Beyond Compare

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Beyond Compare
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Beyond Compare from Scooter Software headquartered in Madison is a utility for comparing different version of documents and seeing the differences. It also allows changes to be merged and synchronized.N/A
Pricing
Beyond Compare
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Beyond Compare
Free Trial
No
Free/Freemium Version
No
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Beyond Compare
Considered Both Products
Beyond Compare
Chose Beyond Compare
I used WinDiff and Compare IT in the past, but Beyond Compare is much more complete.
Chose Beyond Compare
I utilize Microsoft Excel to create a custom data comparison tool that can handle date formatting and check derived fields. We also have an in house tool, called GIT, that really mirrors the beyond compare technology- I have personally stuck with Beyond Compare instead of GIT.
Chose Beyond Compare
Notepad++ is the only other product I have seen that has something similar to what Beyond Compare specializes. While Notepad++ can perform the same type of function, it is not nearly as robust or as easy to navigate as beyond compare. It is well worth the investment for the …
Chose Beyond Compare
We've tried many: Code Compare, Meld, UltraCompare, and WinMerge. None of them have the depth of features and speed to handle the work we throw at Beyond Compare. The multi-tabbed interface allows us to sync multiple servers at the same time. It understands multiple file types, …
Chose Beyond Compare
When Beyond Compare 4 came out, we briefly considered looking at other tools, like Code Compare, but in all reality, we never really considered it a viable option. Beyond Compare offers such a comprehensive solution, especially with its Pro License (and 3-way merging …
Chose Beyond Compare
I haven't run across a whole lot of products that offer just comparisons, besides the classic diff tool. Beyond Compare serves as a specialized tool that usually is part of other software, such as IDEs. It offers some great features of IDE-embedded diff tools. A small but …
Chose Beyond Compare
Notepad++ is a step up from Microsoft's built-in notepad, but it doesn't even come close to comparing with BeyondCompare (pun intended). Notepad++ is better suited to working with a single text file and inserting line numbers for you. BeyondCompare goes far beyond that to help …
Chose Beyond Compare
To the best of my knowledge, the only 2 alternatives tested were UltraCompare (UltraEdit) and WinMerge.

WinMerge is really appealing as it is open source and free. It does have most of the base functionalities of BeyondCompare.
Chose Beyond Compare
We had used many tools before buying Beyond Compare. The reason is that it has proven to be the best tool available for files and folder comparison and merging changes; it is quick and easy to use, supports almost all formats and it had a fast adoption by the software team.
Chose Beyond Compare
Beyond Compare beats WinMemge and Notepad++ hands down for finding differences.
Chose Beyond Compare
BeyondCompare sits atop its category (file/folder comparison and merge), no doubt. Other tools offer similar feature sets but with steeper learning curves or at premium prices.

There are only 2 programs worth mentioning as competitors here: Meld, which is open source and has …
Chose Beyond Compare
There are a lot of options when it comes to file comparison tools with some being free, however, you will be hard-pressed to find another tool that does as much as BeyondComare does for a nominal cost (~$30-$60). For a thorough comparison see …
Chose Beyond Compare
I have used Diff Checker, but BeyondCompare comes as a desktop app and is more user-friendly.
Chose Beyond Compare
These are free and opensource applications. They do not have most of the features that BeyondCompare has. Even though they are free to use, the reasonable cost of BeyondCompare makes using it over these competitors a no brainer.
Top Pros
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Beyond Compare
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Medium-sized Companies
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All AlternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Beyond Compare
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(19 ratings)
Usability
9.1
(6 ratings)
Support Rating
9.2
(7 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.0
(5 ratings)
User Testimonials
Beyond Compare
Likelihood to Recommend
Scooter Software
Beyond Compare is extremely good at the task of comparisons, whether that is text file comparisons or folder comparisons. It does a great job of easily highlighting the differences for users, and giving them the option of merging (in the case of text files) or synchronizing (in the case of folders.) In either case, no one on my team has ever had any reason to reach for another different tool.
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Pros
Scooter Software
  • Folder diffing. It allows you to see differences in deeply nested folder structures.
  • File diffing. It allows you to see differences in files no matter their complexity.
  • Diffing rules. It allows you to set rules to include/exclude files, folders and lines from your comparison.
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Cons
Scooter Software
  • For date formatting discrepancies the software does not automatically mark the dates as equivalent; for instance ‘2019/10/15’ vs. ‘15-OCT-2019’. This would be considered a difference.
  • The columns/report must be ordered similarly. If extra data is available in one file, it should be removed or extra rows will be marked as differences.
  • For spreadsheet comparison, the user must save the file on the proper tab and then “recompare” within the tool. There is no way to switch between sheets in the software.
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Usability
Scooter Software
Again, given the intuitive nature of this program, there is barely any learning curve needed. It is simple, reliable, accurate, and just one of those tools you always have with you and rarely think about until you don't have it. Then it is a case of OMG what was I thinking? This program is just very easy to use, and that makes it more valuable to me than some of my other software tools that cost significantly more.
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Support Rating
Scooter Software
I have never needed support for this product other than learning how to use a new feature I was not familiar with. User forums and user groups that have used this product for their own purposes have always sufficed for anything that I needed help using with the product. Some of the features could be a little better outlined, but overall very easy to use.
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Alternatives Considered
Scooter Software
We've tried many: Code Compare, Meld, UltraCompare, and WinMerge. None of them have the depth of features and speed to handle the work we throw at Beyond Compare. The multi-tabbed interface allows us to sync multiple servers at the same time. It understands multiple file types, metadata, and encodings. It's the best tool for the job.
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Return on Investment
Scooter Software
  • It's made it quick and easy to compare and synchronize directories when restoring a backup or copying code from one environment to another one.
  • There are times when it would be a painstaking task to manually compare or sync two different directories, but BeyondCompare made it a trivial task.
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