Direct answer
What does Diff Anything show for binary files?
In Binary / Image mode, Diff Anything reports the detected format, byte size, SHA-256 hash, image dimensions when available, and an Embedded ICC or sRGB colour-profile label when one is found. PNG, GIF, JPEG, WebP, and BMP files up to 20 MB are previewed locally. SVG files open in XML mode by default; choose Binary / Image to preview one. The mode does not explain arbitrary byte-level changes.
What you get
A clear answer: are the files the same?
For executables, installers, libraries, and other non-text files, the useful question is usually whether two files are exactly the same. Binary / Image mode answers it by comparing the format, size in bytes, and SHA-256 hash of each side.
Each side's Metadata panel shows these values. When the files are byte-identical, no differences are listed. When they differ, the difference list names the changed field, such as $.sha256 or $.sizeBytes; for images compared pixel by pixel, each changed region is listed instead. The format comes from the file signature for PNG, GIF, JPEG and WebP, and from the extension for other files.
Binary mode does not show which bytes changed. There is no hex view or byte offset. For files that contain other files, use the modes that open them: Archive for ZIP, 7z, RAR and TAR, and PDF / Office for documents.
Images
Images get a pixel comparison.
PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP and BMP files are compared pixel by pixel in the same mode, with side by side, overlay, swipe, blink, heatmap, and changed-pixel views. You get the changed-pixel count, colour similarity, error measurements, and the bounds of the changed area, up to 16 megapixels per image.
Other image formats, such as TIFF or HEIC, are compared by format, size and hash. For animated images, the first frame is compared pixel by pixel; when the first frames match but the files differ, one difference says the animations differ after the first frame. An embedded ICC colour profile is reported, but it is not applied to the pixel comparison.
When it is used
Auto uses binary mode for non-text content.
Auto chooses Binary / Image for common image formats, executables, libraries and disk images such as .exe, .dll, .so, .dylib and .dmg. It also chooses it for any file with a NUL byte near the start.
On the free plan, binary comparison is complete for files up to 5 MB each. Pro removes the 5 MB limit, which matters for most build artifacts.
Scripts
Check build artifacts from a script.
With Pro, run the CLI with --mode binary --format json. Two identical files report zero differences. Otherwise the output lists the changed fields, such as $.sha256 and $.sizeBytes. Add --exit-code to return 1 when the files differ, for example to check that two builds produced the same artifact.
For images, the JSON output contains the pixel measurements instead: changed pixels, similarity, mean and root-mean-square error, maximum channel delta, and changed bounds.
Best for
Where this workflow fits.
- Confirming whether build artifacts are byte-identical
- Reviewing image metadata before deeper visual comparison
- Comparing private binaries without a cloud upload
No accounts, cloud comparison service, analytics, or telemetry.
Relevant capabilities
What Diff Anything brings to the job.
Practical workflow
From setup to a reviewed result.
Open the two files
Choose the two builds, installers, or other files. Auto opens non-text files in Binary / Image mode.
Read the result
Check whether any differences are listed, then compare format, size and SHA-256 in each side's Metadata panel.
Switch mode for containers
Open archives in Archive mode and documents in PDF / Office mode to see which entries or pages changed.
Automate the check
With Pro, run --mode binary with --exit-code in a script to catch unexpected differences.
Useful in practice
Direct answers
Questions about binary file compare tool.
What does Diff Anything show for binary files?
In Binary / Image mode, Diff Anything reports the detected format, byte size, SHA-256 hash, image dimensions when available, and an Embedded ICC or sRGB colour-profile label when one is found. PNG, GIF, JPEG, WebP, and BMP files up to 20 MB are previewed locally. SVG files open in XML mode by default; choose Binary / Image to preview one. The mode does not explain arbitrary byte-level changes.
Does binary comparison show which bytes changed?
No. It reports whether the files differ in format, size or SHA-256 hash. It has no hex view or byte offsets.
Can I compare two images?
Yes. PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP and BMP files get a pixel comparison with visual views and measurements in the same Binary / Image mode.
Is there a file size limit?
The free plan compares files up to 5 MB each. Pro removes the 5 MB limit. Pixel comparison of images is limited to 16 megapixels.
Go deeper
Review cross-format spreadsheet values, release trees, documents, and visual assets with purpose-built navigation, safety checks, and rollback.
Read Compare folders, spreadsheets, documents, and imagesFree & 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 and PDF previews show the first 3 pages. The free CLI supports text and JSON. A one-time Pro purchase removes the preview and session limits and unlocks larger sources within technical limits, saved profiles and history, report export, three-way merge, folder synchronization, batch manifests, trusted preprocessors, and every CLI mode.