Compare PDF

Compare two PDF documents side by side

Click to upload PDF 1

Click to upload PDF 2

About Compare PDF

Compare PDF extracts the text content of two PDF files entirely in your browser using the PDF.js library, then displays both extractions side by side as plain text for you to read — it does not highlight differences, detect changes, or generate an automated comparison report.

How to use Compare PDF

1Click the left box and upload your first PDF file.
2Click the right box and upload your second PDF file.
3Click 'Compare PDFs' to extract the text from both files.
4Read the two text panels side by side to spot differences yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is PDF Compare free to use?

Yes, it's completely free with no signup required.

Does it highlight the differences between the two documents?

No — it shows each PDF's extracted text side by side as plain text. It doesn't mark additions, deletions, or changes for you.

Are my files uploaded to a server?

No, text extraction happens entirely in your browser using the PDF.js library.

Can it compare scanned PDFs?

Not usefully — extraction only pulls text that's actually embedded in the file. Scanned or image-only pages have no text layer, so those panels will come out empty.

Tips & Tricks

✓For a true line-by-line diff, copy each panel's text into a dedicated text-comparison tool.
✓Works best on text-based PDFs; scanned documents without a text layer won't produce readable output.
✓Only raw text is extracted — page layout, images, and formatting are not compared.
✓For long documents, use your browser's find (Ctrl/Cmd+F) inside each panel to jump to a specific term.