Meld vs UltraCompare
Meld
gnome.pages.gitlab.gnome.orgUltraCompare
ultraedit.comSide by side
| Figure | Meld | UltraCompare |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $8.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Spec score · Diff and Merge Tools | 7.6 (#19) | 8.3 (#9) |
| Spec score · File Comparison Software | 7.6 (#23) | 8.3 (#7) |
| File comparison | It compares, edits, and merges files with live updates, change navigation, text filters, and three-way merge assistance. | It supports side-by-side comparison and visual merging of two or three files from different locations. |
| Intended users | The project describes Meld as useful for reviewing code changes and understanding patches. | The maker lists developers and engineers, IT and system administrators, QA and technical writers, and legal, compliance, and business teams as users. |
| Purpose | Meld is a visual diff and merge tool for comparing files, directories, and version-controlled projects. | UltraCompare compares and merges text files, folders, and documents including Word, Excel, and PDF. |
| Support | The project asks users to open an issue for problems and offers a discussion board for questions. | The maker offers an AI assistant for feature, setup, workflow, or licensing help, support cases, FAQs, documentation, and a community run forum. |
| Version control | It supports Git, Mercurial, Bazaar, and Subversion, including integration with tools such as git mergetool. | It integrates with Git, Subversion, and CVS as a difftool and mergetool. |
Plans
UltraCompare
- UltraEdit Core Subscription$99.95 a year
- UltraEdit Enterprise Subscription$119.95 a year
- UltraEdit Core Perpetual$179.95, paid once
- UltraEdit Enterprise Perpetual$249.95, paid once
In their own words
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.
UltraCompare
UltraCompare compares and merges files, folders, and documents, including Word, Excel, and PDF. It can show two or three files side by side and lets users merge differences visually. Folder tools compare, merge, and synchronize directory structures, with rule-based automation available. For spreadsheets and other tabular data, it can compare and merge cells, rows, or columns, including across multiple Excel sheets. UltraCompare works as a diff and merge tool with Git, Subversion, and CVS. It can compare remote files over FTP or SFTP and by URL, and folders over FTP and network shares. ZIP, RAR, and JAR contents can be compared without extraction. Additional tools include highlighting for characters, words, or lines; options to ignore whitespace or case; editable comparisons; saved sessions; and HTML or text reports. The maker lists Windows, macOS, and Linux, while a fully functional Windows trial includes all features for 30 days. There is no free plan. Subscriptions start at $99.95 a year for Core or $119.95 a year for Enterprise; perpetual options cost 179.95 USD or 249.95 USD once.