Free Text Diff Checker
Compare drafts, notes, code snippets, or copied text and see what changed between two versions.
Related guides: How to Compare Two Text Files and Find Differences
Compare files online for differences
Paste the text content of two files into the side-by-side boxes to compare them online. This browser tool highlights added and removed lines so you can spot version changes without installing software. It works for plain text, configuration files, JSON, CSV, markdown, and code snippets.
For PDF documents, extract the text first using a PDF-to-text converter or copy the content manually, then paste both versions into the diff checker. This tool compares text only; it does not open binary PDF files directly, render page layouts, or compare images and formatting.
How this tool helps
A text diff checker helps when two versions look similar but small edits matter. You might be reviewing a rewritten paragraph, comparing configuration snippets, checking a support reply, or confirming that a copied block did not lose an important line. The comparison runs locally and highlights additions and removals for faster review.
How to use it
- Paste the older version into the first box and the newer version into the second box.
- Run the comparison, then scan the line summary before looking at detailed word changes.
- Use the highlighted output to decide whether a change is intentional, accidental, or worth checking in the original source.
Practical tips
- Normalize extra blank lines before comparing if spacing is not important to your task.
- For code or structured data, review punctuation carefully because a tiny character change can alter behavior.
- When editing public copy, compare the final text after formatting so smart quotes, bullets, and line breaks are included.
FAQ
What do the colors mean?
Removed text is shown in red and added text is shown in green so version changes are easier to scan.
Is this a code review tool?
It is a lightweight browser diff for text; dedicated version-control tools are better for large software changes.
Does the comparison leave my browser?
No. The two text blocks are compared by JavaScript on the page.
Related tools
Compare JSON objects online
To compare JSON data, paste two JSON objects into the diff checker and run the comparison. The tool highlights added, removed, and changed keys so you can spot differences between API responses, configuration files, or database exports.
JSON comparison works best when both inputs are valid, formatted JSON. Use the JSON Formatter to validate and format both inputs first. For deeply nested structures, the diff checker shows the path to each difference. For bulk comparisons of multiple files, consider using the command-line diff tool with JSON formatting.