Beyond Compare vs Meld
Beyond Compare
scootersoftware.comMeld
gnome.pages.gitlab.gnome.orgSide by side
| Figure | Beyond Compare | Meld |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 1 |
| Spec score · File Comparison Software | 8.2 (#8) | 7.6 (#23) |
| Spec score · Diff and Merge Tools | 8.2 (#10) | 7.6 (#19) |
| Folder comparison | Folder comparison supports filters, recursive subfolder comparison, and criteria including modified time, size, filename case, and file content. | It identifies missing or modified files across folders and can ignore selected files or folders. |
| Purpose | Beyond Compare compares folders, text files, images, and tables, and helps users review differences and merge changes. | Meld is a visual diff and merge tool for comparing files, directories, and version-controlled projects. |
| Support | Support resources include a help file, video tutorials, articles, user forums, problem reporting, and direct contact options. | The project asks users to open an issue for problems and offers a discussion board for questions. |
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.
Meld
Meld is a free visual diff and merge tool for comparing files, folders, and version-controlled projects. It shows changes as files are edited, provides navigation between differences, and assists with three-way merges, including conflict handling and display of the base version. Folder comparisons identify missing or modified files and allow selected files or folders to be ignored. Meld supports Git, Mercurial, Bazaar, and Subversion, including integration with tools such as git mergetool. Users can define regular-expression filters to ignore matching text, but filtering support is incomplete and filters cannot change the number of lines. The software is available for Linux and Windows. Linux packages are offered by most Linux and Unix distributions and through Flathub; Windows users can download an installer. Windows builds do not support automatic updates or portable installs. macOS is not yet supported, though the project lists semi-official builds and installation options through Homebrew, MacPorts, or Fink. Meld 3.24.0 is listed as the stable release dated 20 June 2026. The plan costs nothing and lists a GPLv2-or-later license, except as noted.