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

Alternatives list

1. 

   

   Meld

    423 likes

   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.

   62 Meld alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-2.0)

   Application typeApplication types

   • Diff Tool
   • File Comparison

   Origin

   • Australia

   Platforms

   • Windows
   • Linux
   • BSD
   • Python
   • GTK

   • Australia

   

   

   

   +5

   

   More about Meld  

   

   Good alternative?Is Meld a good alternative to Beyond Compare?

    

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   5comments

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   Meld vs Beyond Compare Comments

   Top Positive Comment by Guest · Dec 8, 2016

   Free. but it lacks FTP compare function

   Top Negative Comment by Guest · Apr 6, 2018

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

   Positive comment by Guest · Jan 5, 2025

   I work on Linux Mint and Meld work fine for me

   3 of 5 comments

   

   

   • Meld is Free and Open SourceBeyond Compare is Paid and Proprietary
2. 

   

   WinMerge

    567 likes

   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.

   81 WinMerge alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-2.0)

   Application typeApplication types

   • Diff Tool
   • File Comparison

   Origin

   • United States

   Platforms

   • Windows
   • PortableApps.com
   • Wine

   • United States

   

   

   

   +4

   

   More about WinMerge  

   

   Good alternative?Is WinMerge a good alternative to Beyond Compare?

    

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   2comments

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   WinMerge vs Beyond Compare Comments

   Negative comment by Guest · Aug 10, 2020

   doesnt even show text differences

   Positive comment by Guest · Nov 12, 2015

   It's does most of what BC does.

   2 of 2 comments

   

   

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

   

   Unison File Synchronizer

    97 likes

   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.

   57 Unison File Synchronizer alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

   Application type

   • File Sync

   Origin

   • United States

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • Flathub
   • Flatpak
   • Snapcraft

   • United States

   

   

   More about Unison File Synchronizer  

   

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   1comment

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   Unison File Synchronizer vs Beyond Compare Comments

   Negative comment by Guest · Sep 24, 2020

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

   1 of 1 comments

   

   

   • Unison File Synchronizer is Free and Open SourceBeyond Compare is Paid and Proprietary
   • Unison File Synchronizer is a File Sync Beyond Compare is a Diff Tool
   • Unison File Synchronizer is Decentralized and Privacy focusedBeyond Compare is not according to our users
5. 

   

   KDiff3

    118 likes

   KDiff3 is a file and directory diff and merge tool.

   69 KDiff3 alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source

   Application typeApplication types

   • Diff Tool
   • File Comparison

   Origin

   • Germany
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • Flathub
   • KDE Plasma

   • Germany
   • EU

   

   More about KDiff3  

   

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   4comments

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   KDiff3 vs Beyond Compare Comments

   Positive comment by Guest · Jan 10, 2017

   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 by Guest · Nov 12, 2023

   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 by Guest · Feb 13, 2016

   I would like to suggest kdiff3 as the best alternative selection for Beyond compare, esp. folder compare and sync!

   3 of 4 comments

   

   

   • KDiff3 is Free and Open SourceBeyond Compare is Paid and Proprietary
6. 

   

   Meld for OSX

    11 likes

   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...

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-2.0)

   Application typeApplication types

   • Diff Tool
   • File Comparison

   Platforms

   • Mac

   

   

   More about Meld for OSX  

   

   Good alternative?Is Meld for OSX a good alternative to Beyond Compare?

    
8. 

   

   ByteSync

    5 likes

   Free and open-source differential file synchronization software for Windows, macOS, and Linux. ByteSync securely compares and transfers only file differences — no VPN, no setup, just fast, encrypted, cross-platform sync and backup.

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (MIT)

   Application typeApplication types

   • File Sync
   • Backup Client

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux

   

   More about ByteSync  

   

   Good alternative?Is ByteSync a good alternative to Beyond Compare?

    
9. 

   

   Kompare

    11 likes

   Kompare is a graphical diff and merge tool targeting developers. It allows users to compare two different text files or two directories. It is part of KDE Applications (and formerly part of KDE Software Compilation) and therefore primarily used on Linux and other Unix-like...

   69 Kompare alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-2.0)

   Application typeApplication types

   • Diff Tool
   • File Comparison

   Origin

   • Germany
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Linux
   • KDE
   • Flathub

   • Germany
   • EU

   

   More about Kompare  

   

   Good alternative?Is Kompare a good alternative to Beyond Compare?

    
10. 

    

    WinMerge 2011

     30 likes

    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.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (AGPL-3.0)

    Application typeApplication types

    • Diff Tool
    • File Comparison

    Origin

    • Germany
    • EU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    • Wine

    • Germany
    • EU

    

    

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11. 

    

    WinMerge JP

     15 likes

    WinMerge JP is a fork of the original WinMerge, but after 2018 the two are nearly identical. WinMerge JP's features including 3-way compare has been merged into the original.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application typeApplication types

    • Diff Tool
    • File Comparison

    Platforms

    • Windows

    

    

    More about WinMerge JP  

    

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12. 

    

    ForskScope

     2 likes

    GUI tool with cross-platform support named after "forske forskjell" (research difference) 🤍

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (Apache-2.0)

    Application typeApplication types

    • Diff Tool
    • File Comparison

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    

    

    

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13. 

    

    Diffuse Merge Tool

     22 likes

    Diffuse is a small and simple text merge tool written in Python. With Diffuse, you can easily merge, edit, and review changes to your code.

    62 Diffuse Merge Tool alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (GPL-2.0)

    Application typeApplication types

    • Diff Tool
    • File Comparison

    Platforms

    • Linux

    

    More about Diffuse Merge Tool  

    

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14. 

    

    Compare

     37 likes

    Comparison plugin for Notepad++ editor.

    65 Compare alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application typeApplication types

    • Diff Tool
    • File Comparison

    Origin

    • France
    • EU

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Notepad++

    • France
    • EU

    

    

    

    +1

    

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    1comment

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    Discontinued

    Last commit in 2017.

    Compare vs Beyond Compare Comments

    Negative comment by Guest · Aug 12, 2015

    No option to align text lines, copy lines to and from each text being compared...just a host of things BeyondCompare does on a text compare level.

    1 of 1 comments

    

    

    • Compare is Free and Open SourceBeyond Compare is Paid and Proprietary