Text compare
The text compare tool lines up Text A and Text B in order. Red lines were removed from A; green lines were added in B. That is a document review, not a membership check.
Use this mode when
- Two versions of a paragraph, README, email, or log snippet.
- A config file where a single moved or edited line is the whole point.
- You need a unified diff to paste into a ticket.
Do not use it when
- You have IDs, emails, or SKUs and only care what is missing or extra—open list compare (sorting should not create a wall of red/green).
- The paste is JSON objects that pretty-printed differently— JSON compare ignores object key order.
- Two CSV exports with an ID column and other fields that may have changed— CSV table compare.
Options
- Ignore whitespace — trim each line before deciding equal vs changed.
- Ignore case — letter case does not count as a change.
- Ignore blank lines — empty lines are skipped in the match; remaining rows keep their original file line numbers.
- Changes only — hide unchanged lines so you can scan edits.
- Prev / Next — jump between change hunks in unified or side-by-side view.
Limits
Very long sides are truncated so the browser stays responsive. This is not a merge editor, Git client, or word-processor track-changes view. It does not connect to a repository.
FAQ
When should I use text compare instead of list compare?
When order and wording matter. List compare answers which items exist, even if the lines were shuffled.
What do ignore whitespace and ignore blank lines do?
Whitespace trims each line. Blank-line skip drops empty lines from matching but keeps original line numbers on the rest.