Expert's Rating
Pros
- Compares images visually
- A tabbed interface supporting multiple sessions
Cons
- No word wrapping in text comparison
Our Verdict
Beyond Compare is a file compare and directory sync utility wrapped in one.
Beyond Compare Standard edition ($30) is a powerful utility for tracking down differences between files and folders. Its feature set is comparable to free and open-source WinMerge, with a few added extras such as comparing images and music file metadata, and support for comparing files over FTP.
The first thing I tried to do with Beyond Compare was compare two versions of a scholarly text. It tracked down the differences, but the interface made it difficult for me to find them: Beyond Compare does not support word wrapping. This means each lengthy paragraph in my article got just a single line, and I had to keep scrolling horizontally to see the rest of the line. Not very convenient.
Beyond Compare also has a feature for finding differences between image files. I tried it with two PCWorld logo files I found online. It was no surprise that Beyond Compare confirmed that the files were absolutely identical. Then I made them different with a simple tweak, just shifting one file on its canvas. Beyond Compare visually highlighted the differences, showing where pixels didn’t match in the two files.
Beyond Compare was fast and responsive when I tested it, and the features worked as described. That said, unless you need some of its more exotic features such as FTP support, you may get similar results using one of the free alternatives.
–Erez Zukerman