Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

WinMerge VS CompareMerge

Compare WinMerge VS CompareMerge and see what are their differences

WinMerge logo WinMerge

WinMerge is an open source differencing and merging tool for Windows.

CompareMerge logo CompareMerge

CompareMerge is a software tool for file comparison and merging text-like files. It is useful for determining what has changed between versions, and then merging changes between...
  • WinMerge Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-28
  • CompareMerge Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-19

WinMerge features and specs

  • Open Source
    WinMerge is free and open-source software, allowing anyone to use, modify, and distribute it without cost.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The application has a simple and intuitive interface, which makes it easy to navigate and use, even for beginners.
  • Comprehensive Merge Capabilities
    WinMerge supports complex merge tasks by offering 2-way and 3-way merge features, which are essential for resolving conflicts in version control.
  • File and Folder Comparison
    Users can compare both files and folders, which is helpful for identifying differences in project directories.
  • Windows Integration
    WinMerge integrates well with the Windows operating system, providing shell extensions and context menu options for quick access.
  • Plugin Support
    The application supports various plugins, enhancing its functionality and allowing customization to meet user needs.
  • Unicode Support
    WinMerge offers full Unicode support, making it suitable for international use and handling files in different languages.
  • Regular Expressions
    Users can apply regular expressions for advanced search and replace functions within files, enhancing text processing capabilities.

Possible disadvantages of WinMerge

  • Windows-Only
    WinMerge is primarily designed for Windows, limiting its availability and usability for users on other operating systems like macOS or Linux.
  • Limited Binary File Support
    The application is not well-suited for binary file comparison, which can be a drawback for users needing to compare executable files or other non-text formats.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users may experience performance slowdowns when handling very large files or directories with a significant number of files.
  • No Real-Time Collaboration
    Unlike some modern tools, WinMerge does not offer real-time collaboration features, which can be a limitation for remote teams working concurrently on the same files.
  • Occasional Stability Issues
    Users have reported occasional crashes and stability issues, which can disrupt the comparison and merging process.
  • Outdated Interface
    While functional, the interface may feel outdated compared to more modern applications, potentially impacting user experience.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    Although the basic functions are simple, mastering all of WinMerge’s advanced features can take some time, posing a learning curve for new users.

CompareMerge features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    CompareMerge offers a clean and intuitive interface, making it easy for users to navigate and compare files efficiently without needing extensive technical knowledge.
  • File Comparison
    The tool provides robust file comparison features, allowing users to identify differences between text files accurately and provides synchronizing capabilities.
  • Merge Capabilities
    In addition to comparing files, CompareMerge allows users to merge changes, which is essential for collaborative work and maintaining version control.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    The application runs on macOS, making it a valuable tool for Mac users who need an effective way to manage file differences and merges.

Possible disadvantages of CompareMerge

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to other file comparison tools, CompareMerge may lack some advanced features, such as 3-way merging or integration with version control systems.
  • Mac-Only
    As CompareMerge is compatible only with macOS, users on other operating systems cannot take advantage of its features, limiting its accessibility.
  • Visual Limitations
    The tool may not handle binary files or very large files well, focusing primarily on text files, which may be a limitation for some professional use cases.
  • Cost
    While there are many free alternatives available, CompareMerge may involve a cost, which could be a drawback for budget-conscious users looking for basic file comparison features.

WinMerge videos

How to Use WinMerge

More videos:

  • Review - Migrate Marlin to 1.1.9 with WinMerge
  • Tutorial - how to use winmerge

CompareMerge videos

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

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to WinMerge and CompareMerge)
File Management
87 87%
13% 13
Merge Tools
90 90%
10% 10
Diff And Merge Tools
94 94%
6% 6
Word
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare WinMerge and CompareMerge

WinMerge Reviews

11 Diff and Merge Tools to Simplify Your File Inspection
WinMerge is a diff and merge tool for Windows OS, which is free and open-source. It lets users analyze, compare and combine multiple versions of files and directories. Thus, users can easily differentiate the changes via text format and merge the required changes. It can be utilized as an external differencing and merging app or a standalone app.
Source: geekflare.com
7 WinMerge Alternatives
WinMerge alternatives mentioned below are your options in case you wish to try out other differencing and merging tools. As the name suggests, the program is meant for the Windows environment, but users who are looking for similar software for Mac OS X and Linux platforms will also find substitutes in our lineup. The flexible editor in question has been loaded with some...
15 Best Alternatives to WinMerge for 2021
Data comparison between files and folders can be a tiresome and time-consuming task. There are tools available that make the task much easier. WinMerge is one such tool. We share with you, brief details of WinMerge alternatives. You can compare data and then merge text files using WinMerge. It helps you locate the changes between the versions of a file or folder. After...
12 Best Free File Comparison Tools for Windows 10
Winmerge is a free and open source file comparison tool designed for Windows. It helps you compare both files and folders, that generate differences in a visual text format which is easy to manage and understand. It’s extremely handy in identifying the changes that took place between different project versions, and accordingly blending the changes between different versions.
Source: thegeekpage.com

CompareMerge Reviews

We have no reviews of CompareMerge yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, WinMerge seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 29 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.

WinMerge mentions (29)

  • How to Run Windows Applications on Linux Using Bottles: A Step-by-Step Guide
    Are you transitioning from Windows to Linux but struggling to replace tools like Notepad++ or WinMerge? Thanks to Wine and Bottles, you can now run Windows-only applications natively on Linux. This guide will show you how to install Windows apps on Linux effortlessly, perfect for .NET developers or anyone needing Windows tools in a Linux environment. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Windows NT on 600MHz machine opens apps instantly. What happened?
    I use WinMerge[1] a lot, and it's always impressed me how it immediately opens to a useable state. So it's absolutely still possible to write Windows software that can open instantly. I think the biggest issue, which multiple other comments have identified, is that people just don't care. Apps open fast enough these days, and no one is pushing back on developers to improve their app's startup performance. [1]:... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Two HDDs that should have identical data on them have a 50GB discrepancy, can't figure out where the files are
    I’ve used winmerge before and had good results comparing drives. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Program that deletes files that match an MD5 hash?
    However, if you're looking to compare files that already exist, you can use something like WinMerge. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Mirroring my 12 TB Drive. What do I need to check to ensure all data is transferred without corruption?
    I use Robocopy to preserve the original timestamps (using the /COPY:DAT and /DCOPY:DAT arguments) and WinMerge for doing a subsequent binary compare of the source/destination (sorting the results column by which files are different). Source: about 2 years ago
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CompareMerge mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of CompareMerge yet. Tracking of CompareMerge recommendations started around Jun 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing WinMerge and CompareMerge, you can also consider the following products

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

WinDiff - Download Windiff : free files and folders comparison tool

Meld - What is Meld? Meld is a visual diff and merge tool targeted at developers.

AptDiff - AptDiff is a visual text / binary files comparison and merging utility for Windows.

kdiff3 - KDiff3 is a file and directory diff and merge tool which compares and merges two or three text...

Workshare Compare - Workshare Compare is the leading platform for comparing two documents for differences across all document types.