Beyond Compare review
Beyond Compare is a desktop file and folder comparison tool with table, text and binary compare. It ranks #10 of 10 in our file testing tools list (6.2/10). Best for testers and developers diffing CSV extracts, Excel sheets and text files by hand or by script.
Price: one-time licence from $35 · Free evaluation (length not stated on the shop page).
What Beyond Compare is
Beyond Compare from Scooter Software compares and merges folders, text files, tables, binary files and images on Windows, macOS and Linux. Its Table Compare view compares CSV, tab-delimited, HTML tables and Excel worksheets with key-column alignment and numeric/date tolerances, and a script processor and command line allow automated runs.
Pros and cons
- Table Compare aligns CSV and Excel data on key columns and ignores differences within numeric or date tolerances
- One-time license with no annual renewal fee
- Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, with scripting from the command line
- It diffs two files; it does not validate files against a schema or rule set
- No database connectivity for file-to-database comparison
- Major version upgrades are paid (generally half price)
Beyond Compare pricing
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Annual saving | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (per user) | $35 one-time | $35 one-time | — | One-time perpetual license: $35 per user (1-4 users), $28 (5-9), down to $15.75 (100+); site license $5,250; enterprise license $21,000 |
| Pro (per user) | $70 one-time | $70 one-time | — | One-time perpetual license: $70 per user (1-4 users), $56 (5-9), down to $31.50 (100+); site $10,500; enterprise $42,000 |
USD, per user per month unless noted. "—" means the price is not published or we could not confirm it. Last checked Nov 15, 2026. Status: verified on Beyond Compare's pricing page.
Key facts
| Free plan | No |
|---|---|
| Free trial | Free evaluation (length not stated on the shop page) |
| Paid from | See vendor |
| Minimum seats | 1 |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Support | Email, Phone, Forums |
| CSV, JSON and XML files | Not confirmed |
| Excel files | Yes |
| Parquet or Avro files | Not confirmed |
| File-to-database comparison | Not confirmed |
| Schema / format validation | Not confirmed |
| Facts checked | Nov 15, 2026 · verified on the vendor's own site (source) |
Beyond Compare alternatives
Frequently asked questions
How much does Beyond Compare cost?
Beyond Compare has no free plan. Prices last checked Nov 15, 2026.
Is Beyond Compare free?
No. Beyond Compare has no permanent free plan, but offers a free evaluation (length not stated on the shop page).
What are the best Beyond Compare alternatives?
Great Expectations (GX Core) (8.8/10), QuerySurge (8.8/10), Datagaps ETL Validator (8.6/10) are the highest-scoring alternatives in our file testing tools ranking.