Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Atril VS Diff Anything

Compare Atril VS Diff Anything and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Atril logo Atril

Atril is a simple multi-page document viewer. Atril is a fork of Evince.

Diff Anything logo Diff Anything

Compare the files developers actually work withโ€”not just text.
  • Atril Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-22
  • Diff Anything Landing page
    Landing page //
    2026-08-18

Diff Anything chooses a comparison engine that understands the inputs. Text uses a focused side-by-side diff, JSON and other structured formats compare semantic paths, CSV can match rows by key, folders recurse with ignore rules, and images add pixel heatmaps, overlay, and blink views. Compared files never leave the computer. There are no accounts, cloud comparison services, analytics, or telemetry. CLI and Git difftool modes make the same comparison model available in scripts and source-control workflows.

Atril features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Atril is designed to be a lightweight document viewer, making it fast and efficient with system resources. This is particularly beneficial for older or less powerful computers.
  • MATE Integration
    As part of the MATE desktop environment, Atril is well-integrated and maintains a consistent look and feel with other MATE applications, providing a seamless user experience.
  • Multiple Format Support
    Atril supports a variety of document formats, including PDF, PostScript, DjVu, DVI, and XPS, making it a versatile tool for viewing different kinds of documents.
  • Open Source
    Atril is open-source software, allowing users to freely inspect, modify, and distribute the software. This fosters transparency and community contributions.

Possible disadvantages of Atril

  • Limited Features
    Compared to some other document viewers, Atril may have fewer advanced features, such as extensive annotation tools or advanced search capabilities.
  • MATE Dependency
    While Atril can be used outside the MATE desktop environment, it is specifically designed for MATE, meaning it may not integrate as well with other desktop environments.
  • Occasional Lag with Large Files
    Users may experience some performance lag when opening very large documents, which can affect usability.
  • Development Pace
    Being part of a community-driven project, Atril's development and updates can be slower compared to commercial software with dedicated development teams.

Diff Anything features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis of Atril

Overall verdict

  • Atril is considered a good option for users looking for a straightforward, reliable document viewer integrated with the MATE desktop environment. It offers essential features required for everyday document viewing tasks and is consistently maintained as part of the MATE project.

Why this product is good

  • Atril, a document viewer that is part of the MATE desktop environment, is appreciated for its simplicity and efficiency. It supports a wide range of document formats including PDF, PostScript, DJVU, and many others. Atril is lightweight, making it an excellent choice for users who prefer minimal resource consumption without sacrificing functionality.

Recommended for

    Atril is recommended for users who utilize the MATE desktop environment or those who need a fast and efficient document viewer that does not hog system resources. It's especially suitable for Linux users who appreciate the traditional desktop experience provided by MATE.

Atril videos

Me comprรฉ un atril! - PDP CS800 #Review

More videos:

  • Review - REVIEW / Atril de platillo HC33BW con boom Tama
  • Review - Review: Wostoo Teclado Electrรณnico Piano 61 Teclas con Atril y Microfono

Diff Anything videos

No Diff Anything videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Atril and Diff Anything)
PDF Editor
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100
PDF Tools
100 100%
0% 0
File Management
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Atril and Diff Anything.

What makes your product unique?

Diff Anything's answer:

Diff Anything is a local-first desktop comparison and merge application that selects a comparison model for the inputs. It supports focused text diffs, semantic paths for JSON and other structured formats, key-based CSV matching, recursive folder comparison with ignore rules, and image heatmap, overlay, and blink views. Compared files stay on the computer, with no account, cloud comparison service, analytics, or telemetry.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Diff Anything's answer:

Diff Anything is a fit when you need one private desktop workflow for mixed artifacts rather than only plain text. It can compare text, structured data, CSV, folders, archives, documents, API schemas, HTTP responses, images, and binaries locally. CLI and Git difftool modes also make the same comparison model available in scripts and source-control workflows.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Diff Anything's answer:

Diff Anything is primarily for developers comparing mixed release artifacts, teams reviewing configuration or API changes, and people who need to inspect sensitive local files without uploading their content or creating an account.

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Atril seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 23 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Atril mentions (23)

  • KDE celebrates the 29th birthday and kicks off the yearly fundraiser
    MATE was forked around the time GNOME 3 was released and is still going. https://mate-desktop.org Some people consider Cinnamon to be a GNOME 2 spiritual successor while still using a lot of GNOME 3 stuff under the hood. https://projects.linuxmint.com/cinnamon/. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • SerenityOS is a love letter to '90s user interfaces
    The closest I know of is Blue95. I have only run the live environment but it worked pretty well and was impressive. "Blue95 is a modern and lightweight desktop experience that is reminiscent of a bygone era of computing. Based on Fedora Atomic Xfce with the Chicago95 theme." https://github.com/winblues/blue95 And if you like Gnome 2.x, there's MATE: https://mate-desktop.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Systemd Rolling Out "run0" As sudo Alternative
    I don't know if you are DE shopping, but I've been very happy for the past few years with the MATE Desktop Environment, which "...is the continuation of GNOME 2. It provides an intuitive and attractive desktop environment using traditional metaphors for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems." https://mate-desktop.org/ Among a great number of things I really like, I will mention that Caja, the MATE version of... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Lobotomizing Gnome
    I agree that there is a balance between customization and "cleanness" in design and implementation. However, I think the GNOME 3 and 4 designers went too far and alienated many users: https://www.zdnet.com/article/linus-torvalds-finds-gnome-3-4-to-be-a-total-user-experience-design-failure/ https://medium.com/@fulalas/gnome-42-the-nonsense-continues-7d96c3287f7... - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • I Still Use Windows 95 (archived, 2008)
    > Is there a WM out there that can do the basic quality-of-life functions of today's DEs? I'd love a simple, opinionated WM that takes the features we know are useful today (workspaces, expo mode, sensible file manager layouts, system trays) and gives them a color-adjustable window theme inspired by 90's aesthetics, with minimal compositing that can run fast on hardware as minimal as a prototype RISC-V board. Or... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
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Diff Anything mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Diff Anything yet. Tracking of Diff Anything recommendations started around Aug 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Atril and Diff Anything, you can also consider the following products

Evince - Evince is a document viewer for multiple document formats: PDF, Postscript, djvu, tiff, dvi, XPS...

Beyond Compare - Beyond Compare allows you to compare files and folders.

PDF Reader Pro - PDF Reader Pro is an all-in-one PDF office supporting to Read, Annotate, Edit, OCR, Convert, Create & Fill Form, Sign PDFs, TTS on Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows.

ApowerPDF - ApowerPDF is a versatile PDF editor which also features as PDF converter, viewer, creator and more. It provides a perfect solution for all users.

Icecream Apps PDF Editor - Excellent powerful tool to edit PDF, annotate PDF, redact, protect and more.

Win PDF Editor - Win PDF Editor is a lightweight PDF editor that lets you create, edit, modify and convert PDF files on your computer.