Compare Two PDF Files
See the text differences between two versions of a PDF.
🔒 Your file is processed inside your browser. It is never uploaded or saved.
What is Compare PDF?
Spotting changes between a draft and a revised document by eye is tiring. This tool reads the text of two PDFs and lists the lines that exist in only one of them, marking removed lines with a minus and added lines with a plus.
How to compare two PDFs
- Add exactly two PDF files, the older one first.
- Press Start. Text is read line by line from both.
- Review the list: “-” is only in the first file, “+” is only in the second.
- Download comparison.txt to keep the report.
When Compare PDF is useful
Contract revisions
See what changed between versions.
Policy updates
Check a new edition against the old.
Proofreading
Confirm that only intended edits were made.
Tips for better results
The comparison is about text, not layout or images. Both files must contain real text; scans need OCR PDF first. Long results are shortened to the first 600 lines.
Good to know before you start
The comparison reads the text of each PDF line by line and finds the longest sequence of lines that both versions share. Lines that appear only in the first file are marked with a minus sign and lines that appear only in the second are marked with a plus sign. This is a text comparison: formatting, images and layout are ignored, and a paragraph that was merely re-wrapped can appear as changed. It is best used on documents with the same structure, such as two drafts of a contract. For very large documents the tool uses a faster method that lists lines present in only one file, and the report is limited to 600 lines.
Why use PDFToolkit
When you compare two PDFs with PDFToolkit, the work stays on your own device. Your contracts, ID scans and invoices are processed in the browser and are never sent to a server.
- Private: no upload, nothing saved.
- Free: no sign-up, no daily limit and no watermark.
- Fast: no waiting for files to travel over the internet.
- Everywhere: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone.
Frequently asked questions
How many files can I compare?
Exactly two.
Does it compare images?
No, text only.
Can I save the result?
Yes, as a text file.
Is my file uploaded?
No.