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Beyond Compare

Beyond Compare

Overview

What is Beyond Compare?

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.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

BeyondCompare is a powerful tool that is widely used in software development organizations for code diffing and file comparison. Users …
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Beyond Compare

10 out of 10
January 18, 2020
Incentivized
As far as I know, Beyond Compare is used in the Engineering Department. It makes our life easier to compare multiple files or directories. …
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Beyond Compare Review

9 out of 10
October 04, 2019
Incentivized
This product is mainly used by a select number of people at my company, those that have a specific need to look at configurations for …
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Gets the job done

8 out of 10
October 04, 2019
Incentivized
We use it to compare files and make sure they match exactly in terms of content and format. This allows us to be confident when we make a …
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Pricing

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What is Beyond Compare?

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.

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Product Demos

AsGoodAsLove- "Beyond Compare" (demo)/c.5.2018.APG

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VirtZine #54 - "Beyond Compare Software Demo and Cloud Backup"

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BEYOND COMPARE (MEGATON)

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Product Details

What is Beyond Compare?

Beyond Compare Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Reviewers rate Support Rating highest, with a score of 9.2.

The most common users of Beyond Compare are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(48)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

BeyondCompare is a powerful tool that is widely used in software development organizations for code diffing and file comparison. Users rely on BeyondCompare to compare files and folders of any format, extension, or size quickly and easily. With its long-standing reputation and over 20 years of experience, it has become a trusted choice for developers.

BeyondCompare simplifies the process of locating misplaced files or documents and provides a side-by-side viewer/comparer that displays various conditions such as same, orphans, newer, missing, etc. This functionality is highly appreciated by users as it helps them identify differences and navigate directly to them.

The tool offers a wide range of choices, including information, location, duplicates, and newest. This versatility makes it suitable for various tasks such as comparing directories between development and production servers in web design and development projects. Additionally, users in web coding, data entry, and graphic design departments rely on BeyondCompare for comparing code, spreadsheets, and combining documents from multiple sources.

Furthermore, BeyondCompare serves as a reliable source code diff tool that eliminates manual work and reduces the risk of human error. It is often preferred over the default mergetool utility included with Git for handling difficult merges in the development team. The tool is also used for recursively comparing directory structures and merging differing files into a single file.

BeyondCompare's usefulness extends beyond software development. It is commonly employed for operational tasks like comparing various formats such as plain text, folders, and structured data. Users appreciate its ability to look at configurations, validate registry settings, determine differences between files of any type, troubleshoot web-based applications by comparing configuration files, compare SQL code and DDL, and perform data validation tasks.

Additionally, BeyondCompare offers the capability to compare image differences, making it a versatile tool for ensuring content and format consistency during code comparison or other scenarios where visual comparison is required.

Overall, BeyondCompare has established itself as an essential tool for developers and professionals in various disciplines, facilitating efficient file comparison and code review processes while minimizing errors and saving valuable time.

Folder diffing feature: Users have found the folder diffing feature in Beyond Compare to be extremely helpful, allowing them to easily see differences in deeply nested folder structures. Several reviewers specifically mentioned this as a standout feature of the software.

Flexible diffing rules: The flexibility of the diffing rules in Beyond Compare has been praised by users. They appreciate being able to set rules to include or exclude files, folders, and lines from their comparisons. This customization option has received positive feedback from multiple reviewers.

Quick and accurate identification of differences: Reviewers have mentioned that one of the strong points of Beyond Compare is its ability to quickly and accurately identify differences between files. This efficient comparison process has been appreciated by several users who value time-saving features in the software.

Syntax Highlighting Needs Improvement: Some users have expressed dissatisfaction with the syntax highlighting feature of the software, stating that it is basic and requires additional installation or customization. They mention that the lack of precision in rules, attributes, and names can be problematic.

Outdated User Interface: Several reviewers have mentioned their disappointment with the old-looking user interface of the software. They feel that a more modern interface would be preferred to enhance user experience.

Performance Issues with Large Files: Many users have reported that the software can be slow when comparing folders with many files or large file sizes. This has caused frustration for those working on projects involving extensive data analysis or development tasks.

Users have made several recommendations for Beyond Compare based on their experiences with the tool. The three most common recommendations are as follows:

  1. Many users recommend Beyond Compare for comparing and merging code, as well as validating code with earlier versions. They find it effective in identifying differences in code and believe it is worth the price.

  2. Another common recommendation is to use Beyond Compare for general file comparison needs. Users find it easy to learn and use, and they believe it surpasses other tools they have tried in terms of functionality.

  3. Users also suggest integrating Beyond Compare into version management tools and text editors. They find it beneficial in automating tasks and reducing manual work, making it a valuable tool for developers working with Microsoft Office tools.

Overall, users find Beyond Compare useful for a variety of comparison tasks, such as comparing files, folders, images, and plain text. They recommend trying out the free trial before purchasing and encourage comparing it against its competition to determine which tool best suits individual needs.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-1 of 1)
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Hernán Silva | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use BeyondCompare mostly for code diffing and also for personal matters. In my day-to-day job, BeyondCompare is an essential tool in my toolset that allows me to see differences between files and folders no matter the format, extension or size.
  • 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.
  • Probably the only thing that might require improvement is syntax hightlighting on code files, the feature is in my opinion very basic and requires you to install or fine tune syntax hightlighting languages that usually lack precission in rules, attributes, names.
BeyondCompare is a superb tool not only for developers but also for power users of any kind. It works very well across operating systems for comparing all kinds of files and folders, especially code and media files.

I usually throw files with thousands (4000+) of lines or folders with thousands (3000+) to compare and the program will do it quickly.

I really don't think there is a scenario where BC is not the right tool for the task.
  • The impact of BeyondCompare on my work is related to productivity, it can compare, merge and sync files and folders faster than other tools, default or third party, can.
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 almost the same features BeyondCompare has for code files but lacks media files comparison; and JetBrains DiffTool, that comes with JetBrain's code programs (IntelliJ, PHPStorm, etc) and is a great code comparison tool out there.

Other than that, there is no tool like BC in the market.
Yes
Meld, WinMerge
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
  • Prior Experience with the Product
Product features are unmatched. I started using a free trial, compared features with other tools including free ones and ended up paying for the license.
No chages
I have asked for support once and it was on the company's forum. My question received answers from users and the company support team very promptly.
No
  • 2-file or 2-folder comparison: Select 2 files or folders, right-click on the selection and choose "Compare"
  • Image comparison: Compare 2 images and BC will show you visual differences using a heatmap.
  • Folder sync: Compare 2 folders and BC will show you the difference. When ready, sync from right to left or left to right using a button.
  • Regular expressions on rules: Not sure what regular expressions flavor the program uses but often times I find myself battling with expressions that don't work.
  • Audio comparison: I frequently compare audio files using BC and there is no way to compare audio waveforms. I don't think this is the main goal of the app but since it can compare media files, would be noce to find a waveform comparison as there is heatmap comparison for images.
Easy to use, easy to configure and personalize.
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