The actual Compare files tab with sample staging and production JSON. Desktop and tablet use a split diff; mobile uses the inline view. Select the image to enlarge.
WHY IT HELPS
Bring both versions into the same workspace.
A useful comparison is not always a Git change. It might be two configuration files in different repositories, a downloaded response and a project fixture, or a snippet copied from a bug report. Flame's built-in file comparison tool brings those inputs into an editable diff, with split and inline views, change navigation, and controls for focusing on the lines that matter.
Compare across project boundaries
Choose two files from the same project, different projects, or supported external paths. Start an independent Compare files tab when you want to paste or type both versions without choosing a base file.
Make the difference easier to read
Switch between side-by-side and inline views, hide unchanged lines, ignore trim whitespace, and enable word wrap. Automatic language selection and a searchable language picker keep code and structured text readable.
Experiment in either pane
Both text panes are editable scratch buffers. Try a correction, compare again, and copy the result into a real file when you want to keep it. Scratch edits do not write to the source files.
FILE COMPARE IN PRACTICE
Project files, external files, clipboard text, or an empty buffer.
Open Compare files from the editor's New tab menu, or use Compare with from an editor tab. A comparison can span repositories without requiring a shared Git history.
Choose either source independently
In a standalone comparison, each side offers Project file, Open file, Paste, and Copy controls. Choose a project file from another repository, load a text file from your computer, or paste directly into the original or modified pane.
Compare configuration and code
Check staging against production settings, compare two implementations, or inspect a generated response beside an expected fixture. Use the language selector for JSON, source code, or another available syntax, and search within a pane with Ctrl/Cmd+F.
Keep the current text when swapping
Swap reverses the original and modified sides using their current contents. Switching tabs keeps the open comparison's editable models available, so moving to a source file and back does not discard your current scratch edits.
FILE COMPARE IN PRACTICE
Read changes side by side or in an inline diff.
Choose the layout that fits your screen and the kind of change you are checking. Highlighted additions and removals, a change count, and an identical indicator make the result easier to scan.
Split and inline views
Split places the original and modified text alongside each other. Inline puts the changes into one flow. Both are available from the comparison toolbar, so you can change perspective without replacing either input.
Navigate the changed regions
Jump to the next change with F7 or the previous change with Shift+F7. Toolbar controls expose the same navigation with a change count. Use Hide unchanged lines to concentrate on changed regions in a longer document.
Reduce visual noise
Ignore trim whitespace suppresses differences at line edges; it does not remove every whitespace difference. Word wrap helps with long lines. Language selection defaults to the modified file, falls back to the original, and can be overridden for the comparison.
FILE COMPARE IN PRACTICE
Try an edit, then ask AI about the current difference.
A comparison can be a working surface for understanding a change. Edit either pane, inspect the updated diff, and choose whether to carry the result into your project.
Scratch editing without disk writes
Typing, pasting, and comparison edits stay in the diff's scratch buffers. Ctrl/Cmd+S explains that this surface cannot save to disk. Copy the final text into a real project file and save that file to keep your work.
AI questions and review
For a changed text comparison, Ask AI can prepare a code-review conversation or a question with the current diff as context. It uses the current text from both panes, including scratch edits. Review the prepared chat before sending it through your configured provider.
Source navigation where supported
Files backed by a real project can use available language-server navigation such as definitions, references, and hovers. Pasted and external-only scratch sources have no project language server attached. AI review is available for text differences, not binary previews.
FILE COMPARE IN PRACTICE
Preview binary files and keep large text manageable.
Text diffs and binary previews serve different inputs. Flame chooses an appropriate view when either selected file is binary and simplifies expensive text rendering when needed.
Binary and media previews
Supported project or external binary selections open side-by-side previews instead of a line diff. Recognized images, video, and audio use their respective previews; other binary files show file information. This file comparison does not calculate a pixel mismatch score.
Large and minified text
Heavy text uses plain-text rendering and wrapping to reduce expensive highlighting. Diff computation is time-bounded; difficult inputs can remain visible without a completed line comparison. Use smaller excerpts when you need a focused result.
Text upload boundaries
The standalone Open file control accepts text up to 10 MiB and rejects recognized binary files and NUL-containing content. Choose UTF-8 text for that path. Use the project file picker for supported binary previews.
HOW TO USE IT
From two inputs to a change you understand.
Open Compare files
Use the editor's New tab menu to start a standalone comparison. You can also choose Compare with from an editor tab when you already have a source file open.
Load the original and modified text
Choose Project file or Open file for each side, use Paste, or type directly into an empty pane. Label the baseline as original and the version you are checking as modified; Swap reverses the direction when needed.
Focus the diff
Select Split or Inline, choose the language, and use F7 or Shift+F7 to move between changes. Turn on Hide unchanged lines, Word wrap, or Ignore trim whitespace when those controls make the comparison clearer.
Explore, review, and keep the result
Edit either scratch buffer or prepare an Ask AI conversation about the current diff. Copy any text you want to keep into a real file, save it there, and review the resulting project change before committing.
REQUIREMENTS & LIMITS
Know what the tool depends on.
Compare files is an editable scratch surface. Its edits do not save back to the original or modified file, and open-tab model retention should not be treated as durable storage.
The standalone Open file control is for text up to 10 MiB. Binary inputs use previews through supported project or external selections; they do not receive a text diff or AI diff review.
Language-server navigation requires a supported real project file. Heavy files use simplified rendering, and a difficult comparison may exceed the diff computation time limit.
Ask AI uses your configured provider when you send the prepared conversation. Inspect the attached change before sending sensitive code or configuration.
FAQ
File Compare: common questions
Yes. Each comparison side identifies its own project and path, so you can compare files within one project, across repositories, or against supported external files without shared Git history.
Yes. Start a Compare files tab and paste or type in either pane. Each side also has source controls for choosing a project file, opening a text file, pasting from the clipboard, or copying its current contents.
No. Both text panes are editable scratch buffers. Changes are not written to disk, and Ctrl/Cmd+S explains that they cannot be saved from the comparison. Copy the text into a real file to keep it.
Yes. Ignore trim whitespace suppresses differences at the beginning and end of lines. Hide unchanged lines focuses the view on changed regions. Word wrap and split or inline layouts are also available.
For a changed text comparison, Ask AI prepares a review or question with the current diff as context, including scratch edits. Review the prepared chat and send it using your configured provider. Binary previews do not support this text-diff action.
Compare files accepts two arbitrary sources, including unrelated projects and pasted text. Flame also has separate Git views for a working file against HEAD and for two refs within one repository. Use those when you need repository history or staging actions.