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Diffing Binary Files

Diffing Binary Files

by wennyyustalim·Aug 5, 2026·6 points·2 comments
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AI Analysis

●●SolidSolve My ProblemBig Brain

Visual binary file diffing for engineers when Git only handles text files well.

Strengths
  • •Handles complex binary formats like STEP, DXF, and P&ID diagrams that Git cannot diff.
  • •Side-by-side visual comparison interface designed for non-technical stakeholders.
  • •Solves the rev3_final_redlined.pdf naming chaos common in engineering workflows.
Weaknesses
  • •Bluebeam and Adobe Acrobat already offer robust PDF and CAD comparison features.
  • •Unclear how the tool handles version history tracking beyond simple two-file comparisons.
Target Audience

Engineers and project managers reviewing technical document revisions

Similar To

Bluebeam Revu · Beyond Compare · Draftable

Post Description

My partner reviews a lot of P&IDs (piping and instrumentation diagrams) and the adjacent files involved (excel, docx, pdfs, acd/l5x, etc). In his company, these are usually done in Bluebeam.

It's really hard to see the diff + keep track of all the revisions resulted by these iterations. They end up storing files like "rev3_final_redlined.pdf". We've been looking for something close to Github to do these reviews, but haven't found one easy enough for folks with no CLI experience to understand and use (happy to check out more tools if you know any).

So I built withkord.com to help with revisioning and diffing binary files. Any feedback is welcome.

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