Compare PDF · 3 min read

How to Compare Two PDF Files Online — Highlight Differences Free

Need to spot what changed between two versions of a PDF contract, report, or document? PDF Compare lets you view both files side by side, drag a slider to overlay them, and run a pixel-level diff that highlights every changed region in red — entirely in your browser with zero file uploads.

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Step 1 — Open the PDF Compare Tool

Go to pdfeditor.onl/compare-pdf. No sign-up or installation required. The tool works in any modern browser on desktop and mobile.

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Step 2 — Upload File A (Original) and File B (Revised)

Click the File A upload zone and select your original PDF. Then click the File B upload zone and select the revised version. Both files are loaded into browser memory only — they are never sent to any server.

Tip: You can also use the File A / File B buttons in the top navigation bar to upload or replace files at any time.

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Step 3 — Click Compare

Click the Compare button. The tool renders every page from both PDFs and performs a pixel-level analysis. Changed pixels are highlighted in red on a greyscale background. The summary shows how many pages changed and the average change percentage.

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Step 4 — Review Using Side by Side, Overlay, or Diff Mode

Use the view mode toggle to switch between three comparison views. Side by Side shows both pages simultaneously with diff highlights overlaid. Overlay lets you drag a divider left and right to reveal File A or File B on the same canvas. Diff shows the pixel-level result with red regions marking every change.

Tip: Changed pages are marked with an amber percentage badge in the page navigation strip — jump directly to the pages with the most changes.

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Step 5 — Download the Diff Report as PDF

Click Download Page X to save the current page diff as a PNG, or click Download All Pages as PDF to export every diff page into a single PDF report. The PDF can be shared or attached to an audit trail.

Compare PDF Files — Free →

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the pixel-level diff work?

Each page is rendered as an image at high resolution. The tool compares every pixel between the two versions. Pixels that differ by more than a small threshold are highlighted in red on a greyscale background, making even subtle changes immediately visible.

Can I compare PDFs with different page counts?

Yes. If File A has 10 pages and File B has 8 pages, the extra pages from File A are treated as 100% changed. The summary shows the total pages, changed pages, identical pages, and average change percentage.

What does the overlay slider do?

The overlay slider places both PDF versions on the same canvas. Drag the divider left to reveal more of File B and right to reveal more of File A — the fastest way to spot layout shifts, text repositioning, or image replacements.

Are my PDF files private when using the compare tool?

Completely. All rendering and comparison runs inside your browser using WebAssembly and PDF.js. Your files are never uploaded to any server. When you close the tab, everything is cleared from memory.

Can I download the comparison result?

Yes. Click Download Page X for a PNG of the current diff page, or Download All Pages as PDF to get a complete diff report as a PDF file — one diff page per PDF page.

What types of changes does the diff detect?

Any visually rendered difference — text changes, font changes, image swaps, layout shifts, added or removed content. It works on digitally created and scanned PDFs alike.

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