What is Kaleidoscope used for?

Kaleidoscope is a Mac app for comparing and merging text, images and folders, with deep Git integration and three-way merge support. It is a good fit for reviewing changes between two Git commits, comparing design assets pixel by pixel and resolving Git merge conflicts on a Mac.

How much does Kaleidoscope cost?

Paid plans for Kaleidoscope start at $8 per month, and there is no free plan. A free trial is available.

Is Kaleidoscope open source?

No. Kaleidoscope is proprietary (closed-source) software. In the Developer Tools category, open-source options include GitHub Desktop, iTerm2 and VS Code Project Manager.

What are some alternatives to Kaleidoscope?

Kaleidoscope competes with Beyond Compare, Araxis Merge and Sublime Merge.

Kaleidoscope: features, pricing and alternatives

About Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope is a commercial diff and merge tool for macOS. It compares text files, images and entire folder trees, and it connects closely with Git so that commits, file history and conflicts can be examined inside the same application.

Text comparison shows character-level differences and collapses unchanged regions, while image comparison offers split, blink, drag and diff views along with pixel-level details such as formats and color profiles. For merges, it displays the commits leading to a conflict and the changes between the base and each side. A changeset view gathers all differences between two commits for review, and version 7 adds live updates of working copy changes.

Kaleidoscope is proprietary software. A free trial can be downloaded and pricing is presented on the vendor's site.

Key features

Character-level text diffs
Image comparison with split and blink modes
Folder tree comparison
Three-way merge for Git conflicts
Changeset view for code review
Live working copy updates

Good fit for

→Reviewing changes between two Git commits
→Comparing design assets pixel by pixel
→Resolving Git merge conflicts on a Mac

Tags: diff; merge-tool; macos; git; image-comparison; code-review; developer-tools

Kaleidoscope: questions and answers

What is Kaleidoscope used for?: Kaleidoscope is a Mac app for comparing and merging text, images and folders, with deep Git integration and three-way merge support. It is a good fit for reviewing changes between two Git commits, comparing design assets pixel by pixel and resolving Git merge conflicts on a Mac.
How much does Kaleidoscope cost?: Paid plans for Kaleidoscope start at $8 per month, and there is no free plan. A free trial is available.
Is Kaleidoscope open source?: No. Kaleidoscope is proprietary (closed-source) software. In the Developer Tools category, open-source options include GitHub Desktop, iTerm2 and VS Code Project Manager.
What are some alternatives to Kaleidoscope?: Kaleidoscope competes with Beyond Compare, Araxis Merge and Sublime Merge.