Use cases macOSWindows

Diff Anything use cases

Find workflows for spreadsheet handoffs, folder review, merge conflicts, image changes, API compatibility, and private document comparison.

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Configuration review

Compare JSON, YAML, TOML, INI, property list, XML, and environment files as data, also across formats. Semantic rules can ignore expected paths or array order, records with an id field are paired automatically, XML elements are paired by a key attribute and can ignore child order under chosen elements, and .env values stay masked with an option to compare variable presence only.

How the workflow fits

Choose sources: Open files or folders, paste content, or use Pro to load a saved profile with known options.

Read the complete use-case guide

Spreadsheet handoff and migration

Compare stored cell values when a workbook moves between Excel, OpenDocument, and Apple Numbers formats without converting either file first, or check a CSV export against the sheet it was exported from.

How the workflow fits

Select a mode: Use automatic detection or explicitly choose text, structured data, cross-format spreadsheet, notebook, SQLite, folder, archive, document, image, binary, or API comparison. In code comparisons, switch between Smart Diff and conventional Line Diff without changing sources.

Read the complete use-case guide

API regression checks

Label likely breaking OpenAPI or JSON Schema changes with rule codes and see the breaking count in the result. With Pro, run the same comparison from the command line or in CI, with the Microsoft Store version on Windows or the command-line helper on a Mac: identical schemas pass, and --fail-on breaking fails the job only on breaking or unclassified changes, with rule codes in JUnit and SARIF. The rules are heuristic, so a passing check still calls for contract review.

How the workflow fits

Review and resolve: Navigate stable differences, apply supported changes, or use Pro to resolve three-way conflicts and conflict markers or approve a folder synchronization plan without losing source context.

Read the complete use-case guide

Release artifact inspection

Compare a trusted release baseline with a candidate folder or supported archive. Filter added, removed, changed, and moved paths, open nested file changes in focused views, and, with Pro, correct a folder through a reviewed synchronization plan.

How the workflow fits

Save or automate: Use Pro to export or print a report, export a JSON Patch, apply a patch, or retain a profile, invoke the CLI, or wire the comparison into Git and CI.

Read the complete use-case guide

Private data comparison

Inspect sensitive local files without uploading their content to a browser service or creating an account.

How the workflow fits

Choose sources: Open files or folders, paste content, or use Pro to load a saved profile with known options.

Read the complete use-case guide

Learn how to use it in your work.

Open the Diff Anything manual

Free & Pro: what’s included

Available on the Mac App Store and Microsoft Store. Free desktop use lets you try every comparison engine for files up to 5 MiB per side and 10 new comparison sessions per local day; collection previews show the first 100 items, binary comparisons the first 100 byte differences, and PDF previews the first 3 pages. Plain text, JSON, and Jupyter notebook comparison are complete, and opening files from Finder or File Explorer, diffanything:// links, and AppleScript are free. The free CLI supports text, JSON, and notebooks, and the command-line helper that brings the CLI to the Mac App Store version is a free download that uses the Pro purchase made in the app. A one-time Pro purchase removes the preview and session limits and unlocks larger sources within technical limits, saved profiles and history, saving folder snapshots, report export and printing, JSON Patch export, applying patches, three-way merge and conflict resolution, the Git merge driver and merge tool, folder synchronization, batch manifests, every CLI mode, and, on Windows, trusted preprocessors.

Download on theMac App Store Get it fromMicrosoft Store