Beyond Compare vs cwdiff
Beyond Compare
beyond-compare.comcwdiff
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Beyond Compare | cwdiff |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 1 |
| Spec score · File Comparison Software | 8.3 (#6) | 7.6 (#19) |
| Purpose | Beyond Compare is client software for comparing and synchronizing files and folders. | cwdiff is a wrapper for wdiff that supports directories and colorizes output. |
| Support | Support resources include a help file, video tutorials, knowledge base articles, user forums, and a contact channel for reporting problems. | The repository directs users to GitHub Issues to report bugs. |
Plans
Beyond Compare
- Standard — per-user (1–4)$35, paid once
- Pro — per-user (1–4)$70, paid once
- Standard — site$5,250, paid once
- Pro — site$10,500, paid once
- Standard — enterprise$21,000, paid once
- Pro — enterprise$42,000, paid once
In their own words
Beyond Compare
Beyond Compare is desktop software for comparing and synchronizing files and folders on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It can compare folders, text files, images, and tables, then combine changes from two versions into one output. Folder Sync helps reconcile differences and copy data to or from disks, FTP servers, and ZIP files. Repetitive comparison or synchronization work can be automated with its scripting language and command-line interface. Pro adds text and folder merging, source-control commands, SFTP and FTPS, registry comparison, and integrations for WebDAV, Dropbox, OneDrive, Amazon S3, and Subversion. The download includes Standard and Pro functionality for a 30-day trial; continued use requires a license. Per-user perpetual licenses for one to four users cost $35 as a one-time purchase for Standard and $70, paid once for Pro. Site and enterprise options are also listed. The maker says compared data is not sent externally unless a networked repository is used. Licenses are not available as floating, concurrent, or server licenses.
cwdiff
cwdiff is a free Linux command-line wrapper for wdiff. It adds directory comparison support and colorizes differences in the output. The README describes configuring it as a Mercurial extdiff command, then running comparisons with hg wdiff. Users can disable colors by adding --no-color to the wdiff options. The project is presented as a shell-language repository. Listed acquisition options include a tarball, MacPorts, Arch Linux AUR, NetBSD, and Gentoo packages. A NetBSD package page provides a NetBSD 10.0 binary for cwdiff 0.4.0 and lists no runtime dependencies. Documentation is hosted on junghans.github.io, and bug reports go to GitHub Issues. The associated maintainer account identifies Christoph Junghans, whose profile lists Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA. The NetBSD package page lists GNU GPL version 2. The plan is free.