62 WinMerge alternatives
    File Comparison

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    • Wine
    3-way File Comparison
    Folder Comparison Results
    +4
    Folder Compare Tree View

    WinMerge Features

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

    WinMerge VS Beyond Compare

    Is WinMerge a good alternative to Beyond Compare?
     
    Comments about WinMerge as an Alternative to Beyond Compare
     
    Guest

    doesnt even show text differences

    Negative comment •Aug 10, 2020
    -3
    Guest

    It's does most of what BC does.

    Positive comment •Nov 12, 2015
    -5
    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 icon

    KDiff3

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

    54 KDiff3 alternatives
    KDiff3 screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    KDiff3 Features

    1.  3 way merge
    2.  Side-by-Side Comparison
    3.  Text Wrapping
    KDiff3 iconBeyond Compare Icon

    KDiff3 VS Beyond Compare

    Is KDiff3 a good alternative to Beyond Compare?
     
    Comments about KDiff3 as an Alternative to Beyond Compare
     
       
    Guest

    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.

    Positive comment •Jan 10, 2017
    3
    Guest

    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.

    Positive comment •Nov 12, 2023
    0
    Guest

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

    Positive comment •Jun 21, 2020
    0
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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. Diffinity icon
    Diffinity icon

    Diffinity

     23 likes
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    Diffinity is a diff and merging tool with focus on accurate and easy to read source code diffs. It will compare the content of two files and present the differences in an easy to read line by line and char by char basis.

    42 Diffinity alternatives
    Diffinity screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Diffinity Features

    1.  Syntax Highlighting
    2.  Portable
    3.  Readability
    4.  XAML
    Diffinity screenshot 1
    Diffinity screenshot 2
    +1
    Diffinity screenshot 3
    Diffinity iconBeyond Compare Icon

    Diffinity VS Beyond Compare

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  6. Meld for OSX icon
    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
    Meld for OSX screenshot 1

    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 iconBeyond Compare Icon

    Meld for OSX VS Beyond Compare

    Is Meld for OSX a good alternative to Beyond Compare?
     
  7. DiffMerge icon
    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.

    50 DiffMerge alternatives
    DiffMerge screenshot 1

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    DiffMerge Features

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

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

    DiffMerge iconBeyond Compare Icon

    DiffMerge VS Beyond Compare

    Is DiffMerge a good alternative to Beyond Compare?
     
  9. WinMerge 2011 icon
    WinMerge 2011 icon

    WinMerge 2011

     30 likes
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    WinMerge 2011 series is a fork of the original WinMerge application that compiles without ATL/MFC dependencies to enable zero-budget developers to build WinMerge from sources using Visual C++ Express editions.

    51 WinMerge 2011 alternatives
    WinMerge 2011 screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    • Wine

    WinMerge 2011 Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Support for FTP
    On Ubuntu using Wine
    WinMerge 2011 iconBeyond Compare Icon

    WinMerge 2011 VS Beyond Compare

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  10. Riff icon
    Riff icon

    Riff

     3 likes
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    A diff filter highlighting which parts of lines have changed.

    32 Riff alternatives
    Riff screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Riff Features

    1. Git icon  Git Support
    2.  Command line interface
    3.  Rust
    Riff iconBeyond Compare Icon

    Riff VS Beyond Compare

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  11. Patchword icon
    Patchword icon

    Patchword

     1 like
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    Compare text files or entire directory hierarchies, export and apply patches, and perform non-destructive find and replace operations on text files.

    22 Patchword alternatives
    Patchword screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Patchword screenshot 1
    Patchword screenshot 2
    +2
    Patchword screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Portable
    3.  Works Offline
    4.  Dark Mode
    5.  Compare Text
    Patchword iconBeyond Compare Icon

    Patchword VS Beyond Compare

    Is Patchword a good alternative to Beyond Compare?
     
9 of 11 Beyond Compare alternatives