Comparison of file comparison tools

Last updated

This article compares computer software tools that compare files, and in many cases directories or folders, whether it is their main purpose or as part of more general file management.

Contents

General

Basic general information about file comparison software.

NameCreator FOSS FreeFirst public release dateYear of latest stable versionWindowsMacintoshLinuxOther platformsMax supported file size
Beyond Compare Scooter Software [1] No; Proprietary No19962025-02-27 (v5.0.6)YesYesYes> 2GB (64 bits)
Compare++ Coode Software [2] No; ProprietaryNo20102016-7-17 (3.0.1.0b)Yes [3] NoNo
diff, diff3 AT&T Yes; BSD 3-clause, BSD 4-clause, CDDL, GPL, ProprietaryYes1974NoYes (Mac OS X)Yesported to most platforms as part of SCCS > 2GB but less than 64 bits
Eclipse (compare)Yes; Eclipse Public License Yes2004-07-212016-09-28 (4.6.1 (Neon.1))YesYesYesAnything with Java
Ediff Michael Kifer [4] Yes; GPL Yes19942.81.4Yes [a] Yes (Mac OS X)YesAnything with Emacs and diff
ExamDiff Pro PrestoSoft [5] No; ProprietaryNo19982025-03-26 (Build 15.0.1.30)Yes (WinXP and up)Yes (in Wine)Yes (in Wine)
Far Manager (compare)Eugene Roshal (original); FAR GroupYes; Revised BSD license Yes19962022-02-02 (v3.0 build 5959)YesNoNoThere's a beta-version of far2l, [6] a Linux fork of FAR Manager v2 which also works on OSX/MacOS and BSD.
fc Microsoft [7] No; ProprietaryYes; Part of OS 1987Yes (DOS)NoNo
FileMerge (aka opendiff) Apple Inc. No; ProprietaryYes; (part of Apple Developer Tools)1993 (part of NEXTSTEP 3.2 [8] )2014 (v2.8)NoYes (Mac OS X)No
FreeFileSync [ data missing ] Zenju Yes; GPLv3 Yes20082023-10-23 (v13.2)YesYesYes
Guiffy SureMergeGuiffy Software [9] No; ProprietaryNo20002024-05-07 (v12.3)YesYesYesAnything with Java > 2GB
IntelliJ IDEA (compare)JetBrains [10] No; ProprietaryNo20012019-08-20 (2019.2.1)YesYesYes
jEdit JDiff plugin Various [11] Yes; GPLYes19982020-09-03 (5.6.0)YesYesYesAnything with Java
Lazarus Diff Lazarus (software) Yes; GPLYes20002020-07-11 (2.0.10)YesYesYesFreeBSD
Meld Stephen Kennedy [12] Yes; GPLv2+ Yes20022024-03-24 (3.22.2)Yes [13] YesYes BSD, Solaris
Notepad++ (compare) VariousYes; GPLv3 Yes20092015-01-06 (1.5.6.6)Yes [14] NoNo
Perforce P4Merge Perforce No; ProprietaryYes2019 (2019.1/1815056)YesYesYesSun Solaris
Pretty Diff Austin Cheney [15] Yes; MIT-compatibleYes20092019-09-02 (101.2.6)Yes (Web)Yes (Web)Yes (Web) Node.js
Tkdiff Tkdiff [16] Yes; GPLv2+ Yes2003 (or before)2021-03-24 (v5.2.1)Yes (Tcl)Yes (Tcl)Yes (Tcl)Anything with Tcl
Total Commander (compare)Christian Ghisler [17] No; ProprietaryNo2020-03-25 (v9.51)YesNoNo
twdiff (TextWrangler Diff Helper)[ data missing ]Bare Bones Software, Inc. [18] No; ProprietaryYes; with TextWrangler 2012 (1.0 (v22))NoYesNoNo
vimdiff Bram Moolenaar et al.Yes; GPL-compatible [19] Yes20012016-10-03 (v8.0.0022)YesYesYesAnything with vim
WinDiff Microsoft [20] No; ProprietaryYes; Part of Platform SDK 19922010-05-14 (v6.1.7716.0)YesNoNoNo
WinMerge Dean Grimm [21] Yes; GPLYes19982024-07-28 (v2.16.42.1) [22] Yes (Win95 and up)Yes (in wine [23] )Yes (in wine [23] )2 GB
KDiff3 [ data missing ] (part of KDE SDK, [24] as well as a plug-in to KDE Dolphin file manager) [25] [26] Joachim Eibl and KDE SDK KDiff3 Team [27] Yes GPL v2Yes<2004 (v0.9.86)2023-01-13 (v1.10)Yes as part of KDevelop KDE SDK download site or from Windows store or KDE download site (most recent version) as separate application.Yes Can be downloaded from KDE SDK download site or as separate stand-alone application from KDE download site Yes Install from your Linux distribution repositories, or as AppStream, from , or as GIT project KDE Gitlab [28] or from/on . [29] Any other Unix with KDE/KF5, Qt5 and CMake, e.g. FreeBSD [30] & NetBSD [31]  ?
NameCreator FOSS FreeFirst public release dateYear of latest stable versionWindowsMacintoshLinuxOther platformsMax supported file size

