Stack
Beyond Compare
A $35 or $70 licence that follows the person rather than the machine, with free point releases forever
Scored on the published rubric, from documentation, pricing and verified user reports.
Best for: Developers, sysadmins and anyone who reconciles folders or files often and wants one licence that works on every machine they use.
Verdict
Beyond Compare has the clearest licence wording of any tool in this roundup, and the terms are better than the price suggests. Thirty-five dollars buys the Standard Edition for one user; seventy buys Pro. The licence covers "one person using BC on any number of computers", which almost nothing else at this price does. Point releases are free forever inside a major version, and a full-price purchase carries twelve months of upgrade protection against the next one. This documentation review is built from the Scooter Software store, download page, editions page, upgrade policy and return policy, all read on November 1, 2026, and from no testing of our own. The weak point is the exit, not the entry: the vendor states plainly that it "is unable to accept returns", and a discretionary refund requires a signed Letter of Destruction on company letterhead. The 30-day trial is therefore the decision point, not the purchase.
Visit Beyond Compare
We have no affiliate relationship with this vendor. Link goes to the official site.
Where it is strong
- "A single user license covers one person using BC on any number of computers", so a desktop and a laptop both count
- "The license fee is a one time purchase. There are no annual renewal fees."
- Minor updates are free forever: "your version 5 license key will work with all 5.x.x releases forever"
- A full-price licence carries twelve months of upgrade protection against the next major version
- Standard at $35 can be upgraded to Pro later "for the difference in price"
- The download is one file for both editions, and the trial lets you switch between Pro and Standard mode
Where it falls short
- "Scooter Software is unable to accept returns", so the trial is the only real evaluation route
- A discretionary refund requires "a signed Letter of Destruction on company letterhead"
- Major version upgrades cost money: "generally half price" rather than free
- Two Pro features are Windows only: source control integration and Registry Compare
- Support is a forum, a knowledge base and email, with no published response time
- Site and enterprise licences jump to $5,250 and $21,000, so there is a wide gap above the per-user tiers
At a glance
| Standard Edition | $35 per user at one to four users, per the store price list read November 1, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Pro Edition | $70 per user at one to four users, same page and date |
| Volume price list | 5 to 9 users $28 and $56; 10 to 49 users $24.50 and $49; 50 to 99 users $19.25 and $38.50; 100 or more $15.75 and $31.50 |
| Pricing note | "$35 / user" for the Standard Edition and "$70 / user" for the Pro Edition at one to four users, falling to $15.75 and $31.50 per user at 100 or more, per the Beyond Compare store price list, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Site licence | $5,250 Standard and $10,500 Pro, covering "unlimited users at a single named location" |
| Enterprise licence | $21,000 Standard and $42,000 Pro, covering "all users of an organization, worldwide" |
| What a user licence covers | "one person using BC on any number of computers, or a single workstation accessed by multiple people" |
| Minor updates | Free forever inside a major version: "your version 5 license key will work with all 5.x.x releases forever" |
| Major upgrades | "generally half price", with twelve months of upgrade protection from a full-price purchase |
| Annual maintenance | Available on unlimited and enterprise licences at 20% of the then-current licence price |
| Trial | "a 30-day fully functional trial", with a Pro and Standard toggle in Help then About Beyond Compare |
| Returns | "Scooter Software is unable to accept returns"; discretionary refunds inside 30 days need a signed Letter of Destruction |
| Current version | v5.2.7, build 32913, released Oct. 27, 2026 |
| Download sizes | Windows 28,023 kb, macOS 54,896 kb, Linux Debian package 24,643 kb, Linux RPM package 21,189 kb |
| Interface languages | English, German, French, Japanese and Simplified Chinese on Windows and macOS; English only on the 64-bit Linux build |
| Payment | Card or PayPal for immediate key delivery; purchase orders from the US and Canada in USD on 30-day terms; bank transfer on orders of $280 or more |
| Older versions | Version 4 for Windows, macOS and Linux; version 3 for Windows and Linux; versions 2 and 1 for Windows |
What Beyond Compare is, and what Scooter Software sells
Beyond Compare is a comparison tool for files and folders, with viewers for text, tables, images, binaries, archives and registries.
