Diff Anything

Freemium

Free desktop diff tool for code, docs, images, and folders — no account or cloud service

Limited Free Tier

Free plan checked against Diff Anything's pricing page on 11 September 2026. Re-checked monthly.

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About Diff Anything

Diff Anything is a desktop comparison and merge tool for macOS and Windows that handles code, spreadsheets, documents, images, archives, and folders in one app, with specialized visual and semantic comparison engines, syntax highlighting, and editing per file type. Everything runs locally: no accounts, cloud comparison service, analytics, or telemetry. The free plan allows files up to 5 MiB per side, 10 new comparison sessions per local day, previews of the first 100 items in a collection or the first 3 pages of a PDF, and a CLI limited to text and JSON modes. A one-time Pro purchase removes the preview and session limits, raises the supported file size, and adds saved profiles and history, report export, three-way merge, transactional folder sync, batch manifests (JSON/JUnit/SARIF), and the full CLI mode set.

Key Features

Multi-format comparison (code, sheets, docs, images, archives, folders)

Visual and semantic diff engines

Three-way merge (Pro)

Transactional folder sync (Pro)

CLI and batch manifest output (JSON/JUnit/SARIF, Pro)

Pros & Cons

Genuinely usable free tier, not a locked demo

Fully local — no accounts, cloud service, or telemetry

One-time Pro purchase, no subscription

Daily session and file-size caps on the free plan

Full CLI mode set requires Pro

The free plan in practice

What you can actually do on Diff Anything's free plan (5 MiB/side, 10 sessions/day, 100-item/3-page previews, no account), where it stops, and when it's worth paying.

What you can do free

Code, document, image, archive, and folder comparison
Visual and semantic diff engines
10 comparison sessions per local day
Files up to 5 MiB per side
First 100 items in collection previews
First 3 pages of PDF previews
CLI with text and JSON modes

Where it stops

10 sessions per local day
5 MiB per-side file size cap
Collection/PDF previews truncated (100 items / 3 pages)
CLI limited to text and JSON modes

When to upgrade to a paid plan

Stay on the free plan while you're comfortably under the free plan's limit (5 MiB/side, 10 sessions/day, 100-item/3-page previews, no account). It's worth moving to a paid plan once you consistently bump into that ceiling, need to remove branding, or want features the free tier holds back.