NewImageBlack Pixel today released its first major in-house app, Kaleidoscope 2. The app that helps coders, writers and others to compare the differences in folders, images, text, and more. The app was released as a beta back in November.

At the time, The Next Web spoke with former Apple employee Michael Jurewitz and the rest of the Black Pixel team about Kaleidoscope 2:

Kaleidoscope 2 is a lovely comparison app that allows you to take two or more files, folders or images and compare them to one another. The applications are broad, with benefits that swing from developers on one end to those simply looking to compare two images side-by-side. It has full integration with Git, Subversion, Mercurial, and Bazaar. The app can be used as the default conflict resolver for code with its command line integration or simply to check the changed passages in a collaborative word document. It’s beautifully designed, fast and wonderful to use. It’s become an essential part of my toolkit already.

Kaleidoscope
Black Pixel acquired Kaleidoscope and Versions last year, as well as the popular RSS reader NetNewsWire. Version 2 of Kaleidoscope is the first major bit of software that Black Pixel has put its own name on -- previously, the company focused on developing apps for outside clients.

Kaleidoscope 2 is currently available on the Mac App Store [Direct Link], directly from Black Pixel or as a 15-day trial. It's available for $35 through January 30th, after which it will be $70.

Top Rated Comments

Stella Avatar
171 months ago
For developers,Beyond Compare is being released for the Mac - when v4 comes out for windows and Linux. With any luck, sooner rather than later.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mdriftmeyer Avatar
171 months ago
After trying this, my favourite visual diff app remains to be DiffMerge, which is available for OS X, Windows and Linux.

Image (http://i.imgur.com/UaVWm.png)

Now, as nice as DiffMerge is, unfortunately it is very poorly maintained and updated. It's just missing a few easy-to-implement (IMO) features that'd make it so much better, and its developers don't seem to care much about it. It's really too bad, because it is lightyears ahead in some of the core functionality. :(

Talk about myopia. Kaleidoscope is a lot more than a Diff app.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wetrix Avatar
171 months ago
Why does macrumors give this app the time of day? Is there really that much of an appeal to the readership?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
171 months ago
After trying this, my favourite visual diff app remains to be DiffMerge, which is available for OS X, Windows and Linux.



Now, as nice as DiffMerge is, unfortunately it is very poorly maintained and updated. It's just missing a few easy-to-implement (IMO) features that'd make it so much better, and its developers don't seem to care much about it. It's really too bad, because it is lightyears ahead in some of the core functionality. :(
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0098386 Avatar
171 months ago
This article brought to you by Black Pixel.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
171 months ago
how can this be so much better than free to justify such a price?

I agree... it is graphical diff... and all the code repository applications have diff built right in. It seems a little bit unnecessary, but if command line tools are not your thing sure it could be nice... but even the $35 intro price seems pretty high.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

m5 macbook pro deal

Why You Shouldn't Buy the Next MacBook Pro

Tuesday February 10, 2026 4:27 pm PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models as soon as early March, but if you can, this is one generation you should skip because there's something much better in the works. We're waiting on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with few changes other than the processor upgrade. There won't be any tweaks to the design or the display, but later this...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3

Wednesday February 11, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, the latest updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out in September. The new software comes almost two months after Apple released iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, ...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Apple Expected to Launch These 10+ Products Over the Coming Months

Tuesday February 10, 2026 6:33 am PST by
It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more. Apple is expected to release/update the following products...
iPhone 16e Bottom Crop

Apple Reportedly Unveiling a New iPhone Next Week

Tuesday February 10, 2026 1:51 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report said the iPhone 17e will be announced in a press release on the Apple Newsroom website, so do not expect an event for this device specifically. The iPhone 17e will be a spec-bumped successor to the iPhone 16e. Rumors claim the device will have four key...
Apple Logo Black

Apple Acquires New Database App

Wednesday February 11, 2026 6:44 am PST by
Apple acquired Canadian graph database company Kuzu last year, it has emerged. The acquisition, spotted by AppleInsider, was completed in October 2025 for an undisclosed sum. The company's website was subsequently taken down and its Github repository was archived, as is commonplace for Apple acquisitions. Kuzu was "an embedded graph database built for query speed, scalability, and easy of ...