For Windows users => I've used all the free ones and while they are great, Araxis Merge is hands down the best I've used so far. Note I haven't used Beyond Compare because I didn't know it existed until just now. It looks like it has even more features and is cheaper, so I might consider changing at my next upgrade. In the mean time yes Araxis Merge costs, but as a professional it's what I need and it's not in the thousands of dollars range - also I only need to worry about the upgrade price. I love the interface and going between folder comparison to file comparison, the white noise handling options. And I love the keyboard shortcuts to speed up processing of big changes. 3 way comparisons. I've submitted feature requests, which have implemented - so that's awesome. One not so obvious feature is image comparison - very cool! And I really love the line between the chunk of codes that's different, so that you can scroll each side independently and not be forced into the merge tool trying to line it up for you and getting lost. My single biggest complaint with Araxis Merge is the purchasing / payment / upgrade path is clunky. To upgrade you have to email your request - why? Working in Sydney means my upgrade takes minimum 1 day to get a response and that's before payment and downloading? It's truly annoying if you run into problems and all you want to do is just do a merge. Fortunately in the whole 10 years of ownership it has only happened once, when I've been without Araxis Merge for a few days. But still - it would be nice if they simplified this process.

Totally agree with you. You fail on how to build install a kitchen sink test, but no one in the company installs kitchen sinks. Yep been there.