Download DirectCompare

Start with the free tier. Upgrade only when you need more.

DirectCompare gives you a strong free compare workflow out of the box, plus a 30-day full-featured trial if you want to evaluate paid features before upgrading to N-way comparison, Git and GitHub integration, remote source comparison, similarity search, and 3-way merge. Go to Help → Start 30-Day Trial to begin.

Portable — no install required Also on the Microsoft Store Free 2-way compare + export Windows + Linux Version 1.9.4 — View release notes Standard+ for N-way, Git, GitHub

Choose your download

Download the build for your platform, then use the free tier immediately. Licenses unlock additional capabilities inside the same application.

Windows

Windows — Portable, No Install

Unzip and run. No installer, no admin rights, no registry changes. Works from a USB drive, network share, or any folder you choose.

Suggested package: DirectCompare-v1.9.4-Windows.zip
Platform: Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
Setup: Unzip → run DirectCompare.exe → done.
Download for Windows (Portable) CLI & Quick Start
Linux

Linux download

For Linux users who want the same compare workflow on supported distributions and environments.

Suggested package: DirectCompare-v1.9.4-Linux.tar.gz
Platform: Linux x86_64
Typical use: Download, extract, install dependencies if required, then run locally.
Requires: GTK 3, libarchive, libgit2, libcurl. See README.txt inside the archive for details.
Download for Linux Install notes

Microsoft Store

Signed by Microsoft • No SmartScreen warnings • Auto-updates

The same DirectCompare application, distributed and signed through the Microsoft Store. Because Microsoft verifies and signs Store apps, you won't see SmartScreen "unknown publisher" warnings when you run it. Updates are delivered automatically through the Store.

Get it from the Microsoft Store
Which should I choose? Both versions are identical in features and licensing. The portable ZIP is best if you want to run from a USB drive or control exactly where the app lives. The Store version is best if you prefer automatic updates and want to avoid SmartScreen warnings on first run.

Install via Windows Package Manager (winget)

Windows 10/11 • No browser, no unzip — one command does it all

winget install DirectCompare.DirectCompare

winget is built into Windows 11 and available on Windows 10 via the App Installer package in the Microsoft Store. After the command completes, run directcompare from any terminal.

Installation overview

Keep the download step simple: install once, start free, then upgrade inside the app if and when your workflow expands.

Windows quick start

  1. Download the Windows ZIP package.
  2. Extract it to a folder you control.
  3. Run DirectCompare.exe.
  4. Use the free tier immediately.

Linux quick start

  1. Download the Linux tarball.
  2. Extract it locally.
  3. Install any required system libraries if your build needs them.
  4. Run the application from the extracted folder.

License workflow

  1. Start with the free feature set.
  2. When you need Standard or Premium features, purchase or apply a license.
  3. Activate it through Help → Register.
  4. Unlocked features become available in the same app.

What each tier unlocks

The clearest way to think about the product is: Basic (free) for everyday 2-way compare, Standard ($39/yr) for N-way and Git workflows, Premium ($79/yr) for GitHub, remote sources, similarity search, and merge, and Enterprise for team-wide deployment with admin controls.

Basic Free forever

  • 2-way directory comparison
  • Export (CSV, HTML, JSON)
  • Bookmarks & sessions
  • Keyboard shortcuts & themes

Standard $39/yr

  • Everything in Basic
  • N-way comparison (3+ sources)
  • Git integration
  • Archive support (ZIP, TAR, 7Z, RAR, ISO, CAB)

Premium $79/yr

  • Everything in Standard
  • GitHub integration
  • FTP/SFTP comparison
  • Similarity search
  • 3-way merge editor
  • Image comparison (dHash/aHash)
  • CSV/Excel comparison

Enterprise Contact us

  • All Premium features
  • Admin Centre
  • Collaborative workspaces
  • Admin policies
  • Registry toolkit
  • Priority support

Use as a Git mergetool

DCP is a single portable exe — drop it anywhere and point Git at it. 3-way merge (base/mine/yours) is available in the Premium tier.

Add to .gitconfig

[mergetool "dcp"]
    cmd = "C:/path/to/DirectCompare.exe" -m "$BASE" "$LOCAL" "$REMOTE" "$MERGED"
    trustExitCode = true

[merge]
    tool = dcp
Use forward slashes in the path, even on Windows. Replace with wherever you extracted DCP.

Then just run git mergetool

git merge feature/branch
# conflict — DCP opens automatically
git mergetool
DCP opens once per conflicted file. Resolve, save, close. Git marks it resolved. See the full Git guide for more.

Integrity checks and release housekeeping

If you publish checksums, keep them accurate and visible. If you haven’t generated them yet, don’t pretend you have.

Windows checksum command

Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 DirectCompare-v1.9.4-Windows.zip
A matching checksum file is also published in the release assets as DirectCompare-v1.9.4-Windows.sha256.

Linux checksum command

sha256sum DirectCompare-v1.9.4-Linux.tar.gz
A matching checksum file is also published in the release assets as DirectCompare-v1.9.4-Linux.sha256.