Alternatives to Beyond Compare
A tool for comparing, merging and synchronizing files and folders on Windows, macOS and Linux. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Beyond Compare
A tool for comparing, merging and synchronizing files and folders on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Beyond Compare.
FreeFileSync
Compares two folders, shows exactly what differs, and copies only what changed.
FreeFileSync is free and open source with scheduled batch jobs and versioning, but it compares folders only and lacks Beyond Compare's text, image and table merging.
Unison
Synchronize two file collections while preserving changes from both sides.
Unison is free under GPL-3.0 and preserves changes from both sides of a sync, but offers no text, image or table comparison views.
Syncovery
A file sync, backup and migration tool for local drives, network shares and cloud storage.
Syncovery runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and NAS devices with cloud destinations, focusing on sync and backup jobs rather than visual file comparison and merging.
GoodSync
Block-level file sync and backup with versioning and many back ends.
GoodSync adds block-level transfer, versioning and mobile apps, but it is a sync and backup tool without file content comparison or merging.
SyncBack
Windows backup and folder synchronization software with cloud storage, versioning and scripting support.
SyncBack is Windows only and adds scripting, cloud destinations and versioning, with a sync focus instead of detailed file comparison and merging.
ChronoSync
A Mac app for synchronizing and backing up folders to drives, other Macs, NAS and cloud services.
ChronoSync is macOS only and adds bootable backups and scheduled sync to NAS and cloud, but lacks Beyond Compare's text and image merging.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Beyond Compare as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Difftastic
Compare source files by syntax to highlight meaningful changes.
Beyond Compare is a paid, proprietary graphical tool that compares and merges files and folders, instead of a free terminal syntax-aware diff.
rsync
The classic delta-transfer tool for copying and mirroring files.
Beyond Compare adds a graphical comparison and merge tool for folders, text and images with sync to FTP and cloud, but it is paid proprietary software.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Rclone
A command line tool that syncs, copies and mounts files across more than seventy cloud storage services.
Bvckup 2
A Windows backup utility that keeps one folder an exact, quickly updated copy of another.
osync
Two-way file synchronization script built on rsync with fault tolerance and near real-time sync.
RcloneView
A graphical file manager built on rclone for browsing, syncing and mounting cloud storage.
