Beyond Compare is a software application used by developers, system administrators and others to compare, merge, and synchronize data. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Standard vs. Pro
The Standard Edition of Beyond Compare is a powerful, full-featured comparison tool. The Pro Edition includes all the Standard features and adds these:
[Pro only] Text Merge
Two- and three-way text merging compares independent changes against a common ancestor to create new merged content.
[Pro only] Folder Merge
In BC verson 4 and 5 Pro, two- and three-way merging supports folders as well as files.
[Pro only] Windows logo Source control integration
Adds commands for checking files in or out of SCC-compliant version control systems. Windows only.
[Pro only] Built-in SFTP support
Rather than relying on third-party solutions, the Pro Edition has integrated support for secure FTP protocols (SFTP and FTP over SSL).
[Pro only] Text replacements
Lets you flag certain text replacements as unimportant differences in a Text Compare session. For example, ignore all instances where apple was replaced by orange.
[Pro only] Folder Compare alignment overrides
Overrides how files are aligned in a Folder Compare session. For example, you could compare your .gif files on one side with .png files of the same name on the other side.
[Pro only] Windows logo Registry Compare
Compares live registries, both local and remote, as well as registry files. Windows only.
[Pro only] WebDAV, Dropbox, Subversion, etc.
BC version 4 and 5 Pro have integrated support for WebDAV, Dropbox cloud, OneDrive, Amazon S3, and Subversion resources. OneDrive is only on Windows logo Windows and Mac logo macOS.
In trial mode you can use both Standard and Pro features. Upon registering, the license key unlocks the appropriate features permanently.
If you choose the Standard Edition license, you can upgrade later to Pro for the difference in price.
BC version 2 does not have a Pro Edition: It is comparable to a Standard Edition.
System Requirements
Hardware Requirements
- Intel processor; 1 GHz or faster recommended
- 1 GB RAM; additional memory recommended for large comparisons
- 60 MB of available hard drive space
- 1024 x 768 display resolution *
* Using a higher DPI scaling at minimum resolution may cause certain dialogs to hide various settings.
Windows Platform Compatibility
(All service packs compatible unless otherwise noted)
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Windows
version
|
BC
version
|
|
|
|
|
|
5.0+
|
4.4.7
|
3.3.13
|
2.5.3
|
|
Windows
Server 2025
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Windows
11
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Windows
Server 2022
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Windows
Server 2019
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Windows
Server 2016
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Windows
10 (32 & 64)
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Windows
Server 2012 R2
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Windows
Server 2012
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Windows
8.1 (32 & 64)
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Windows
Server 2008 R2
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
|
Windows
7 (32 & 64)
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
|
Windows
Server 2008 (32 & 64)
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
|
Windows
Vista (32 & 64)
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
|
Windows
XP 64
|
X
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
|
Windows
Server 2003 (32 & 64)
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
|
Windows
XP SP3
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
|
Windows
2000
|
X
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
|
Windows
NT 4.0 SP4+
|
X
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
|
Windows
95, 98, ME
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
O
|
|
|
Automatic check for updates not supported on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista. Windows 11 on ARM: Compatible via emulation, except the top-level right click shell extension menu in Windows Explorer (Show More Options is supported). Emulation can impact performance.
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macOS Platform Compatibility |
Beyond Compare 5 runs on Macintosh computers, under macOS 12 Monterey and up.
Beyond Compare 4 runs on Macintosh computers, under macOS 10.11 El Capitan and up.
Linux Platform Compatibility
[V3+]BC3 logo BC version 3 or later
Beyond Compare does not run as a console application on Linux. It requires the X window system.
Supported
Tested and supported with GNOME desktop environment unless otherwise noted.
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Linux
distribution
|
BC
version
|
|
|
|
|
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5.2+
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5.1.7
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4.4.7
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3.3.13
|
|
Linux
Mint 22 Cinnamon
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Linux
Mint 21 Cinnamon
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Redhat
Enterprise Linux 10
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Redhat
Enterprise Linux 9
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Redhat
Enterprise Linux 8
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Redhat
Enterprise Linux 7
|
X
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
|
Ubuntu
26.04 LTS
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Ubuntu
24.04 LTS
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Ubuntu
22.04 LTS
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
|
BC 5.2+ on Redhat Enterprise Linux 9 and BC 5.1.7 on Redhat Enterprise Linux 10 require the EPEL repository.
Supported but not routinely tested
Supported with GNOME desktop environment unless otherwise noted.
|
Linux
distribution
|
BC
version
|
|
|
|
|
|
5.2+
|
5
|
4.4.7
|
3.3.13
|
|
Debian
13
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Debian
12
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Debian
11
|
X
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Fedora
44
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
Fedora
43
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
X
|
|
|
Other Linux Distributions Customers may be able to run Beyond Compare on other Linux distributions and desktop environments. Limited technical support is provided for other configurations.
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