When comparing FileDiffs vs Compare Side-By-Side, the Slant community recommends Compare Side-By-Side for most people. In the question“What are the best diff plugins for Sublime Text?” Compare Side-By-Side is ranked 2nd while FileDiffs is ranked 3rd.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Allows you to open diffs in external diff tool
Instead of creating a new tab with the diff in it, you can tell FileDiffs to open the diff in an external diff tool for side by side comparison and other features.
Pro Easily compare arbitrary code sections
FileDiffs allows you to compare any arbitrary text through multiple commands:
- Compare the current file or selection with any other file via a file select menu
- Compare the current file or selection file with previously selected tab or window or panel
- Compare the current file or selection with your clipboard
- Compare between two selections through Sublime Text's multi-select feature
Pro Command pallet integration
In addition to providing shortcut commands for custom shortcuts, FileDiffs adds new command pallet entries. If you don't use diffs often enough to warrant memorizing a new shortcut command, the command pallet provides a quick and easy way to access the plugin.
Pro Simple to use, especially with minimap
Pro Don't have to track file in version control
Having hot keys to jump to next change is nice, and the coloring can highlight the actual changed characters which is great.
Cons
Con Doesn't have side by side comparison
After running FileDiffs, it creates a new diff file in a new tab, which doesn't have the benefit of showing the diffs in context. However, it is possible to open the diff in an external diff tool instead of creating a new tab.
Con Line numbers do not mirror those in the source files
Con Slow
Comparing large files (100k lines) takes minutes compared to diff on the command line that takes only seconds.