Utilities
See exactly what changed between two texts
Compare two versions of a text and see every added, removed, or changed line marked, removals with − and additions with +.
For the best results: Paste the first version, add a line containing === , then paste the second version below it. Added lines show with +, removed with −.
Runs entirely in your browser, what you paste is never uploaded, logged, or stored.
What is Text Compare?
Text Compare is a free online utility that compares two versions of a text and highlights every added, removed, or changed line. Everything happens in the page you are looking at, so the text you paste stays on your device and is never sent anywhere, not even to us. There is no account step, no usage cap, and it works offline once loaded.
- ✦Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is ever uploaded
- ✦No account, no sign-up, and no data leaves your device
- ✦Works offline once the page has loaded
See it in action
Legal wants to know exactly what changed between contract draft v3 and v4.
What you type
Version A, then a line containing ===, then version B
What you get
A line-by-line diff with changed lines flagged, minus for removed and plus for added, and identical drafts reporting "No differences found."
Tip: Forget the separator and the tool tells you exactly what to add rather than producing a wrong answer. The diff is line-based, so a reflowed paragraph reads as one changed line, not word soup.
Use cases
What people use it for
See exactly what changed between two contract drafts before you approve the new version.
Check which lines an editor touched in your returned manuscript or article revision.
Confirm two configuration files or data exports are identical before deploying a change.
Who uses Text Compare?
Legal reviewers
verify every clause that moved between contract versions instead of trusting a summary of the changes
Editors and writers
see precisely what changed between a submitted draft and the version that came back
Working developers
diff configs, queries and snippets quickly without setting up a Git repository first
How it works
- 1Vary step 1 by tool shape using the existing FORM_TOOL_IDS set in app/(public)/[category]/[tool]/page.tsx. Form tools get "Set the options for what you need." and text tools get "Paste your text into the box." Where a tool's config makes it easy, name its own inputs instead. Steps 2 and 3 stay shared as they are.
- 2Your browser computes the result instantly. Nothing is uploaded anywhere.
- 3Copy the output; the tool keeps working even offline.
Tips for the best results
- Always paste the older version first, above the === line, so additions read as new.
- Strip trailing spaces if a line shows as changed but looks identical.
- Break very long paragraphs into shorter lines first for a more precise comparison.
- For Word documents, compare the pasted text; formatting differences will not appear.
- Keep dated copies of important documents so you always have a baseline to compare against.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What do the highlighted lines mean?
Each highlight classifies a line. Added lines exist only in the new version, removed lines only in the old, and a changed line is shown as its old form paired with its replacement. Unchanged lines stay plain so your eye lands on the differences. Reading top to bottom gives you the full story of the edit.
How does a line-by-line comparison actually work?
The comparison finds the longest runs of lines the two texts share, anchors on those, and marks whatever falls outside them as added or removed. This is the same approach version control systems like Git use for source code. It is deterministic, so comparing the same two texts always produces exactly the same result.
Are the documents I paste kept anywhere?
Neither side is uploaded. Both texts are held only in your browser while the comparison runs, and closing the tab discards them. That matters here more than most places, since the things people diff, contracts, offers, unreleased copy, are exactly the things that should never sit in someone else's logs.
Why is a whole line highlighted when I only changed one word?
Because the comparison works at line level, any edit inside a line marks the entire line as changed. This mirrors how programmers read diffs and keeps the output unambiguous. If you want finer detail, read the two highlighted lines side by side; with identical lines already filtered out, the changed word is easy to spot.
Can I use it to compare code?
Yes, and line-based comparison is the native format for code review. Paste two versions of a file to see edits the way Git or a pull request would present them. It is handy for checking a snippet from a tutorial against your own copy, or spotting what changed between two exported config files.
How can I compare two documents for differences for free?
Paste the first version, add a line containing ===, then paste the second version below it; every difference is marked instantly. For Word files, copy the text out of each document first. Formatting is not compared, only the words themselves, which is usually what a review actually needs to check.
What is a diff?
A diff is the computed difference between two versions of a text, presented as lines added, removed or changed. The term comes from a Unix program released in the 1970s, and the format it popularized became the backbone of modern code review, version control and collaborative editing.
Can I tell if someone edited my document?
If you kept the original, yes. Paste your copy on one side and the current version on the other, and every altered line is highlighted. Without an original to compare against, no text tool can prove an edit happened, so keep dated copies of anything important.
Are there any usage limits?
None. Everything is generated locally in your browser, so there is no server cost, no metering, and no daily cap, use it as many times as you like, completely free.
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