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Compare PDF

Find the text differences between two PDF files, side by side.

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Compare PDF · overview

What Compare PDF does

Compare PDF extracts the text of two PDFs and diffs them line by line, highlighting exactly what was added and removed between the original and the changed file.

When you have two versions of a contract, a report or a spec, the question is usually simple: what actually changed in the wording? Compare PDF answers that by pulling the real text out of both files and running a line-by-line diff, so edits stand out instead of being hunted for.

Both PDFs are read in the browser with pdf.js and compared with a standard diff, the same kind that powers code review. Added lines are marked in green, removed lines in red, and unchanged text is dimmed — with a count of how much changed. Nothing is uploaded; both files stay on your device.

Step by step

How to use Compare PDF

  1. Add both PDFs

    Drop the original on the left and the changed version on the right. Both must be text-based — OCR a scan first.

  2. Compare

    Click Compare PDFs. The text of each is extracted and the two are diffed.

  3. Read the differences

    Additions and removals are highlighted inline with a summary of how many lines changed.

Details & limits

Compare PDF: details and limits

  • This compares text, not appearance. Layout, fonts, colours, images and positioning are not diffed — only the words. Two PDFs that look different but read the same will report no differences.

  • The diff is line by line, so a moved paragraph shows as a removal in its old place and an addition in its new one, even though the words did not change.

  • Both files need a real text layer. A scanned PDF has nothing to compare, so OCR it first; password-protected files must be unlocked first. Each file is named in any error so you know which one to fix.

Compare PDF · help

Compare PDF: frequently asked questions

Upload the original PDF on the left and the changed one on the right, then click Compare PDFs. The text of both is extracted and diffed line by line, with additions and removals highlighted and a count of what changed.

Next steps