Best tools to compare pdf files? You need to know free pdf compare tool in order to compare and merge pdf files ever with ease. Understand both windows and mac operating system does not have automatic tool for comparing and merging of pdf files. This makes use of best tools for comparing pdf files is necessary. With the help of best tools for comparing pdf files you can compare multiple PDF document in seconds.
This article is about comparing pdf files and includes 5 best tools to compare pdf files. As we all know that many pdf files are easily manipulated, changed or edited by using any pdf file related applications. But the problem is that some of the pdf files that contain same information can be in difference format and thus they can’t be compared with each other like word, Excel or PowerPoint documents. So we need some special software to check or compare PDF files which will make it easy to compare pdf formats like different page size, page order or orientation, writing style and much more.
Pdf compare tool is a useful application for comparing two (or more) pdf documents. The user specifies a source file and target file, then selects the desired options to display only common pages, different pages or all pages, as well as display differences as highlighted text or text in color.Some times we encounter to read multiple PDF documents and we want to compare some pages from it. This can be unnecessary waste of time. If you use some good tool then comparing several pdf files becomes very easy. In this article I will discuss about such kind of tools.
Which is the best software to compare PDF documents?
Diffchecker
As the name suggests, Diffchecker is a free tool that specializes in comparing files in different formats. It highlights the altered paragraphs and text, making it very conspicuous. After comparison, it gives a clean report specifying the changes made in the document. One can also view the changes in the side-by-side preview.
The ideal software for infrequent users, Diffchecker is supported on both Windows and macOS and has a web app. However, the desktop app and some other advanced features do require a small subscription fee of $9.
DiffPdf
DiffPdf is specifically targeted towards PDFs and users can compare reports, books, and labels as well. What gives DiffPdf an edge is that it can compare documents both textually and visually, with the common and easy-to-spot use of highlights for deleted, inserted, and replaced texts in different colors.
It is safe to use and has no limitation on the number of pages or the size of compared files, giving this tool an edge over others. The interface is also quite customizable for a better experience.
Diffpdf requires you to register in advance, with a 20-day free trial and a full fee of $160 afterward.
Draftable
Draftable is a cloud-based software that can compare and cross-check documents of different formats, making it easier and quicker to compare files that do not share a common format. It can detect the minutest of changes and then form the end result report into a PDF file ready for download.
As shown above, it highlights changes and then segregates them according to their nature on a separate panel beside the two side-by-side views of the files. Draftable is supported only in windows and online, the online version being completely free and user-friendly, although it has a limit of 300 pages.
If you wish to enjoy the maximum benefits without any restriction, consider subscribing to its paid plan that can cost around $129 annually.
Aspose
Aspose is online software that comes with a wide range of services including a file converter, file splitter, PDF editor, PDF document parser, and of course a PDF comparison tool.
You simply drag and drop a file, after which it runs a quick scan and highlights the changes made to the file. You can also download the generated report as a PDF document. The only downside is that it does not provide a side-by-side comparison.
While most of its other features can cost you hundreds of bucks, the basic functions of PDF comparison, editing and viewing are free.
ABBY FineReader
Like Draftable, ABBY FineReader has the ability to compare and cross-check documents of different formats. It is a paid software, but you can enjoy its limited free trial period.
PDF comparer also has an inbuilt editor feature that allows you to change and edit documents, scanned images, and more on the go without the need to switch software every time you find a minor mistake. Once the documents have been scanned and dealt with, you can easily convert them into the desired format: Excel, Word, PDF, and more.
ABBY FineReader is supported on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Although, its paid plan can cost somewhere around $199, $299, or $129.99, depending on which type of offer you are subscribing to. Admittedly, that’s too much to pay for just comparing PDFs, but if you do plan on using it as a full-fledged PDF viewer, comparer, and editor, it may be worth trying.
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat is a pre-installed, go to PDF viewer and editor for the majority of Windows users. You can view and edit your PDF documents with their free version.
To enjoy advanced features like combining multiple files, extracting few sections, splitting files into smaller chunks, and comparing PDFs, you’ll have to subscribe to its premium version. Check the pricing of Adobe Acrobat.
With its premium version, the powerful tool makes it so much easier to spot differences in two files with its Compare option. It highlights the edited text and the images and marks what’s added, removed, or modified in the document so that you can compare it side by side preview of documents.