It is sold as a per-user licence in two editions, Standard and Pro, for Windows, macOS and Linux. There is no subscription on the store page.
The download is a single file. The editions page states that it "includes both Standard and Pro functionality", and that a purchased key "unlocks the appropriate features permanently".
So the buying decision is narrow and pleasant: which of two editions, and nothing else to work out.
What thirty-five and seventy dollars actually buy
Scooter Software prints a full price list rather than a starting-from figure, which is unusual enough to say out loud.
At one to four users, Standard is "$35 / user" and Pro is "$70 / user". Both strings were on the store page on November 1, 2026.
The volume steps are printed underneath. Five to nine users pay $28 and $56. Ten to 49 pay $24.50 and $49. Fifty to 99 pay $19.25 and $38.50. One hundred or more pay $15.75 and $31.50.
Two organisation-wide tiers sit above those. A site licence covers "unlimited users at a single named location" at $5,250 Standard and $10,500 Pro.
An enterprise licence covers "all users of an organization, worldwide" at $21,000 Standard and $42,000 Pro. The page adds that "All pricing is in US dollars."
That is a wide gap. Fifty Pro seats at the volume rate cost $1,925 by our arithmetic from the published list, against $10,500 for a site licence.
The licence follows the person, not the machine
This is the clause that makes the price look better than it is, and almost nothing else in this roundup matches it.
The store page states: "Each licensed user may use BC on any number of computers."
The longer version underneath is clearer still: "A single user license covers one person using BC on any number of computers, or a single workstation accessed by multiple people."
So one $70 licence legitimately covers a work desktop, a home laptop and a test machine, as long as one person is the user.
Compare that with a proxy licence written for one computer, or a database client that counts devices. We set the pattern out in our notes on what happens after you pay once.
Standard against Pro: what the extra thirty-five dollars unlocks
The editions page lists seven additions rather than a vague promise of more power.
Text Merge does two- and three-way merging, comparing "independent changes against a common ancestor to create new merged content". Folder Merge extends the same to folders.
Source control integration adds check-in and check-out commands for SCC-compliant systems, and is marked "Windows only".
Built-in SFTP support covers "secure FTP protocols (SFTP and FTP over SSL)" without a third-party client.
Text replacements let you flag a substitution as an unimportant difference, with the vendor's own example being to ignore every place "apple was replaced by orange".
Folder Compare alignment overrides change how files pair up, so .gif files on one side can be compared against .png files of the same name.
Registry Compare handles live local and remote registries plus registry files, also Windows only. The last addition covers WebDAV, Dropbox, OneDrive, Amazon S3 and Subversion resources, with OneDrive limited to Windows and macOS.
If you merge code or move files over SFTP, Pro pays for itself quickly. If you only read differences, Standard is the honest answer.
Who Beyond Compare is best for
The fit is broader than a developer tool usually is, because the job it does is not language-specific.
- Developers resolving three-way merges outside their editor, which is the Pro Edition's headline feature
- Sysadmins reconciling configuration directories across servers, over SFTP in the Pro Edition
- Anyone who works on two or more machines, since one licence covers all of them
- Writers and editors checking what changed between two drafts, where the text viewer alone earns $35
- Teams of five to ten, where the printed volume rate drops Pro to $56 a seat
- Readers assembling a paid toolkit from scratch, as in our pay-once picks for freelancers
Who should skip it
Four groups, and only one of the reasons is about features.
- Buyers who want a refund route in writing, because the policy says returns are not accepted
- Anyone expecting free major upgrades, which are priced at roughly half the licence
- macOS or Linux users who specifically need source control integration or Registry Compare
- Occasional users, for whom a free diff viewer is enough
Updates: free inside a version, half price across one
The upgrade policy is the most detailed document on the site, and it answers the questions buyers normally have to guess at.
