| Smart ways to compare files on Linux Many new tools for comparing files have emerged in Linux over the years, and in this post, we'll examine seven useful tools for doing that. Thinkstock Commands for comparing files have proliferated since the early days of Linux. In this post, we'll look at a suite of commands available for comparing files and highlight the advantages that some of the newer ones provide. diff One of the oldest and still popular commands for detecting and reporting on file differences is the diff command. Comparing two lists of meeting attendees, the diff command will simply and clearly show you the differences.