Beyond Compare vs Diffract
Beyond Compare
scootersoftware.com
Diffract
getdiffract.comSide by side
| Figure | Beyond Compare | Diffract |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 2 |
| Spec score · File Comparison Software | 8.2 (#8) | 8.2 (#9) |
| Spec score · Diff and Merge Tools | 8.2 (#10) | 8.3 (#7) |
| Folder comparison | Folder comparison supports filters, recursive subfolder comparison, and criteria including modified time, size, filename case, and file content. | It recursively compares directory trees and shows added, removed and modified files with content-level drill-down. |
| Headquarters | Madison, Wisconsin, USA | Leutenbach, Germany |
| Privacy | Scooter Software says it does not sell, trade, or rent personal information and states that its handling of personal information is GDPR compliant. | The maker says comparisons run entirely on the local machine and files never leave the computer. |
| Purpose | Beyond Compare compares folders, text files, images, and tables, and helps users review differences and merge changes. | Diffract is a desktop tool for comparing code, folders, documents and binary files side by side. |
| Support | Support resources include a help file, video tutorials, articles, user forums, problem reporting, and direct contact options. | The terms say the maker is not obligated to provide maintenance or technical support; the site invites questions and bug reports by email. |
Plans
Beyond Compare
- Standard Edition — Per-User$35, paid once
- Pro Edition — Per-User$70, paid once
- Standard Edition — Site$5,250, paid once
- Pro Edition — Site$10,500, paid once
- Standard Edition — Enterprise$21,000, paid once
- Pro Edition — Enterprise$42,000, paid once
In their own words
Beyond Compare
Beyond Compare compares folders, text files, images, and tables so users can inspect differences and merge changes. Folder comparisons can include recursive subfolders and filters based on modified time, size, filename case, or file content. Text tools provide syntax highlighting, inline editing, and options to ignore whitespace or comments; Pro adds two-way and three-way text merge. Other supported data includes CSV, tab-delimited files, HTML tables, Excel worksheets, binary files, images, and audio tag data. Folder Sync can reconcile data with disks, FTP servers, and zip files, and command-line scripts can run scheduled syncs. Pro also includes secure FTP connections, remote Subversion repositories, and cloud storage options such as WebDAV, Amazon S3, Dropbox, and OneDrive. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. The license is a one-time purchase, with Standard Edition at $35, paid once per user and Pro Edition at $70, paid once per user. Free evaluation is available, but continued use requires a license.
Diffract
Diffract is a desktop tool for comparing code, folders, documents and binary files on Linux, macOS and Windows. Text and code comparisons include syntax highlighting for more than 30 languages, word-level changes, moved-block detection and collapsible unchanged regions. Folder comparisons traverse directory trees, show added, removed and modified files, and allow inspection of file contents. The command-line interface supports standard, Myers and patience diff algorithms for scripts, Git hooks and CI pipelines. Pro adds three-way Git merge conflict resolution, document comparisons for PDF, Word and Excel, semantic code comparison, and Git history and commit browsing. The Free tier includes unlimited file and directory comparisons, desktop and CLI tools, three algorithms, and hex or binary comparison. The maker says comparisons run locally and files stay on the computer. Free is $0 forever and permits commercial use, but not redistribution. Pro costs $34, paid once per seat; its license key specifies a seat count and version ceiling, and includes all v1.x updates. A full refund can be requested within 30 days of purchase.