Free download. Upgrade to Pro when you need file workflows.
RibbonDiff runs in Limited mode for comparing typed or pasted text. Unlock Open / Drag & Drop / Save / Save As with a 7-day Pro Trial or a $3.99 one-time Pro Lifetime purchase. No subscription. The trial is one-time and does not auto-renew.
$3.99 Pro Lifetime (one-time)
Includes a free 7-day Pro Trial (one-time). Restore Purchases if you bought the previous paid
version.
Free (Limited mode)
- Compare typed/pasted text in two fully editable panes
- Live diff updates with line + in-line highlights
- Per-pane Find (⌘F / ⌘G / ⇧⌘G)
- Word wrap, line numbers, and themes
Pro (Trial or Lifetime unlock)
- Open files (and drag & drop two files)
- Save / Save As workflows per pane
- Open two files from Terminal / Finder (
open -a RibbonDiff left.txt right.txt) - Optional file details like line endings + encoding controls (enable in Settings)
RibbonDiff for macOS gives you a clean side-by-side, editable diff workspace with live updates as you type, paste, or open files. A visual change ribbon connects related blocks across both sides, so you stay oriented even in large edits.
Need help? Email ribbon@craftclay.com.
Release Notes
New
- Smarter Next/Previous Change navigation, especially when one side contains insert-only blocks or you are near the end of a file.
- Automatic jump to the first changed block when a comparison first becomes available.
- New editor typography controls in Settings → General → Editor: font, font size, and line spacing, with immediate live updates.
- New text-size shortcuts while editing: ⌘= (⌘+), ⌘-, and ⌘0.
- More native code-editor behavior: Tab / Shift-Tab and ⌘] / ⌘[ for indent and outdent, auto-indent on Return, inferred tab width, and a subtle current-line highlight.
- Better per-pane Find behavior, including more reliable ⌘F focus, Find Next/Previous, recent searches, shared Find syncing, Esc to return to the editor, and Use Selection for Find.
- New Show Toolbar / Hide Toolbar command in View with ⌥⌘T, and toolbar visibility now persists across launches.
Improved
- Diff ribbon and line highlights now appear only when both panes contain text, and they clear immediately when either pane is emptied or unbound.
- When one pane is cleared or unbound, the remaining pane resets to the top for a cleaner state.
- Updated shortcuts for the top controls: Wrap is now ⌃⌘W, Swap is ⌃⌘S, and Clear is ⌃⌘K.
- Window and tab titles now prefer the left file name when both panes are file-backed.
Fixed
- Fixed change-jump cases that could fail near the end of a file.
- Fixed a ⌘Z crash in some editing scenarios.
- Fixed an issue where the cursor and scroll position could jump to the bottom while typing.
Previous versions
- Expanded text encoding support for opening/saving files, including UTF-8 (with BOM) plus additional Japanese (Shift_JIS, EUC-JP, ISO-2022-JP, x-mac-japanese), Chinese (GB18030/GBK/GB2312, Big5/Big5-HKSCS, HZ-GB-2312), Korean (EUC-KR, CP949), and more Windows code pages (1250-1258, 874).
- When auto-detection is ambiguous, RibbonDiff now prompts you to Choose Encoding.
- Reload with Encoding to re-open a file from disk using the encoding you select (helps fix garbled text).
- Open two files directly from Terminal / Finder (e.g. open -a RibbonDiff left.txt right.txt).
- Improve filename visibility.
- RibbonDiff is now free to download, with an optional Pro Trial and Pro Lifetime one-time unlock via In-App Purchase. (If you previously bought the paid version, your access should carry over - use Restore Purchases if needed.)
- Performance improvements with faster editing, diff updates and smooth scroll.
- New optional Line Endings (LF/CRLF/CR) and Encoding controls when enabled in Settings.
- Improved drag-and-drop feedback for a clearer, more responsive file drop experience.
- Lower CPU usage while idle for better efficiency.
- Performance improvements with faster editing, diff updates and smooth scroll.
- Clearer active-pane focus and improved unsaved-changes indicators.
- Full open, save, and save-as workflow per pane, including drag & drop.
- Expanded and smarter syntax highlighting with new language support and customizable colors.
- Enhanced theme management with color swatches and default theme saving.
- Initial release
Tip: You can also view version history on the Mac App Store listing.
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