Text Compare

Paste two versions and see what moved, what went and what arrived.

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What this tool does

Text Compare puts two versions of the same content next to each other and marks every difference: what was removed from the first, what was added in the second, and what stayed the same. It works on anything textual — a paragraph, a configuration file, a list of values, a block of code.

How to use it

  1. Paste the original on the left and the changed version on the right.
  2. The comparison runs as you type.
  3. Switch between side-by-side and inline, and between line and word comparison.
  4. Turn on the ignore options if case or spacing differences are noise.

Views and granularity

Side by side

Two aligned columns with line numbers. Where a line changed, the old and new versions sit on the same row so they are easy to read against each other.

Inline

One flowing result with removals struck through and additions marked. Better for prose, especially with word comparison.

Line versus word

Line comparison treats each line as a unit — right for code, lists and structured data. Word comparison finds the changed words inside a sentence, which is right for prose where one edit would otherwise mark the whole paragraph as changed.

Ignore options

Ignore case treats Total and total as the same.Ignore whitespace ignores differences in spacing and indentation. Both affect only the comparison — the text shown is always exactly what you pasted.

Example

Comparing Invoice due 14 days after delivery. withInvoice due 30 days after delivery. by word marks a single removal and a single addition, rather than replacing the whole sentence.

Reading the result without relying on colour

Additions and removals are marked with a symbol and a label as well as a colour, and use the HTML elements assistive technology recognises for inserted and deleted content. The result is readable in monochrome and by a screen reader.

Size limit

Each side is limited to about 200,000 characters. Comparison cost grows with the number of differences, and beyond that limit a browser tab can lock up. Above the limit the tool says so rather than freezing, and nothing you pasted is altered or truncated.

Privacy

Both texts are compared in your browser. Neither is uploaded — which matters when you are diffing a contract, a configuration file or anything else you would not paste into a stranger's server.