What's New

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Version 3 is a fairly complete rewrite of Beyond Compare.  Like the transition from version 1 to version 2, we took the opportunity to rethink the user interface, redesign some of the internal fundamentals, and add significant new functionality.

Here are some of the significant new features in Beyond Compare 3.  Items flagged with are only available in the Pro edition.

Expanded Session concept

Any comparison can be saved as a session, not just folder comparisons
Plug-ins have been replaced by built-in session types
Saved sessions can be organized in folders
New comparisons are now automatically saved as sessions

Fully unicode enabled

Unicode filenames are now supported, in addition to Unicode file content

Interface Improvements

Tabbed interface for session views
Handy "home" view for launching and managing sessions
Layout of open sessions can be saved, restored
Built-in "check for updates" feature

Folder Compare features

Folder icon colors now match your preferences
Multiple operations can be queued
File actions now respect filters by default
Dedicated Folder Sync session
Touch and Attributes commands can now recurse through subfolders
Attributes command now supports Unix attributes
New Ignored command flags mismatched file as okay
New Move to Folder command
Flatten folders lets you compare differing folder structures
Ability to override which files are aligned

Text Compare features

Full in-pane editor with dynamic re-comparisons
Syntax highlighting
Adaptive gutter buttons for copying sections
Unlimited undo after save
Grammar-based comparison rules
Independent file formats for each side of the comparison
New Ignored command flags mismatched sections as okay
Multiple bookmarks
Hex display option for line details
3-way text merge
Ability to treat specific text on one side as unimportant when compared to specific text on the other side

Improved FTP support

FTP profiles, selectable per session
Multiple simultaneous connections
Built-in support for secure FTP protocols (SFTP and FTP over SSL)