Text Compare & Diff
Compare two texts side-by-side and highlight every difference with precision.
What Is a Text Compare Tool?
A text compare tool performs a line-by-line or character-level diff between two text blocks — highlighting added lines, removed lines, and changed characters so you can see exactly what changed between two versions.
Unlike JSON Compare which understands data structure, text compare works on any plain text — configuration files, log entries, documentation, or code — making it the most versatile diff tool for general use.
Common Use Cases
- check_circleCompare two versions of a configuration file to find changes
- check_circleDiff two code snippets before and after a refactor
- check_circleCompare two log extracts to identify differences
- check_circleCheck two text documents for changes before publishing
- check_circleDiff two SQL queries to understand what changed
- check_circleCompare two API response bodies as plain text
Line-by-Line Diff
Highlights added lines, removed lines, and modified lines with clear colour coding for instant scanning.
Inline Diff
Shows character-level changes within modified lines so you can pinpoint exactly what changed.
Fully Private
Both text blocks are compared in your browser. Neither is uploaded to or stored on any server.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is text compare different from JSON compare?
Text compare is line-by-line and character-based — it compares raw text. JSON compare is structural — it understands that {a:1, b:2} and {b:2, a:1} are semantically equal.
Does text compare care about whitespace?
By default yes — a line with extra spaces differs from one without. Enable the ignore-whitespace option to treat lines as equal if they differ only in whitespace.
Can I compare binary files?
Text compare works on printable text. Binary files should be decoded to text first (e.g., Base64 encoded) or compared with a binary diff tool.
How many lines can I compare?
The tool handles text blocks of several thousand lines. Very large documents (>10,000 lines) may be slower to diff — use a command-line diff tool for very large files.
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