Compare features

NameShow
in-line
changes		Directory comparison
Binary
comparison
Moved lines3-way comparisonMergeStructured comparison [b] Manual compare alignment
Image
compare
Beyond Compare YesYesYesYesYes (Files and Folders)Yes (Pro only)YesYes
Compare++ YesYesYesYesYes (C/C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, CSS3)
diff NoYespartlyNoNoNo
diff3 NoNoYes (non-optional)
Eclipse (compare)YesNo (only ancestor)YesNo
Ediff YesYesYesYesYes
ExamDiff Pro YesYesYesYes [32] Yes (ExamDiff Pro Master only) [33] Yesmanual synchronization
Far Manager (compare)Yes (Via plugin) [34] YesYesYes (Via plugin) [34] NoNo
fc NoNoYesNoNo
FileMerge (aka opendiff) YesYesYesYes (optional ancestor)Yes
Guiffy SureMergeYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
IntelliJ IDEA (compare)YesYesYesNoYesYesYesYes
jEdit JDiff plugin YesNoYes
Lazarus Diff
Meld YesYesNoNoYesYesline alignment, unlink scroll
Notepad++ (compare) YesNoNoYesNoNoNo
Perforce P4Merge YesNoNoYesYesYes
Pretty Diff YesYesNoNoNoNoYesNo
Tkdiff YesNoNoNoNoNo
Total Commander (compare)YesYesYesNoNoYesNoresync comparisonNo
vimdiff YesYes (via DirDiff plugin)YesYes
WinDiff YesYesYesYesNoNo
WinMerge YesYesYesYes (via Options)YesYesYesYes
NameShow
in-line
changes		Directory comparison
Binary
comparison
Moved lines3-way comparisonMergeStructured comparison [b] Manual compare alignment
Image
compare

API / editor features

Name GUI CLI ScriptingHorizontal / verticalSyntax highlightingReports
Beyond Compare YesYesYesBothYesXML, HTML, CSV, Text, Unix Patch
Compare++ YesYesBothYesHTML, Text(combined or side-by-side)
diff NoYesHorizontalYes pipe to diff-highlight [35]
diff3 NoYesHorizontal
Eclipse (compare)YesVerticalYes
Ediff YesYeselispBothYes
ExamDiff Pro YesYesoptionalYesUNIX, HTML, Diff
Far Manager (compare)YesYesYesYesNo
fc NoYesHorizontal
FileMerge (aka opendiff) YesYesVerticalYesNo
Guiffy SureMergeYesYesJava APIBothYesHTML, Text, Unix Patch
IntelliJ IDEA (compare)YesYesVerticalYes
jEdit JDiff plugin YesBothYes
Lazarus DiffYesYes
Meld YesNoYesNo
Notepad++ (compare) YesYesBothYesNo
Perforce P4Merge YesYesVerticalYesNo
Pretty Diff YesYesJavaScriptBothYesXHTML
Tkdiff Yes
Total Commander (compare)YesBothNoNo
vimdiff YesYesvim scriptBothYesHTML
WinDiff YesYesHorizontalNoText
WinMerge YesYesBothYesCSV, Tab-delimited, HTML, XML
Name GUI CLI ScriptingHorizontal / verticalSyntax highlightingReports

Other features

Some other features which did not fit in previous table

NameZIP supportFTP supportSFTP supportVersion control browsingPatch creationPatch applicationPatch previewUnicode supportXML-aware
Beyond Compare YesYesYesSVNYesYesYesYes
Compare++ SVN, CVS, Git, Microsoft TFS, Perforce, VSS using command lineYes
diff NoNoNoYesYes with patchYes with patchNoNo
diff3 NoNoNo
Eclipse (compare)Yes CVS, Subversion, Git, Mercurial, Baazar Yes
Ediff YesYesRCS, CVS, SVN, Mercurial, git (anything supported by Emacs' VC-mode) [36] YesYesYes
ExamDiff Pro Yes [37] Yes [38] normal diff onlyYes
Far Manager (compare)NoNoNoNoNoNoYesNo
fc NoNoNo
FileMerge (aka opendiff) Nosupported by OSNoNoNo
Guiffy SureMergeYesYesYesYesYes [c]
IntelliJ IDEA (compare)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
jEdit JDiff plugin YesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Lazarus Diff
Meld CVS, Subversion, Git, Mercurial, Baazar YesYes
Notepad++ (compare) NoYes [39] Git, Subversion (compare against base)NoNoNoYesNo
Perforce P4Merge NoYes
Pretty Diff NoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesYes
Tkdiff NoNoCVS, RCS, SubversionNoNoNoNoNo
Total Commander (compare)YesYesYesNoNoNoNoYesNo
vimdiff YesYesYesYes
WinDiff NoNoNoNo
WinMerge YesNoMercurial, [40] Subversion, [41] Visual Source Safe, Rational ClearCase [42] YesYes
NameZIP supportFTP supportSFTP supportVersion control browsingPatch creationPatch applicationPatch previewUnicode supportXML-aware

Aspects

What aspects can be / are compared?

