diff --git a/lib/checkother.cpp b/lib/checkother.cpp
index 4cdff0674..d91359c13 100644
--- a/lib/checkother.cpp
+++ b/lib/checkother.cpp
@@ -2176,29 +2176,43 @@ void CheckOther::checkDuplicateBranch()
             if (macro)
                 continue;
 
-            // save if branch code
-            const std::string branch1 = scope.bodyStart->next()->stringifyList(scope.bodyEnd);
+            const Token * const tokIf = scope.bodyStart->next();
+            const Token * const tokElse = scope.bodyEnd->tokAt(3);
 
-            if (branch1.empty())
+            // compare first tok before stringifying the whole blocks
+            const std::string tokIfStr = tokIf->stringify(false, true, false);
+            if (tokIfStr.empty())
                 continue;
 
-            // save else branch code
-            const std::string branch2 = scope.bodyEnd->tokAt(3)->stringifyList(scope.bodyEnd->linkAt(2));
+            const std::string tokElseStr = tokElse->stringify(false, true, false);
 
-            ErrorPath errorPath;
-            // check for duplicates
-            if (branch1 == branch2) {
-                duplicateBranchError(scope.classDef, scope.bodyEnd->next(), errorPath);
-                continue;
+            if (tokIfStr == tokElseStr) {
+                // save if branch code
+                const std::string branch1 = tokIf->stringifyList(scope.bodyEnd);
+
+                if (branch1.empty())
+                    continue;
+
+                // save else branch code
+                const std::string branch2 = tokElse->stringifyList(scope.bodyEnd->linkAt(2));
+
+                // check for duplicates
+                if (branch1 == branch2) {
+                    duplicateBranchError(scope.classDef, scope.bodyEnd->next(), ErrorPath{});
+                    continue;
+                }
             }
 
             // check for duplicates using isSameExpression
-            const Token * branchTop1 = getSingleExpressionInBlock(scope.bodyStart->next());
-            const Token * branchTop2 = getSingleExpressionInBlock(scope.bodyEnd->tokAt(3));
-            if (!branchTop1 || !branchTop2)
+            const Token * branchTop1 = getSingleExpressionInBlock(tokIf);
+            if (!branchTop1)
+                continue;
+            const Token * branchTop2 = getSingleExpressionInBlock(tokElse);
+            if (!branchTop2)
                 continue;
             if (branchTop1->str() != branchTop2->str())
                 continue;
+            ErrorPath errorPath;
             if (isSameExpression(mTokenizer->isCPP(), false, branchTop1->astOperand1(), branchTop2->astOperand1(), mSettings->library, true, true, &errorPath) &&
                 isSameExpression(mTokenizer->isCPP(), false, branchTop1->astOperand2(), branchTop2->astOperand2(), mSettings->library, true, true, &errorPath))
                 duplicateBranchError(scope.classDef, scope.bodyEnd->next(), errorPath);
diff --git a/test/testother.cpp b/test/testother.cpp
index 68922a7e0..b5aec968f 100644
--- a/test/testother.cpp
+++ b/test/testother.cpp
@@ -152,6 +152,8 @@ private:
         TEST_CASE(duplicateBranch2); // empty macro
         TEST_CASE(duplicateBranch3);
         TEST_CASE(duplicateBranch4);
+        TEST_CASE(duplicateBranch5); // make sure the Token attributes are compared
+        TEST_CASE(duplicateBranch6);
         TEST_CASE(duplicateExpression1);
         TEST_CASE(duplicateExpression2); // ticket #2730
         TEST_CASE(duplicateExpression3); // ticket #3317
@@ -5441,6 +5443,72 @@ private:
         ASSERT_EQUALS("", errout.str());
     }
 
+    void duplicateBranch5() {
+        check("void f(bool b) {\n"
+              "    int j;\n"
+              "    if (b) {\n"
+              "        unsigned int i = 0;\n"
+              "        j = i;\n"
+              "    } else {\n"
+              "        unsigned int i = 0;\n"
+              "        j = i;\n"
+              "    }\n"
+              "}");
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("[test.cpp:6] -> [test.cpp:3]: (style, inconclusive) Found duplicate branches for 'if' and 'else'.\n", errout.str());
+
+        check("void f(bool b) {\n"
+              "    int j;\n"
+              "    if (b) {\n"
+              "        unsigned int i = 0;\n"
+              "        j = i;\n"
+              "    } else {\n"
+              "        unsigned int i = 0;\n"
+              "        j = 1;\n"
+              "    }\n"
+              "}");
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("", errout.str());
+
+        check("void f(bool b) {\n"
+              "    int j;\n"
+              "    if (b) {\n"
+              "        unsigned int i = 0;\n"
+              "    } else {\n"
+              "        int i = 0;\n"
+              "    }\n"
+              "}");
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("", errout.str());
+
+        check("void f(bool b) {\n"
+              "    int j;\n"
+              "    if (b) {\n"
+              "        unsigned int i = 0;\n"
+              "        j = i;\n"
+              "    } else {\n"
+              "        int i = 0;\n"
+              "        j = i;\n"
+              "    }\n"
+              "}");
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("", errout.str());
+    }
+
+    void duplicateBranch6() {
+        check("void f(bool b) {\n"
+              "    if (b) {\n"
+              "    } else {\n"
+              "        int i = 0;\n"
+              "    }\n"
+              "}");
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("", errout.str());
+
+        check("void f(bool b) {\n"
+              "    if (b) {\n"
+              "        int i = 0;\n"
+              "    } else {\n"
+              "    }\n"
+              "}");
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("", errout.str());
+    }
+
     void duplicateExpression1() {
         check("void foo(int a) {\n"
               "    if (a == a) { }\n"