Minor and maintenance updates are "always free", and the example given is that "a version 5 license will work for all 5.x.x releases".
Major upgrades are "generally half price". A Standard licence can move to Pro "for the difference in price", and a single-platform licence can move to multiplatform "for free".
Then there is upgrade protection, which many buyers miss. "When you buy a new license, you automatically get 12 months of upgrade protection", so a major release inside that year is free.
The policy is honest about the limit. Protection "is not reestablished when you pay half price to upgrade to a new major version", only when you pay full price.
History is published too: new licences bought after 1 January 2022 upgrade to version 5 free, and those bought after 1 January 2013 upgraded to version 4 free.
For unlimited and enterprise licences only, upgrade protection can be renewed annually at 20% of the then-current licence price.
The 30-day trial matters because returns do not exist
The return policy is short and does not hedge.
It opens by noting that the vendor "offers a 30-day fully functional trial of Beyond Compare for customers to have adequate opportunity to assess its value prior to purchase".
Then it closes the other door: "Scooter Software is unable to accept returns." The stated reason is that issued licence keys cannot be recalled.
One exception is written down. Within 30 days of purchase, if the software will not function "due to technical difficulties or platform incompatibilities", a refund may be issued at the vendor's discretion, and "a signed Letter of Destruction on company letterhead will be necessary".
That is a real condition, not a formality. Treat the trial as the decision, and use the editions toggle in Help then About Beyond Compare to test Pro before paying for it.
Value: what the score is built from
This is the highest value score in the cluster, and it comes from three published facts rather than enthusiasm.
The entry price is $35. The licence covers any number of computers for one person. Point releases are free for the life of a major version.
Against that sit two deductions. Major upgrades cost roughly half price, and there is no refund route once the trial ends.
On the published numbers, a Pro licence bought today and carried through one paid upgrade costs about $105 across two major versions. That arithmetic is ours, from the vendor's own half-price rule.
For how we weigh that shape of deal, see how lifetime software deals actually work.
Ease of use: what the score is built from
Beyond Compare is approachable in its first session and deep after that, which is an awkward thing to score.
A folder comparison is two panes and a colour key, and most people read it without instruction.
The depth shows up in session types, rules and file format handling, which is where the knowledge base does the teaching rather than the interface.
The download page lists practical touches that help: localised interfaces in German, French, Japanese and Simplified Chinese on Windows and macOS, user-contributed translations, alternate colour schemes and documented integration with other applications.
The score reflects a tool that is easy to start and rewards reading, not one that hides its power.
Support and the payment terms, which are unusually business-friendly
Support is a knowledge base, a public forum and email, with no published response time. That is the main reason the support score is not higher.
The payment options, though, are written for finance departments.
Card and PayPal get "immediate key delivery". Purchase orders are accepted "from the US and Canada in USD with 30-day payment terms", and the store adds that it takes them "without any terms & conditions that might conflict with our license agreement or policies".
Bank transfer is accepted "For orders of $280 or more", with keys delivered after payment arrives.
International resellers are listed for buyers who cannot purchase directly. Few tools at $35 publish this much procurement detail.
Platforms and the current build
The download page is dated, which is the detail that lets a review like this stay checkable.
The current release is "v5.2.7, build 32913, released Oct. 27, 2026".
Windows is 28,023 kb, with alternate MSI and Zip installers listed. macOS is 54,896 kb. Linux ships a 24,643 kb Debian package and a 21,189 kb RPM package, with separate installation instructions.
Older majors are still downloadable: version 4 for Windows, macOS and Linux, version 3 for Windows and Linux, and versions 2 and 1 for Windows. The store also sells BC4, BC3 and BC2 keys directly.
That back catalogue matters if you keep an old machine alive, which is the same instinct behind holding a bootable clone with Carbon Copy Cloner.
