cwdiff vs Diffract

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.

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.