After comparing both files, it also generates a clean comparison report that helps you quickly navigate through future changes.
Adobe Acrobat is supported on Windows, macOS, and Android. If your pockets don’t allow you to spend money on such software, sit tight, as we’ll cover some free alternatives.
Kiwi PDF Comparer
Kiwi PDF comparer is another useful PDF comparator tool in the market. It has a simple design and is easy to navigate. This program identifies the changes in both visuals and texts. Here, headers and footers can be discarded automatically or manually. It can distinguish between modifications, insertions, deletions, and movements.
How to Compare PDFs with Kiwi PDF Comparer
Step 1. Install Kiwi PDF comparer and run it.
Step 2. Follow the on-screen instructions to upload your PDF files.
Step 3. Hit the “Compare” button to generate the comparison results.
Step 4. Customize your results and print them if you like.
PDFelement
PDFelement Pro is a powerful PDF compare tool designed to simplify user needs. This program is used by millions of people owing to its incredible capabilities. PDFelement gives you a good platform to compare two PDFs and find the differences with ease. The good thing with PDFelement is that it allows users to compare other file formats by automatically converting them to PDF format. Other features offered by PDFelement include converting, editing, print, annotating, protecting, sharing, comparing, and compressing. This program is fast, affordable, easy to use, and is compatible with many devices.
How to Compare PDFs with PDFelement
Step 1. Launch PDFelement on your PC, then click the “Compare PDF” tab.
Step 2. From the subsequent “File Comparison” window, click the “Select File” buttons to upload the original and the new files.
Step 3. Once uploaded, click “Compare.” The program will display the changes in different colors. Insertions, deletions, and modifications are represented by blue, red, and green colors, respectively.
Step 4. Click the “Previous Change” or “Next Change” arrows to compare your texts.
PDFforge
PDFForge is a simple yet useful online PDF comparator tool. This program is easy to use and quickly displays the differences in content. It goes ahead to indicate them in their respective line numbers. The good thing with PDFforge is its good security for your sensitive data.
How to Compare PDFs with PDFforge
Step 1. Visit PDFforge PDF compare page.
Step 2. Drop the two files in their respective sections and click “Compare.”
Step 3. The differences will be displayed after a few seconds. Choose a suitable view option and check the differences.
ExamDiff Pro is a premium PDF file comparison software that offers a multitude of features to advanced users.
Apart from document comparison support for PDF and Office file formats, ExmaDiff Pro also supports comparison between programming codes, executable files, and more.
Using the tool, you can perform a two-way and three-way difference and merge the document. It also offers Line Inspector panel for easier recognition of differences within lines.
The file differences can be saved to a dynamic HTML web page or take a printout. You can also add manual synchronization points to a text file, compare directly from the Explorer menu, etc.
The Advanced Ignore option allows you to ignore case, line break styles, comments, trailing, leading, and more.
To extended functionality, you can download third-party plugins to add support for Doc formats, Fetch Remote File, and compressed file formats.
ExamDiff Pro is a powerful tool and one of the most useful utilities that you can have as a programmer or web developer/designer.
Araxis Merger
Araxis Merger is another file comparison tool that helps you to compared text from Microsoft Word to PDF files with ease. It can also spot changes between source, HTML, XML, and even other text file revisions.
The file can be accepted, merged, edited, or deleted directly from the editor. The Pixel comparison feature allows you to compare image-based files for text changes.
It also supports a 3-way comparison and automatic merging, but the feature is only limited to Pro users.
Other feature offered by Araxis Merger includes folder comparison and sync, direct access to SCM, portable report, printing and automation and plugin support for extended functionality.
Araxis Merge is available for both Windows and ac computers. You can download the free trial for 30 days before opting for the premium license.
What is the advantage of saving a document as a PDF file?
PDF documents can compress large and high-quality files into small ones, so you will have the opportunity to save the computer’s space if you have limited storage. If you want to know what can open this format, check out this article on how to open PDF files.
Conclusion
The era of the PDF file has been with us for a long time now. Not only has it evolved from the simple to the complex, it has also become an unavoidable part of life. With every other document out there available in a PDF format, its utility ensures its popularity.
To Compare PDF Files Online is something you’d prefer to do in a private room and setting. The fact that there are tools that can easily compare texts from two different PDF files makes the process a whole lot easier, but you wouldn’t be so keen on using them online.