How to compare two PDF files
- Add both PDFs. Add the original first and the changed version second. The cards show which is which, and Swap the two files turns them around.
- Choose what to compare. Text finds changed words. Text and appearance also marks spots where a page looks different.
- Set the options you need. You can ignore differences in upper and lower case, and in punctuation.
- Press Compare. You get a summary and every difference, page by page.
- Switch the view. Side by side shows the original next to the changed version. Inline shows both in one column. Appearance shows the marked pages.
- Download the report if you want to keep it or send it. It is a single web page that opens in any browser, even offline.
Reading the results
Removed words are shown in red and crossed out. Added words are green. A word that was replaced shows both: the old word in red, the new one in green. The summary counts the added and removed words and lists the pages with differences.
Long stretches that did not change are shortened to a note such as "… 120 unchanged words …", and pages without differences are grouped together, so you only read the parts that matter. If a paragraph was added and the following text moved onto the next page, that is shown as one addition, not as a change on every later page.
Text comparison has limits
The comparison reads the text of both files and compares it word by word. That makes it exact for wording, numbers and names, but it means:
- Formatting is not compared. A word that became bold, a new font or a different color does not count as a change in the text view. Turn on Text and appearance to see those.
- Scanned pages have no text. The tool says which pages are scans. Run them through OCR PDF first, or use the appearance check.
- Pictures and charts are only checked by the appearance view. It renders both versions of each page and marks every area where the pixels differ. Moving a block of text down by a line also counts as a visual change.
Private by design
Contracts and drafts are often confidential. Both files are read and compared inside your browser, so nothing is uploaded to us or anyone else. Two 50-page reports compare in a few seconds.
Frequently asked questions
Can it compare two Word documents?
Save both as PDF first, then compare them here. The text comparison works the same way.
Does the order of the files matter?
Yes. The first file is treated as the original and the second as the changed version, so added words are the ones only in the second file. Use Swap the two files if you added them the other way round.
Why does the tool find no differences when the pages look different?
The text view only compares words. Choose Text and appearance to also compare how the pages look, such as images, colors and layout.
Is there a size limit?
Each file can be up to 200 MB. Very different documents are compared in larger blocks instead of word by word, and the tool tells you when that happens.
This tool works in your browser: your files are processed on your device and are never uploaded. Check the result before you share it or delete the original.