NameFilename casingCRCFiledateDaylight savingCharacter casing
Beyond Compare YesYesYesYesYes
Compare++ YesYesYesYes
diff YesNoNoNoOptional
diff3
Eclipse (compare)
Ediff
ExamDiff Pro NoYesYesYesYes
Far Manager (compare)YesNoYesNoYes
fc NoOptional
FileMerge (aka opendiff) NoNoNoOptional
Guiffy SureMergefilesystem dependentYesYes
IntelliJ IDEA (compare)
jEdit JDiff plugin
Lazarus Diff
Meld
Notepad++ (compare) NoNoNoYes
Perforce P4Merge —NoNoNoYes
Pretty Diff —NoNoNoOptional
Tkdiff
Total Commander (compare)OptionalYes (in synchronize only)Optional
vimdiff NoNoNoNoYes
WinDiff NoNowhen differentYesOptional
WinMerge NoNoOptionalOptional
NameFilename casingCRCFiledateDaylight savingCharacter casing

Time zone effects

When files are transferred across time zones and between Microsoft FAT and NTFS file systems, the timestamp displayed by the same file may change, so that identical files with different storage histories are deemed different by a comparer that requires the timestamps to match. The difference is an exact number of quarters of an hour up to 95 (same minutes modulo 15 and seconds) if the file was transported across zones; there is also a one-hour difference within a single zone caused by the transition between standard time and daylight saving time (DST). Some, but not all, file comparison and synchronisation software can be configured to ignore the DST and time-zone differences. [d] Software known to have daylight-saving compensation is marked in the Aspects table.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Ediff requires a diff utility to function. As of December 2017, diff is not bundled with Emacs or Windows, so use of Ediff in a Windows environment requires installation of both Emacs and a diff implementation like GNU diff.
  2. 1 2 Compare logical sections (class, methods).
  3. ↑ UTF8, UTF16, MBCS, SJIS, over 150 file encoding and character set formats.
  4. ↑ Example: "Beyond Compare" help describes a user setting "timezone differences – ignores timestamp differences that are multiples of an exact hour."

References

  1. ↑ Scooter Software
  2. ↑ "Coode Software". Archived from the original on 2018-12-21. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  3. ↑ Compare++ Operating system information
  4. ↑ Michael Kifer
  5. ↑ PrestoSoft
  6. ↑ "Far2l". GitHub . 26 July 2022.
  7. ↑ Microsoft
  8. ↑ NeXT Product Marketing (Fall 1993). "What's New in Release 3.2?". NEXTSTEP in Focus. 3 (4). NeXT Computer, Inc. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  9. ↑ Guiffy Software
  10. ↑ JetBrains
  11. ↑ jedit.org
  12. ↑ Stephen Kennedy
  13. ↑ Meld/Windows
  14. ↑ Notepad++ compare plugin
  15. ↑ Pretty Diff
  16. ↑ tkdiff
  17. ↑ Christian Ghisler
  18. ↑ Bare Bones Software, Inc.
  19. ↑ vim license
  20. ↑ Microsoft
  21. ↑ Dean Grimm
  22. ↑ https://github.com/WinMerge/winmerge/releases/tag/v2.16.42.1
  23. 1 2 WinMerge in Wine
  24. ↑ "KDE SDK Project Page". KDE Invent: KDE SDK. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  25. ↑ "KDiff3". KDE Applications. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  26. ↑ "The KDiff3 Handbook". docs.kde.org. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  27. ↑ "KDE KDiff3" . Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  28. ↑ "KDevelop / KDevelop · GitLab (full KDevelop project)". GitLab. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  29. ↑ "Using KDiff3 as a Git Diff and Merging Tool". docs.kde.org. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  30. ↑ "FreeBSD/Setup/Ports - KDE Community Wiki". community.kde.org. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  31. ↑ "pkgsrc.se | The NetBSD package collection". pkgsrc.se. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  32. ↑ Examdiff
  33. ↑ Examdiff
  34. 1 2 Visual Compare
  35. ↑ "Git/Contrib/Diff-highlight at master · git/Git". GitHub .
  36. ↑ gnu.org Support-for-Version-Control
  37. ↑ through a plug-in
  38. ↑ through a plug-in
  39. ↑ Notepad++ FTP plugin
  40. ↑ "tortoisehg / stable / wiki / FAQ —". Bitbucket.org. Archived from the original on 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  41. ↑ "Using WinMerge with other tools – WinMerge 2.12 Manual". Winmerge.org. Archived from the original on 2010-07-10. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  42. ↑ "About". WinMerge. Archived from the original on 2010-07-03. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
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