Difftastic is a structural diff tool that compares files based on their syntax.
Publisher’s description
What is Difftastic?
Difftastic by Wilfred Hughes is open-source Windows software in the developer utilities category. It ranks 17th by popularity among developer utilities in this catalogue. It is written in Rust.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides Portable installers for 64-bit Windows. It runs without installation (portable).
Updates and version history
The current version is 0.71.0, released on September 18, 2026. The version history goes back to November 26, 2023: 16 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 5.7 releases a year.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 8,294 times. The source code on GitHub (Wilfred/difftastic) has 26,046 stars. Similar programs include WinMerge, jq and x64dbg.
Project description on GitHub: “a structural diff that understands syntax 🟥🟩”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Portable: runs without installation
- Updated in the last two months
- Large user base
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
In short: Difftastic is an open-source developer utilitie tool for 64-bit PCs. It is actively maintained.
Is Difftastic safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
9A979F9D96D739625A0FE69317F3197CC7BCEF663A6D7195197D6C9BF96ED6F5· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the Wilfred/difftastic repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- Actively maintained10
- No dangerous workflows10
- No binaries in the repository10
- Licence declared10
- Pinned dependencies7
- Code review0
- Restricted token permissions0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Security policy0
- Fuzzing0
- Branch protection0
- Signed releases0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 16 versions ›16 versions over 3 years · about 5.7 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.71.0Latest | September 18, 2026 | — | 64-bit ZIP |
| 0.70.0 | April 30, 2026 | — | 64-bit ZIP |
| 0.69.0 | April 30, 2026 | — | 64-bit ZIP |
| 0.68.0 | March 16, 2026 | — | 64-bit ZIP |
| 0.67.0 | November 16, 2025 | — | 64-bit ZIP |
| 0.65.0 | September 24, 2025 | — | 64-bit ZIP |
| 0.64.0 | June 15, 2025 | — | 64-bit ZIP |
| 0.63.0 | February 11, 2025 | — | 64-bit ZIP |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id Wilfred.difftastic -echoco install difftastic -yProgram files (.exe): difft.exe
Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Publisher
- Wilfred Hughes
- Category
- Developer utilities
- Licence
- MIT
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/Wilfred/difftastic
- Written in
- Rust
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- Portable
- Version
- 0.71.0
- Released
- September 18, 2026
- Added to the catalogue
- January 3, 2024
- Versions listed
- 16
- Updates / year
- 5.7
- Chocolatey downloads
- 8,294
- GitHub stars
- 26,046
- GitHub forks
- 528
- Website
- github.com
- winget ID
- Wilfred.difftastic
- Chocolatey package
- difftastic
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to Difftastic
See all ›-
Open source1.2M ↓ -
Open source5.1M ↓ -
x64dbg2026.05.27An open-source user mode debugger for Windows. Optimized for reverse engineering and malware analysis.Open source95.8K ↓ -
Open source18.8K ↓ -
Biome2.6.3Biome is a toolchain for web projects, aimed at providing functionalities to maintain them. It offers a formatter and linter, usable via CLI and LSP.Open source10.5K ↓ -
Open source15.7K ↓ -
Open source28.3K ↓ -
dnSpy6.6.0dnSpyEx is a unofficial continuation of the dnSpy project which is a debugger and .NET assembly editor.Open source40.7K ↓
Frequently asked questions
Is Difftastic free?
Yes. Difftastic is open-source software under the MIT licence.
Is Difftastic safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install Difftastic with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Does Difftastic run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of Difftastic?
The versions page lists all 16 versions with links to their official installer files, back to November 26, 2023.
Can I use Difftastic without administrator rights?
Yes, it is portable: unpack and run it.
What are alternatives to Difftastic?
WinMerge, jq, x64dbg, delta and Biome. The alternatives page compares them.
