Compare PDF files

Put two versions of a document side by side and see what changed: words added or removed, pages added or taken out, stamps and signatures.

Open Compare PDF files

What you can do

• Words added, removed and changed, marked on both versions.
• Pages added to or taken out of the newer version.
• Changes in the looks of a page, such as a new stamp, signature or handwritten mark.
• Scanned versions too: their pages are read first, in Hindi, Marathi and English.
• Small typographic differences (curly or straight quotes, dash forms, a line broken differently) are not shown as changes.
• A report of the differences to download or share.

How to do it

1. Open Compare files and choose the two PDFs.
2. Say which is the older version.
3. Go through the changes, then download the report if you need one.

Good to know

• It runs in your browser: the file is not uploaded to NightOwl or anyone else.
• Scanned pages are read by the free reader: a word it misread can show as a change, so check such words on the page.
• Two scans of the same paper differ in small specks; choose Low sensitivity to see only real marks.

Questions

Can it compare a Word draft with a signed scan?

Turn the Word file into a PDF with Word to PDF first, then compare the two PDFs. The scan is read before comparing.

Related tools

Check a PDF’s digital signatures · Make a scanned PDF searchable (OCR) · Edit PDF