Beyond Compare 3.3.3

To enjoy the functionality the Scooter Software-developed application Beyond Compare has to offer, you must go through the following steps: download and install the application on your system. Both steps should not take long to complete, which is a plus in my eyes.

The download for example weighs in at some 5MB, which isn’t very much. Getting the application off the web and onto your computer should not take very long. To my mind, it is always nice when you don’t have to wait a long time for a download to complete.

Installing the Beyond Compare on your Windows-powered computer should take little time as well. This is a straightforward process that should go along smoothly and rapidly. Speaking of installing Beyond Compare, it must be said that the application provides support for just about any version of the Microsoft-developed Windows operating system. This includes the old but popular Windows XP, the much avoided Windows Vista, and the latest and greatest, Windows 7.

After you’ve downloaded and installed Beyond Compare on your system it is finally time to enjoy the functionality this application provides. Here is what you can expect to get from Beyond Compare:

- Quickly and easily compare files and folders. Beyond Compare can compare whole drives and folders. It does this at a very rapid pace by only checking the size and modified times; or it does it at a slower pace by thoroughly verifying every file byte-by-byte. Beyond Compare can intelligently pick the best way to compare and display the files you would like to compare.
- Powerful commands allow you to focus only on the differences you’re interested in.
- Merge changes
- Keep files synchronized
- View and edit text files
- Highlighting and comparison rules tweaked specifically for documents, source code, and HTML.
- Dedicated viewers for data files, executables, binary data, and images.
- Generate reports.

Beyond Compare is free to try, which means you can use the application free of charge for a trial period of 30 days. Once that trial period is over, you will have to get a license to keep using Beyond Compare.

Pros

• Easy to use
• Works with Windows 7
• Text editing
• Dedicated viewers
• Easily compare files and folders
• Easily sync files
• Lenghty 30-day trial period. As explained by Scooter Software's Aaron Polans, "our trial is 30 days-of-use; if you don't boot it up over the weekend, then those days don't count against you."

Cons

• None that i could think of

About Scooter Software
Details on software developer Scooter Software are available here.

Beyond Compare has been reviewed by George Norman on 30 Sep 2010. Based on the user interface, features and complexity, Findmysoft has rated Beyond Compare 4 out of 5 stars, naming it Excellent