Staying up-to-date in a software, writing, or design project is hard - especially when multiple people are working on it. Without the right tools, you won't be able to understand the changes that move the project forward.
This is where a diff tool comes in handy. It makes changes visible and helps you understand them. In this article, we've compiled a short list that helps you get an overview of the best diff tools on the Mac.
Diff Tool For Mac Free
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.
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.
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). It comes in standard and professional editions, and for people working on both macOS and Windows, it's great to know that a single license is valid for both platforms.
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Although it has changed hands (i.e. owners) multiple times, Kaleidoscope is still one of the best diff & merge tools for the Mac. Its beautiful user interface and great image diffing capabilities are what set it apart. Kaleidoscope is also available for the iPad.
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 macOS, Windows, and Linux.
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.
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!
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You can use FileMerge, Apple's diff solution. It's free and it comes with every Mac OS X install.The only downside is that you have to install the Developer Tools. You can find them on your DVD install that came when you bought your Mac (Snow Leopard or earlier). You can also get the developer tools from the App Store if your version of the OS supports that.
Meld is a visual diff and merge tool targeted at developers. Meld helps you compare files, directories, and version controlled projects. It provides two- and three-way comparison of both files and directories, and has support for many popular version control systems.
Araxis Merge ( _mac/index.html) is the gold standard in this area and has a similar cost (what is the weight of bits?). There are Windows and Mac versions, and it is truly excellent if you find yourself spending a lot of time doing multiway diffs and merges (more common in these days of distributed version control systems).
Maybe you will find the app SourceTree interesting: SourceTree is a free Mac client for Git and Mercurial version control systems. Therefor it isn't a general purpose diff or merge tool but it is worth mentioning it.
It presents file-diffs very nicely and handles three-way merges like a champ. As a long-time WinMerge user I was very happy with it. Its use of little gem-like icons in a 3-way merge takes some getting used to. One icon is for my change, one for their's, and one for the common ancestor. Once you get that straight it was very helpful.
* it was free, but may now be subject to Perforce's licensing. Perforce in-general is restricted to a certain number of users and/or files unless you buy it. However, these restrictions only make sense when using their server-side software. These client-only tools can't really be licensed like that. I'll update if I ever hear back from the company on this matter.
SemanticMerge, as the name says :-), is a tool able to merge based on code structure instead of blocks of text. It basically means it parses the code first and then merges based on methods, classes and so on, so it is quite refactor friendly since it can match methods/functions even when they've been moved to different locations within the file.
My favorite non-free, but inexpensive ($30-ish) solution for merging the contents of files is Beyond Compare 3. Yes, Beyond Compare 3 is only available as a native Windows or Linux app, but I run it in WiNE via the easy to use Wineskin Winery app.
I haven't made my choice for Mac. But on Windows I use WinMerge, on Linux Meld (which is also available for Mac), currently using twdiff, I already tried FileMerge.app, and going to try DiffMerge.
Writers and programmers often need to compare different versions of the same code or text to keep track of changes. However, figuring out the changes is not a simple task. As a document gets longer, you're more likely to make errors in comparison.
A file comparison tool helps you compare and merge differences between two (or more) versions of the same file. There are different types of utilities, each tailored for specific types of file formats.
Meld is a simple, cross-platform diff and merge tool. It's available for Mac via third-party binaries or package managers like Homebrew. The user interface is intuitive and neatly packs all its functions into a handy menu. It has many customizable settings to make file and folder comparison on Mac quick and easy.
When done, submit the modified file back to the shared repository or depot, where it keeps track of all the file revisions. P4V integrates with the P4 diff and merge tool. The purple icon and its color scheme highlight the input file, while the green icon and its color scheme highlight the output file.
P4Merge displays files side-by-side, with the center as a base file. This allows you to compare two files with a base file to find differences and select the text you want in the merged file. To navigate, click the Previous or Next buttons. The application is free for up to five users and 20 workspaces.
Every comparison task begins with a Session. You can customize and save any session as Workspace. Simply load the workspace, and Beyond Compare will load all your sessions with the same configuration and tabs. The session settings that control these comparisons are called Rules. You can save different sessions with specific rules to suit different tasks.
The overview thumbnail on the left pane displays a visual map of colors. To navigate, use the Next and Previous buttons to step through all your differences. Then, use the arrow buttons to merge your files. Click the Save button located at the right of the window to save your file.
DeltaWalker is a cross-platform visual diff and merge tool. The interface is intuitive, with just a few menu buttons. It relies more on visual parameters to help you find differences. Out of the box, it supports Office files, Java archives, ZIP, XML, PDF, and more. Speaking of which, we've covered how to compare two PDF files using other methods.
Araxis Merge is a complex diff and merge tool. It works with many file formats, including Office files, PDF, XML, HTML, Binary, and source code files. This makes the app suitable for various creative professionals and use cases.
Click the Browse button to open your file. Araxis Merge uses text extraction filters and formatting tools to help you see changes more clearly. Go to Preferences > File Comparisons > File Types to configure the filters for various kinds of files.
Diff and Merge tools are probably the most underestimates tools, but everyone needs them. A software developer might need syntax highlighting and export features. A writer may prefer a more visual diff tool to compare text. The apps discussed here cover every use case. Give them a proper trial to see which one fits your needs.
File comparison or diff tools are very much the same things. They compare similar files quickly to find out exactly what the differences are and show them to you by placing them side-by-side for you to look at easily. They even highlight the differences in Mac files for you.
Meld is a free diff and merge tool that makes file and folder comparisons on a Mac quick and easy. The software displays the files you want to compare side-by-side and conveniently highlights the differences between them. Meld does a three-way comparison of files and folders and updates any changes you make in real-time.
It has an easy-to-use interface and colorful buttons to make your tasks more fun. Beyond Compare places the files you are comparing side-by-side and then uses red text for highlighting significant differences and blue for minor ones. You can adjust the colors to suit your taste. 2ff7e9595c
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