dupeGuru vs jdupes

dupeGuru is a desktop tool for finding duplicate files on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its Standard, Music, and Picture modes offer different ways to compare files. Filename scans can detect similar names, while Music mode can compare names or selected tags and show music-specific details. Picture mode looks for similar images, including different-sized images when that preference is enabled. Contents scans identify exact matches, first using file sizes to rule out files that cannot match and then comparing contents with MD5 hashes. A recursive contents scan can also locate duplicate folders. Users can filter and sort results, preview files, and delete, move, or copy marked duplicates. Reference folders and duplicate groups are designed to protect reference files and leave at least one item in each group. The documentation recommends checking results before deletion: similar-word matching can cause false positives and slow scans, and picture comparisons can be CPU-intensive. dupeGuru is free, with packages listed for Windows, macOS, Debian, RPM, Arch Linux, and Ubuntu PPA.

jdupes is a free utility for finding and handling exact duplicate files on Linux, macOS, and Windows. It identifies files that are fully identical rather than matching images, sounds, or other formats by similarity. Matching can use file size, hashes, and byte-for-byte comparison, with optional partial-hash matching. The project says it checks matching data after hashing to reduce the chance of false matches from hash collisions. Found duplicates can be reviewed before deletion, deleted without prompting, linked, summarized, or handled through copy-on-write deduplication. On Linux and Unix, the instructions use command-line directory paths; the project also provides a native Windows port, including support for Unicode. Docker use is documented, and standard output can feed shell scripts. A database can retain scan metadata for repeat runs, though the project labels that feature as under development and notes quirks. The README warns that quick matching skips byte-for-byte checks and can classify non-duplicates as duplicates. It also warns that disabling file-change checks creates a security vulnerability, especially when linking or deleting. jdupes is distributed under the MIT License.