Alternatives
Two comparisons worth making, both sideways rather than head to head.
Choose a free diff viewer if you compare two text files occasionally and never merge. Otherwise choose Beyond Compare, where folder sessions, archives and SFTP are the reason the licence is worth paying for.
If the comparison you actually need is inside code, Sublime Text and BBEdit both sell version-pinned licences and cover search across a project well.
And if the job is reconciling database rows rather than files, TablePlus is the pay-once tool to price up instead. For folder-to-folder backup rather than comparison, start with our pay-once Mac backup picks.
What we could not verify
Three things, named rather than guessed.
The price of a version 6 upgrade is not published. Only the "generally half price" rule is.
No support response time is published on any page we read.
And we found no independent review set for Beyond Compare that we could read on November 1, 2026. The scores above come from published licence terms, the editions page and the dated download record, not from testing.
Bottom line
Beyond Compare is the best-written licence in this cluster and the cheapest serious tool in it.
Thirty-five dollars for Standard, seventy for Pro, one person on any number of computers, free point releases for the life of the major version.
The catch is the exit. Returns are not accepted, so the 30-day trial is where the decision has to happen, with the Pro toggle switched on.
Before you pay, run the wording through the checklist in how to read a software deal before you pay.
Buy it if
- You compare or sync folders often enough that doing it by hand is costing you hours
- You work across more than one machine, because one user licence covers all of them
- You want three-way merge, SFTP and cloud storage comparison, which is the Pro Edition at $70
- You can decide inside the 30-day trial, since the vendor does not accept returns
Skip it if
- You want a refund route in writing, because the return policy says returns are not accepted
- You expect free major version upgrades, since those are priced at roughly half the licence
- You only need source control integration or Registry Compare on macOS or Linux, where neither is offered
- You compare two files once a year, in which case a free diff viewer will do
Frequently asked
How much does Beyond Compare cost?
The Standard Edition is $35 per user and the Pro Edition is $70 per user at one to four users, per the store price list checked November 1, 2026. Volume rates fall to $15.75 and $31.50 per user at 100 or more.
Is Beyond Compare a one-time purchase?
Yes. The store states "The license fee is a one time purchase. There are no annual renewal fees." Minor updates are free forever inside a major version, and major upgrades are priced at roughly half the licence.
Can I install one licence on my desktop and my laptop?
Yes, if you are the only person using it. The licensing note reads "A single user license covers one person using BC on any number of computers, or a single workstation accessed by multiple people."
What is the difference between Standard and Pro?
Pro adds two- and three-way text and folder merging, source control integration on Windows, built-in SFTP and FTPS, text replacements, Folder Compare alignment overrides, Registry Compare on Windows, and support for WebDAV, Dropbox, OneDrive, Amazon S3 and Subversion.
Can I get a refund on Beyond Compare?
Normally no. The return policy states "Scooter Software is unable to accept returns." Within 30 days, if the software will not function for technical reasons, the vendor may refund at its discretion against a signed Letter of Destruction on company letterhead.
Will my version 5 licence work with version 6?
Only if version 6 ships within twelve months of a full-price purchase, which is the stated upgrade protection window. Otherwise the upgrade policy says upgrades to the next major version are generally half price.
Sources
- Beyond Compare store (editions, full quantity price list, site and enterprise pricing, payment options) - checked November 1, 2026
- Scooter Software upgrade policy (free minor updates, half-price major upgrades, 12-month upgrade protection, annual maintenance) - checked November 1, 2026
- Scooter Software return policy (30-day trial, no returns, Letter of Destruction condition) - checked November 1, 2026
- Standard vs Pro editions page (the seven Pro-only feature groups) - checked November 1, 2026
- Beyond Compare download page (v5.2.7 build 32913, platform sizes, interface languages) - checked November 1, 2026
Visit Beyond Compare
We have no affiliate relationship with this vendor. Link goes to the official site.