Beyond Compare

ApplicationScooter Software

Dem still dey call am bcompare, bc4, bc5

Scooter SoftwareProductivity

Scooter Software paid diff and merge tool. Di process na BCompare.exe. E no be WinMerge.

Wetin you need know

Beyond Compare na BCompare.exe. WinMerge na free and different tin.

BCompare.exe na Scooter Software paid compare tool. WinMergeU.exe na di free WinMerge project. Git fit call any of dem as external diff. Dem no dey share license.

Wetin e be?: Paid diff and merge tool
Same tin as WinMerge?: No. WinMerge dey free and different
Process name?: BCompare.exe

Feex tok say

If merge open WinMergeU.exe, person don set di wrong external diff. I go look Git or Tortoise settings for BCompare.exe. Those na different compare tools.

Wetin be Beyond Compare?

Beyond Compare na commercial file and folder compare tool. E no be WinMerge, no be git diff, and no be Visual Studio merge UI.

If you never use am before

If team talk say make you use Beyond Compare for merges, dis na Scooter Software paid tool. Download am from scootersoftware.com/download. BCompare.exe dey compare files and folders. WinMerge na di free alternative. Git and Tortoise clients fit launch dis one as external diff.

Wetin dem dey use am for?

File and folder compare

Two-way and three-way views. WinMerge dey compare files too. Di session types and FTP profiles na Scooter own.

Git and Tortoise external diff

IDEs and TortoiseGit fit call BCompare.exe. Dat hook no be WinMerge unless na wetin you set.

Paid license

Home and Pro editions. WinMerge no dey use dis license dialog.

Na who e dey for?

Shops wey standardize on Scooter for merges
Pipuru wey don pass di level of free two-pane compare
Anybody wey install WinMerge tink say na Beyond Compare

Current status

Beyond Compare (1996) na current diff and merge tool from Scooter Software. Di vendor still dey point Windows users go https://www.scootersoftware.com/download.

How old e be?

Scooter Software release Beyond Compare for 1996. E senior WinMerge (2000) and e senior plenti Git GUIs. Beyond Compare 5 na di current Windows line. BC2 key from forum na for wrong era.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers no dey all verified here.

Beyond Compare 5

BC4 (older line)

System requirements

Values dey follow wetin di publisher release publicly. Workload still dey change di real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	Current 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, according to Scooter Software
RAM	Di UI dey light. Huge folder compares dey ask for more RAM

Resource profile

CPU demand: Dey follow wetin you open inside di app
RAM demand: Dey follow documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

Dese executables belong to dis product when e dey installed.

Installed processes
BCompare.exe	Beyond Compare window

Startup components

Beyond Compare no need tray. Editors dey launch am for merge.

File locations

Common Beyond Compare locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\Beyond Compare 5\

File formats

plenti text and binary typesfolder snapshots

Common wahala dem

License nag after evaluation

Expected. Crack na junk. WinMerge no go show dis Scooter dialog.

Git still dey open anoda compare tool

difftool config na per repo or global. To set WinMerge dia no go launch Beyond Compare.

How to get unstuck

Install from scootersoftware.com/download

Scooter dey host di real installer. Beyond Compare pack for freeware site na junk.

Confirm BCompare.exe under Program Files\Beyond Compare

WinMergeU.exe na di free sibling article.

Register di license inside Beyond Compare, no be inside WinMerge

Help > Enter Key na for dis product.

Alternatives

WinMerge if you want free compare. VS Code fit diff two files. Git built-in diff na terminal.

Official help and downloads

Start with di vendor. Random exe sites no be support channel.

Official contacts
Download	www.scootersoftware.com/download Official installer or vendor page
Help	www.scootersoftware.com/support Vendor support
Official site	www.scootersoftware.com/ Start here, no be random exe host
Support center	www.scootersoftware.com/support Licensing and compare help

Related hardware

Di UI dey light. Huge binary compares dey need RAM and disk.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers dey change. Dis article no pin down any build.

Sources and verification

Recorded source label: August 2026. Dis label no establish independent verification. How we dey do research.

Beyond Compare official site · Vendor product page
Beyond Compare help · Vendor support
Scooter Software support · Official Beyond Compare help
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on top Windows PCs. No be lab benchmark.

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