PRIVATE DOCUMENT WORKSPACE
Compare PDFs Online
Find selectable-text changes page by page and inspect image or layout changes with side-by-side previews and an adjustable overlay.
Quick answer: Choose the original and revised PDFs. Run the comparison and review pages flagged as changed or requiring visual review. Select a preview page, inspect the overlay and download the JSON comparison report.
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How to use it
- Add both versionsChoose the original and the revised PDF.
- Run the comparisonReview the pages flagged as changed or needing visual review.
- Inspect overlaysOpen a page to see the visual overlay and text differences.
About this tool
When a contract or report comes back as version 3, the question is what actually changed. This tool compares the text of both PDFs page by page, flags changed pages, and offers a side-by-side and overlay view for images and layout.
Practical example: Compare two versions of a proposal. Review changed amounts in the text report, then use the overlay to check a moved table or updated logo.
Important limitation: The text comparison does not run OCR or prove that two page images match. A scan can contain no searchable text, and reordered pages may appear as many changes. Inspect diagrams, signatures, hidden layers and layout manually.
Both PDFs are compared locally and never uploaded. Read the privacy information.
How it works
Text from both documents is extracted per page and compared, and each page is rendered so you can inspect a visual overlay of differences.
Real-world uses
- Spotting changes between contract drafts
- Checking a reissued policy
- Verifying that a corrected PDF only changed what you intended
A reliable way to review changes
Load the older file as the original and the newer as the revised, then start with the pages flagged as changed. Read the text report for amounts, dates and clause wording. Then switch to the overlay for the same pages to catch what text cannot show: a moved table, a replaced logo, or a different signature image.
If pages were inserted or deleted, later pages may all appear changed because they no longer line up. Compare the affected range separately or align the documents first.
The comparison reads selectable text. A scanned page has no text to compare, so check scans visually, or run OCR first. A report with no differences is a helpful signal, not a guarantee that two documents are identical.
Tips for better results
- Compare final versions, not drafts with tracked changes embedded.
- Scanned documents need OCR first, since there may be no text to compare.
- Reordered pages are reported as changes.
Frequently asked questions
Can it compare scanned PDFs?
You can inspect scans in the visual preview. Use OCR Correction first when you also need a searchable-text comparison.
What does the report contain?
It contains page-level original/revised text and additions/removals. It is generated locally, but its contents may be confidential—handle the downloaded report like the documents.
Does matching text mean matching documents?
No. Images, fonts, positioning, annotations and signatures can differ even when the text matches.
Are my files uploaded?
Both PDFs are compared locally and never uploaded.
Does it highlight every difference?
It flags text changes and shows visual overlays, but you should review flagged pages yourself.
Is the comparison report private?
Yes. It is created in your browser. If you download the report, remember that it contains text from your documents.
Try a known sample first
Use synthetic files with expected page counts, text and form values. Compare the actual downloaded result, not just the preview.
Worked examples and sample files · Testing approach and limitations