FileMerge
- DiffFork is a diff tool for Mac OS X. DiffFork can compare both folders and files, presenting differences in a visual format. * Block Guide and Scrolling in Sync. Commercial Mac.
- This article compares computer software tools that compare files, and in many cases directories or folders, whether it is their main purpose or as part of more general file management.
- It is possibly the only free diff UI available for Mac OS X developers. This utility comes free bundled with Xcode, a free development tools package offered with any Mac OS X operating system or by a free subscription to the Apple developer site.
DiffMerge 4.2.1 - Visually compare and merge files. Download the latest versions of the best Mac apps at safe and trusted MacUpdate Download, install, or update DiffMerge for Mac from MacUpdate.
Being part of its developer toolset, Apple's own merge tool comes at no additional costs. It might not be the most elegant tool, but it's definitely a solid one that does the job of comparing & merging text.
Beyond Compare
Originally a product for Microsoft Windows, the Beyond Compare team has contributed a fine diff tool to the Mac platform. Like Araxis Merge and DeltaWalker, it goes beyond (pun intended) comparing simple text and also allows diffing Word and PDF contents. In its 'Pro Version', it also supports merging.
Araxis Merge
One of the few diff tools that works with more than just text and image files, Araxis Merge lets you also compare office documents (like MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, or ODF). For people working on both Windows and Mac, it's great to know that a single license is valid for both platforms.
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DeltaWalker
Just like Araxis, the DeltaWalker app also lets you compare office files. However, it goes one step further by letting you compare file archives like ZIP, JAR, and TAR files. Also, if you're regularly performing comparisons on a folder basis, DeltaWalker shines with a great performance in this area.
Kaleidoscope
Originally developed by 'Sofa', Kaleidoscope was later acquired by 'BlackPixel' - who did a great job in making it one of the best diff & merge tools for the Mac. Its beautiful user interface and great image diffing capabilities are what set it apart.
Free Alternatives
In case you're looking for a free alternative to the standard FileMerge app, you should also have a look at P4Merge and DiffMerge.
Both can't compare in terms of features and user interface with their commercial competitors - but make for a valid alternative on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Integrations
Another aspect to watch out for is integrations: before choosing your favorite tool, you should make sure that it plays nicely with the rest of your tool chain. I can already confirm that all of the mentioned tools work seamlessly at least with Tower, our own Git client.
If you don't need the power of a dedicated Diff tool application, the integrated diff views in Tower might be absolutely sufficient for you:
In case you don't know Tower: it's the Git desktop client for Mac and Windows that helps thousands of developers and designers to easily & productively work with the Git version control system. Try it 30 days for free!
Conclusion
Diff & merge apps are amongst the most underestimated tools. But a good one can be really helpful in a lot of situations. Try one of the above and see for yourself!
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My favorite file comparison tool was Beyond Compare but since I recently switched to OS X, i'm no longer able to use it and I'm looking for an alternative, preferably a free one.
Update: I made the mistake not to specify that I am also looking for a tool that does directory comparison, not only files. Because this could make the already answers invalid I made another question for this What directory comparison tools can I use on OS X?
sorinlocked by nohillside♦Dec 12 '15 at 7:24
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16 Answers
Beyond Compare 4 now runs also on OSX. Visit http://www.scootersoftware.com/beta.php?zz=beta4_whatsnew
This is an aggregation of the answers posted on SO's deleted clone, Graphical diff for Mac OS X. It includes links to each product, and the current price since last edit in USD.
Note that any links to SO will only be visible to users who can view deleted content, which requires either moderator privileges or 10k reputation on that site.
- Sourcegear's DiffMerge, shareware
- Joachim Eibl's KDiff3, free
- Black Pixel's Kaleidoscope, $69.99
- Bare Bones Software's TextWrangler, free
- Araxis's Merge, $129 + $29/year
- Deltopia's DeltaWalker, $39.95/$75.95
- Kai Willadsen's Meld, free
- Weipin Xia's DiffFork, $26
- Biscade's RoaringDiff, free
- tkdiff, free
There were some other suggestions, which were not diff tools in their own right, which I will list below:
- It (Beyond Compare) runs well in Wine, but I miss the shell integration. - Danyal Aytekin, May 11 '12, 13:01
- Eclipse also has a fairly decent comparison mechanism. - JeeBee, Oct 9 '08, 12:45
- P4Merge that comes with Perforce is pretty good and comes for free with perforce client. Both terminal and GUI version. - amok, Jul 7 '10, 23:19
- I had to use Vim because most of diffs mentioned here do not understand UTF-8. - user184880, Oct 6 '09, 9:56
That about wraps up that thread's merge into this one, as covered here.
FileMerge is bundled with XCode, but I prefer Kaleidoscope which is not free.
Jason SalazI use Kaleidoscope. Or just plain, old diff from the CLI
It is not great, but the FileMerge bundled with the OS can be launched from the command line as opendiff a.txt b.txt.
You can use diff if you're using the command-line.
Changes.app has a great reputation and lots of features. Kaleidoscope is great too, and has a beautifully designed UI.
It's also worth mentioning if you're doing programming that Xcode 4 has visual diff tools built in now too.
There's also DeltaWalker.
It's $40, and there's a trial available.
Nathan GreensteinHere are which I've found:
FileMerge (opendiff)
It's bundled with Xcode with Command Line Tools installed
DiffMergeIt's bundled with Xcode with Command Line Tools installed
It's free and open source. Install by:
brew install vim.Can be installed using Homebrew via command:
brew install meld, but probably it won't work.Can be installed using Homebrew via command:
brew install kdiff3Can be installed using Homebrew via command:
brew install tkdiffAvailable at App Store
Commercial with free trial.
Commercial with free trial.
Commercial with free trial.
Check also Comparison of file comparison tools at Wikipediafor the full list.
There are a great many comparison tools available. Many do directories and files. Some even perform as merge tools (2 and 3 way). Of these some have already been mentioned in other answers and your choice will depend on what features you require, and how much you are prepared to pay for the tool. There is a good Wikipedia page with a comparison of many of the better known ones.
I use Folder Sync It costs $8.99 on the Mac App Store. It works really nicely.
P4Merge is a free, very nice diff and merge tool. It can:
- Diff files
- Do 3 way merges
- Do Folder diffs
- Visually diff 2 image files!
Some screenshots:
Visual diff of an image:
Macos File Comparison
This tool https://filecomparisontool.com
- Web based, so it is compatible
- Mobile friendly
- Save comparison up to 6 months
- Share comparison via URL
- It is free!
Mac Folder Compare
vim also has built-in support for side-by-side diff -
Here is a page describing vim diff mode in detail -
Mac Os Compare Files
GitX-dev is a fork (variant) of GitX, a long-defunct GUI for the git version-control system. It has been maintained and enhanced with productivity and friendliness oriented changes, with effort focused on making a first-class, maintainable tool for today's active developers.