Source PDF
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Target PDF
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Compare PDF finds the differences between two PDF versions in your browser. Load a source and a target file, and it highlights added, deleted, modified, and moved content side by side, with an issue list and an exportable report. Your files are compared locally — nothing is uploaded.
Load the two files (the source is usually the earlier or approved version; the target is the newer one you're checking) and run Compare. The tool extracts the text and positions from each page, then marks the differences with color-coded overlays in four clear categories: Deleted, Added, Modified, and Moved. A side panel lists every finding with a label and location; click one to jump both previews to that spot. The previews scroll in sync, and you can zoom, hit Fit Page, or use the magnifier to inspect fine details like punctuation, figures, or a signature.
Filters let you focus the review — show only text edits, or only added/deleted content, or include alignment and style changes when you're checking a template's formatting. When you're done, export a report as HTML or PDF: a standalone artifact with page snapshots and the issue list you can attach to a ticket or keep with the final version.
Everything runs locally with in-browser rendering, so the files aren't uploaded and there's no signup. One honest note: the tool maps where to look, but you make the call — some highlighted style or alignment differences are harmless export artifacts (a file rebuilt by a different app), while a moved decimal or changed clause is critical. And scanned, image-only PDFs have no text layer, so comparison there is visual rather than word-level — extract text first with Extract Text from PDF if needed.
Click Open Source for the reference version and Open Target for the new one.
Click Compare; the tool extracts text and layout and builds a list of findings.
Use the issue panel and color-coded highlights; click a finding to jump to it. Filter by Deleted, Added, Modified, or Moved, and use zoom, Fit Page, and the magnifier for detail.
Click Export HTML or Export PDF to save a standalone comparison report.
Realistic example. You receive a "final" contract to sign against the approved draft. Open the draft as source and the final as target, Compare, filter to Added/Deleted/Modified, and review each text finding — you immediately see the one clause that was reworded.
Advanced tip. For template or brand checks, keep the alignment, font, and size style filters on; for legal or financial review, focus on text, added, and deleted and treat layout noise as lower priority.
Common mistake to avoid. Comparing files exported by different tools can surface lots of benign layout differences — use the filters to separate real content changes from export noise.
Recommendation. Need a plain-text copy to diff separately? PDF to Text. Building the new version from markup? HTML to PDF.
Open your Source PDF (the reference version) and your Target PDF (the new one), then click Compare. The tool highlights the differences side by side and lists them in a panel. Click any finding to jump to it. Everything runs in your browser with no upload.
Yes. The tool extracts the words and their positions from each page and compares them, so it catches text changes and visual ones — like a paragraph moving or a table shifting. Differences appear as color-coded overlays on the page and as labelled entries in the issue list, so you see both the change and where it is.
Added is content in the target that wasn't in the source; Deleted is content removed from the source; Modified is reworded or changed text; and Moved is content that shifted position (alignment changes). Separating them lets you focus on what matters — for legal review, on Added/Deleted/Modified; for templates, on Moved and style.
Yes. Use Export HTML or Export PDF to save a standalone report with page snapshots and the list of findings. It's a handy review artifact to attach to a ticket, email to a colleague, or archive next to the final document. The report reflects the categories you currently have visible.
Use the filters to show only the categories you care about — for example, just text edits, or only added and deleted content, plus optional alignment, font, size, and style. Narrowing the view keeps long documents manageable and separates meaningful content changes from layout noise.
PDFs store text, fonts, and coordinates in ways that aren't visible at a glance. Files exported by different apps — a word processor, a browser print dialog, a design tool — can encode the same sentence differently, shifting spacing or substituting a font. The tool surfaces these so you can judge which are harmless export artifacts and which are real edits.
Partly. A scanned PDF is images with no text layer, so word-level comparison isn't possible — the review becomes visual. For a text comparison of a scan, run it through Extract Text from PDF with OCR first, then compare the resulting text. Digital PDFs with real text compare fully.
The comparison runs as a client-side browser workflow, so your PDFs are read locally for the preview, diff, and report rather than uploaded to a server. That keeps it fast and private — but for confidential, regulated, or legal files, still follow your organisation's data-handling rules, and store any exported report as carefully as the originals.
Yes. The layout is responsive: the two previews sit side by side on desktop and stack on smaller screens. You can run a comparison and review findings on a phone, though the wider side-by-side view on a laptop is more comfortable for detailed page inspection.
Yes. Comparing is free and needs no account. Load two files, compare, review the findings, and export a report if you want one — no paywall and no watermark on the report.
The source is normally the original, earlier, or approved version — your reference. The target is the newer version you want to verify against it. Added and deleted findings are described relative to this: "added" means it's new in the target, "deleted" means it was in the source.
Yes. The issue panel is scrollable and findings are grouped by page, so long documents stay manageable — scan the page list to see where changes cluster, then open those pages. Very large files use more memory, so they're smoother on a laptop than on an older phone.
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