Getting started

Download the package for your system from GitHub Releases. Every release includes a SHA256SUMS.txt file if you want to verify your download.

Compareel packages are not signed with paid commercial code-signing certificates, so Windows and macOS show a warning the first time you open a new release.

Install on Windows

Compareel runs on 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11. No separate codec pack is needed.

  • Installer (Compareel-<version>-x86_64-Win.exe) — Run the installer to install for your user account (no administrator rights needed) or for all users. It adds a Start menu entry and an optional desktop shortcut.
  • Portable archive (Compareel-<version>-x86_64-Win.zip) — Extract the whole folder anywhere and run Compareel.exe. Keep Compareel.exe together with the .dll files and plugin folders next to it.

First start on Windows: If Windows SmartScreen blocks the installer or program, click More info, then click Run anyway.

If you want to open two files directly from File Explorer, open Tools > Settings… (Ctrl+,) and tick Show Compareel in Explorer’s Send To menu. You can then select two files in Explorer, right-click them, and choose Send to > Compareel.

Install on macOS

Compareel runs on macOS 12 or later on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

  1. Open Compareel-<version>.dmg.
  2. Drag Compareel.app to Applications.

First start on macOS: Because the app is ad-hoc signed rather than notarized with Apple, double-clicking it the first time shows a warning. Control-click Compareel in Finder (or Applications) and choose Open, then confirm Open once. If your macOS version does not show an Open button in that dialog, open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Install on Linux

Compareel is distributed as an x86_64 Flatpak bundle (Compareel-<version>-x86_64.flatpak) with application ID io.github.turxlab.Compareel. It uses the KDE 6.8 Flatpak runtime (org.kde.Platform//6.8) from Flathub.

Install the downloaded bundle for your user account:

flatpak install --user Compareel-<version>-x86_64.flatpak

If Compareel is available from your configured Flathub remote, you can also install it by ID:

flatpak install flathub io.github.turxlab.Compareel

Start Compareel from your desktop application launcher or from a terminal:

flatpak run io.github.turxlab.Compareel

You can also build Compareel natively from source using the instructions in the repository README.md.

First-start update prompt

A few seconds after you open Compareel for the first time (except in the Linux Flatpak, where Flatpak handles updates), Compareel asks: Would you like Compareel to check for updates automatically? Choose Yes or No. Compareel makes no network connection before you answer. You can change this later in Tools > Settings… (or Compareel > Settings… on macOS).

Run your first scan

When you start Compareel with no results open, the welcome card (Find duplicate videos and images) guides you through your first scan:

  1. Choose folders or files. Drag folders or files onto Sources · drop folders or files here, or click Choose… (or File > Scan sources…, Ctrl+O, Cmd+O on macOS).
  2. Confirm your source settings. In Scan sources, click Add folder… or Add files… to build your list. Leave Subfolders ticked for folders whose subfolders should be included, and tick Protected next to any folder whose files must never be removed. Click Save to return to the main window, or click Save and scan to start right away.
  3. Pick media type and comparison mode. Next to Find, choose Videos or Images. Then choose Exact copies, Similar videos (or Similar images), or Advanced criteria. Click Rules if you want to adjust thresholds or file filters first.
  4. Start the scan. Click Scan (or press F5). A progress bar and status message show how many files have been found and analyzed. You can click Pause scan (Ctrl+Shift+P) to pause and continue later, or Stop scan (Esc) to cancel.
  5. Inspect the groups. When the scan finishes, each row in the lower list is one group of matching files. The first file in the row is loaded on the left (Ref), and the selected candidate is loaded on the right for comparison. Click any other thumbnail in a row to load it on the right.

Once results are open, the top toolbar replaces the welcome card so you can change Scan sources…, switch between Videos and Images, pick a mode, adjust Similarity ≥ %, or click Scan (F5) again at any time.

Compare just two files

If you already have two specific videos or two specific images to check, you do not need to scan a folder. Click Open two files… (Ctrl+Shift+O, Cmd+Shift+O on macOS) on the welcome card or under File, or drag two videos or two images directly onto the Compareel window.

Next: Scanning explains the comparison modes, folder rules, partial clips, and scan cache in detail.

Compareel is free software under the GNU GPL v3. © 2026 Ensar Yanar.