Compare PDF Files Online
Upload two versions of a document and see what changed, page by page. Get a downloadable report of added and removed text. Your files never leave your device.
Free to use · Works on any device · Files auto-deleted after processing
Drag and drop here or
File must be a PDF
and size up to 15MB.
How it works?
Upload both files
Add the original (A) and the revised (B) PDF.
Compare
Text is read from every page and compared word by word.
Review the report
See a summary on screen and download the full report as a PDF.
Why choose our Compare PDF tool?
Word-level differences
Added words are shown in green and removed words in red, per page.
Fully private
Both files are compared in your browser and are never uploaded.
Downloadable report
Share a PDF summary with colleagues or clients.
Flexible matching
Optionally ignore capitalisation and punctuation to focus on real edits.
100% free
No hidden fees, no watermark, no signup.
Works everywhere
Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, or Linux. Any modern browser works.
Why compare PDF versions?
Contracts, policies and manuscripts go through many rounds of edits, and a single changed number or clause can matter. Comparing the final PDF with the previous one shows exactly what moved, so nothing slips through unreviewed.
Find the differences between two PDF documents
The Compare PDF tool reads the text of both files and runs a word-level comparison on every page. The result is a short on-screen summary plus a PDF report listing what was added and what was removed.
It is built for text documents such as contracts, policies, reports and manuscripts. Because the comparison runs in your browser, confidential drafts are not uploaded anywhere.
Quick tips
- Upload the older version as A and the newer one as B.
- Turn on Ignore case when only formatting of titles changed.
- Use OCR first if either file is a scan.
A practical guide to comparing two PDF files
How do I find the differences between two PDF files?
The reliable way is to compare the text of both documents, page by page, and list what was added and what was removed. That is what this tool does. Upload the older version and the newer version, run the comparison, and you get a short summary on screen plus a PDF report with removed words in red and added words in green.
Reading two long documents side by side is slow and easy to get wrong, because the eye skips over small edits such as a changed date, a different amount or a deleted clause. A word-level comparison catches those changes in seconds.
What kind of changes will it find?
The comparison looks at the text layer of each page. Edited sentences, changed numbers, new paragraphs and deleted lines all show up. You can also choose to ignore upper and lower case, or ignore punctuation, which helps when a document was only reformatted or retyped.
It does not compare layout, fonts, colours or images. Two PDFs that contain exactly the same words but look different will report no differences.
Can I compare a contract, invoice or report safely?
Both files are read inside your browser and are not uploaded, so you can check a draft contract against the signed copy or an invoice against its revision without sending either document anywhere. Close the tab and nothing remains.
Why does the comparison show changes on every page?
Text is compared page by page. If an extra paragraph pushes content onto the next page, the text that moved is reported as removed on one page and added on the next. When many pages show changes, check whether something early in the document shifted everything after it.
Popular ways to use it
Contract revisions
Check a new draft against the previous one to see exactly which clauses, dates or amounts changed before you sign.
Invoice and quote checks
Compare a supplier's revised quote with the original to confirm only the agreed prices moved.
Report and thesis versions
See what an editor or supervisor changed between two exports of the same document.
Policy and terms updates
Compare last year's terms with this year's to spot new or removed wording.
Final proof check
Confirm the file sent to print contains the same text as the approved version.
Troubleshooting and common problems
The tool says there are no differences, but the PDFs look different.
Only text is compared. Changes to images, colours, fonts or layout are not detected. Compare the files visually as well if those matter.
One of my PDFs reports no text.
It is probably a scan, which is an image of text. Run it through the OCR PDF tool first, then compare the result.
Almost every page shows as changed.
A small insertion near the start can move text across page breaks. Try ignoring case and punctuation, and look at the first page that differs.
The comparison fails on one file.
Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first. A damaged file can be fixed with the Repair PDF tool.
Good to know
- Word-level comparison
- Text is split into words and matched in order, so a single changed word is shown on its own instead of marking the whole paragraph.
- Different page counts
- The documents do not need the same number of pages. Pages that exist in only one file are reported as entirely added or removed.
- Text layer needed
- Comparison needs selectable text. If you can highlight words in your PDF viewer, it will work.
- The report is a PDF
- You get a downloadable report listing the differences, so you can attach it to an email or keep it with your records.
Who uses this tool?
Legal and compliance
Check what changed between contract drafts.
Editors and writers
Review revisions between manuscript versions.
Finance teams
Spot edits between report releases.
Students
Compare submissions or updated study material.
Supported formats
| Input | Output |
|---|---|
| .pdf + .pdf | .pdf (comparison report) |
FAQs
What does the comparison look at?
The text on each page. It reads selectable text and compares it word by word. Layout, fonts and images are not compared.
Can I compare scanned PDFs?
Scans have no text layer, so run them through the OCR PDF tool first.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Both documents are processed in your browser.
What if the PDFs have different page counts?
Pages are matched by number. Pages that exist in only one file are reported as missing from the other.
Can a moved paragraph cause false differences?
Comparison is page by page, so text that moves to a different page shows as removed on one page and added on another.
How do I compare two PDF files for free?
Add both PDFs, click Compare PDFs, and review the summary or download the report.
Does it highlight changes inside the PDF pages?
No. It produces a separate report listing added and removed text per page.
Can I compare a PDF with a Word document?
Not directly. Convert the Word file to PDF first with the Word to PDF tool, then compare the two PDFs.
Does it show differences side by side?
You see a summary and the first differences on screen, and the full list is in the downloaded PDF report with colour-coded text.
Can I compare more than two PDFs at once?
No. Each comparison takes exactly two files. Run it again to compare another pair.
Will it detect a changed image or logo?
No. Only the text is compared, so image-only changes are not reported.
Is the order of the files important?
Yes. The first file is treated as the original and the second as the new version, so words missing from the second are marked as removed.