There is always a need to compare two files. Imagine the scenario when you want to compare 2 pdf documents, 2 excel spreadsheets. In these type of cases, it becomes necessary to use folder compare tools that are specially designed for analyzing differences between files. However, when it comes to comparing files there are numerous tools available in market. It becomes hard for a novice to have an idea about such comparisons tools. So we have designed a review on best PDF comparison tool that can help anyone to get familiar with right choice of comparison tool.
There are many PDF compare tools on the web, but not all of them can be used freely. Many of them only provide you with the ability to compare two files and highlight the differences between them, which is usually insufficient for some people’s needs. If you need an online tool that can directly analyze two PDF documents and show detailed differences in both text and graphics, you have come to the right place!
A simple but important question arises in the mind of an individual “Is there any tool available to compare two pdf files”? Many of us use PDFs every day, you can find them on the web, in books and magazines, and in our email inbox. With increasing usage of PDFs, there is a need to check whether two PDF files are identical copy or not.
Compare two PDF files and highlight the differences with this free online tool. Simply upload your two documents, select the pages you want to compare and hit submit. The result will be a detailed side-by-side comparison complete with page numbers and highlighting. This handy tool is completely free to use on any computer or mobile device.
Why compare Word documents?
The comparison feature is important in the document workflow, when you need to find omitted or added symbols, words, sentences, and even paragraphs in larger texts without spending much time. Document comparison is especially popular in the following fields of expertise:
- Law & jurisdiction. Legal companies often deal with templates of contracts, agreements, memoranda, and other documents. New contracts are rarely created from scratch and therefore may look quite similar. Comparison helps employees keep every detail under control.
- Regulations. Whether government guideline or software usage policy, regulatory papers are subject to slight amendments or drastic changes. With the comparison functionality, officials need seconds to find differences between two versions.
- Education. Tutors can compare two Word docs to see, what students added or deleted from their papers and whether they have found all mistakes from the first version.
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.
KIWI PDF Comparer
KIWI PDF comparer comes with a user-friendly interface. It has two separate modes for comparison. The first one shifts through the document and distinguishes the different types of changes made: modification, insertion, deletion, or movement of text. The second ‘Pixel to Pixel’ mode treats the PDFs as if they were images and checks them accordingly.
The perfect algorithm of the KIWI PDF comparer also allows you to scan a few designated sections of the document. You can customize the color and the thickness of the highlight, and even have the option of dealing with highlighted text over a textured background.
Supporting a vast range of tools, KIWI comes in both paid and free versions, the paid with its added benefits, and the free with its minor limitations. The free version has a limit of 100 pages for comparison, and for advanced tools, you will need to upgrade to the premium version. KIWI can be run across Windows, macOS, and Linux.
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.
PDFelement – The Best PDF Comparison Tool
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.
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat is another great PDF comparator tool in the market. This program has been in the industry for a long time and is reliable. With Adobe Acrobat, you can easily compare texts and obtain any changes in the original file. It comes with a handy highlight bar that makes visual comparison easier. Once the results are ready, you simply go to the results summary tab and obtain information on deleted, added, or modified content. Again, use the filters to view only what you want. You can choose to compare images, texts, annotations, or other formatting options.
How to compare PDFs with Adobe Acrobat
Step 1. Launch Adobe Acrobat on your device and navigate to “Tools” > “Compare Files.”
Step 2. Hit the “Select File” button one at a time to upload your old and new PDF files.
Step 3. Click “Compare” to allow the program to compare the two files.
Step 4. When the compare process is complete, proceed to the “Compare Results” summary to review your document.
Step 5. To start reviewing each difference in your new file, select “Go to First Change.”
Draftable
Draftable is a good online Word and PDF comparator tool worth trying. This program allows users to view documents side by side and get the differences without much struggle. The good thing is that the documents remain in sync as you scroll. You can switch to a single page view to see all changes together in one list or simply save time. Again, access the change list and select a change to that point within the document.
How to compare PDFs with Draftable
Step 1. Using your browser, go to the draftable file comparison page. Here, hit the “Choose file” buttons on the left and right to select and upload the original and new files.
Step 2. Hit the “Compare” button to trigger the comparison, then check the differences. The differences are marked in different colours.
DIFFCHECKER (WEB AND DESKTOP)
Diffchecker, as the name suggests, is a purpose-driven site focused on comparing all sorts of files like PDF, Word, Excel, images, plain text, and even folders. Diffchecker works on both Windows and macOS and has a web app, which I have used below.
Begin by uploading the two PDF files and click on the Find difference button.
Instead of highlighting just the differences, Diffchecker will highlight the entire paragraph and then also highlight the changes, albeit in a different shade of green. However, the web app works flawlessly and was also quick to load.
The free plan will let you use the web app, while desktop apps and certain advanced features will cost $9 per month. They also have an enterprise plan with cloud storage, but it’s difficult to beat Adobe on that front.
Document comparison: desktop vs. online
Today you will find numerous websites to compare text documents online, some of them are even free. That means you can detect differences in documentation easily and fast. Some benefits of this method include:
- Side-by-side view for checking what’s different in the same area of two files
- Time-saving approach for updating documents
- No additional software installations
- Cross-platform functionality
Online document comparison has at least two big disadvantages, though. In free versions, most online services will set limitations for a number of concurrent comparisons, file size, or just bombard you with ads. Free comparison websites also rarely care about security and how they handle your data is pretty much unclear. Uploading confidential documents may result in data loss and undermined reputation.
Pro versions usually unlock all capabilities, but the prices are rather high.
Conclusion
A tool is required to compare PDF files. Do you need a PDF Compare Tool? Are you looking for one of these tools regularly? There are many document comparison and merging tools in the market but they have their limitations as well. It is difficult to choose the best tool that would fulfill your requirements. But if you are someone who deals with lots of PDF files and needs a tool to compare two or more files at once, then this article on PDF Compare Tools is for you. You will find the best tools for comparing two or more PDF documents very easily in the list mentioned above.
There are plenty of ways to compare two PDF files, but most are either online-based or require you to buy a piece of software. Fortunately, there are also free alternatives that can help you quickly identify differences between two PDF files.