Guiffy is a full-featured tool with syntax highlighting, three-way comparisons and merges, and multiple comparison algorithms. WinMerge is an open-source diff tool with some nice features like folder and image comparison, and three-way file comparison. The basic version can be used free of charge, while the Professional Edition delivers the full feature set. Code Compareīesides offering all the standard diff and merge capabilities, Code Compare comes with some special features like syntax highlighting, semantic code comparison and a VisualStudio integration. Perforce, the company best known for its enterprise version control platform, also offers a solid diff tool: P4Merge is free of charge and comes with a basic feature set that makes it an interesting option on Windows, macOS and Linux. DeltaWalker supports Windows, macOS and Linux. If you're regularly performing comparisons on a folder basis, it's good to know that DeltaWalker shines with great performance in this area.

However, it goes one step further by letting you compare file archives like ZIP, JAR, and TAR files. Much like Araxis, the DeltaWalker diff tool also lets you compare office files. The project hasn't seen many updates in recent years (though you may be able to find more recent releases through this page), but it remains a solid diff and merge tool that should satisfy basic needs. KDiff3Īnother free and open source tool answers to the name of KDiff3. It comes in standard and professional editions, and for people working on both Windows and macOS, it's good to know that a single license is valid for both platforms. It also lets you compare office documents (like MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, or ODF).

Just like Beyond Compare, Araxis Merge supports more than just text and image files. The 'Pro' version also includes a solid three-way merge. It goes well beyond (pun intended) diffing simple text and also allows comparing PDF, Excel and image files. The Beyond Compare team makes a fine diff tool for Windows (as well as macOS and Linux, by the way). Apart from diffing files, Meld also supports comparison of folders. It supports three-way comparing and merging and lets you edit files directly from the comparison view.

Being free and open source, Meld is a very popular tool on Windows (it's also available for Linux).

Windows file comparison tool