3 Game-Changing Methods to Compare PDFs for Differences Like a Pro

In our day-to-day work, we are constantly modifying documents. Sometimes, we end up creating multiple copies of the same PDF document and we then require to compare PDFs for differences. This helps the author identify the changes in different PDF versions. This is an important feature in the academic world where plagiarism is rampant or in the editing world where the editor might need to track their changes to address their subordinates' mistakes.

In this article, we have mentioned three different ways to compare PDFs. Ensure to follow each guide until the end to avoid any confusion. Hop on to begin exploring them!

Way 1. How to Compare Two PDFs Clearly with UPDF

If you are looking to compare PDFs clearly and conveniently side-by-side, UPDF is your go-to tool. The tool provides a neat way to read through PDF documents and enables users to compare two PDF documents as they need. Let us explore how you can compare two PDFs using the celebrated UPDF tool. The steps are quite straightforward and have been detailed below -

Step 1.  Open the Two PDF Documents

The first step is to download and install the UPDF on your system. The software is supported on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Currently, the compare feature is only available in the Windows and Mac version.

Once you have the software installed, you can now launch the UPDF editor and open the files you wish to compare. To do so you can click on the "PDF Tools" option visible on the main screen of the UPDF software, and then choose "Compare Files" under the "Protect PDF" category.

Select the PDFs that you want to compare. You can choose them from the recent files drop-down list or from your local storage. UPDF also allows you to select a specific page range for comparison. To make the comparison results more accurate, you can check "When comparing texts, focus only on content changes and ignore text attributes such as font size and font color", and "Ignore spaces when comparing".

Step 2. Compare Two PDFs

Click the Compare button. UPDF will automatically compare the two PDFs by highlighting the differences and displaying the details in the right panel.

UPDF offers various settings for customizing comparison results. For example, if you enable "Highlighting Result," UPDF will show the differences between the two PDFs. If you enable "Sync Scrolling," both PDFs will scroll simultaneously when you use your mouse.

Additionally, you can choose to display differences in various elements, such as text, images, paths, shading, or pages. You can also export the comparison results as a separate PDF.

Besides that, if you find any difference, you can edit and modify your PDF with UPDF directly. You can also add reviews and comments to the PDF to record that there is a difference. If you are using a Mac device, you can check our guide on comparing PDFs on Mac.

More Introductions to This PDF Comparison Tool

UPDF expands to a Universal, Productive, Delightful PDF editor. It's so far considered a comprehensive solution for all of your PDF-related concerns. With it, you can edit, annotate, organize, convert, and even redact PDFs with ultimate ease. Some of its exceptional features include:

• It allows you to read through a PDF File using a reader layout that is soft on your eyes and aids seamless reading. This feature reduces eye strain.
• Users can easily edit the text and images in the PDF document, it supports highlight text in PDF as well.
• The tool can also let you manage the pages within the PDF file.
• With it, you can also convert PDF into 14 different formats. OCR conversions to and from PDFs are already supported.
• Recently, UPDF has integrated with ChaGPT to offer AI-powered features, like summarize, explain, translate, write, and more. You can watch the below video to learn more.

It is worth noting that if you need to track changes in a PDF with customized settings and add changes manually, you can use UPDF to do this with UPDF's editing and annotating features.

The tool is extremely fast and powerful and is highly suited for heavy PDF workflows. The modern and delightful user interface wins the tool more brownie points. Download and use it for free now!

Way 2. How to Compare PDFs in Adobe Acrobat

It is also possible to compare two PDF documents using Adobe Acrobat. Adobe Acrobat is so far considered a leading tool in the world of PDF and image editing. Though it's pretty complicated to use, still if you want to try comparing PDFs with it, just follow the below steps:

Instructions on Comparing PDFs in Adobe Acrobat

1. Open Adobe Acrobat and choose the 'Compare Files' option from the "Tools" section.
2. Click on the "Select File" option shown on the left pane. Make sure to choose the older file version you want to compare.
3. Click on the "Select File" option in the right pane to choose the newer file version you want to compare.
4. Click the Compare button and you will be able to review the comparison results and summary.
5. Click "Go to First Change" to review each file difference between the older document and the newer document.

In this way, you can compare 2 PDF files using Adobe Acrobat.

Disadvantages of Using Adobe Acrobat to Compare PDFs

Owing to the experience of some users, Adobe Acrobat might fail to point out the differences between the PDF files in some cases. Besides this, it's way expensive and complicated to use for non-tech savvy.

Way 3. How to Compare PDFs Online

Besides using offline PDF editors, you can also rely on online platforms to reveal the different points between the two PDFs. To name a few, we have Draftable, PDF24 Tools, and multiple other sites offering comparison features, and the steps are pretty much the same with every editor. The steps to compare 2 PDF files online are as follows -

Instructions on Comparing PDFs Online

1. Google search compare PDFs online tool in your browser
2. Select the compare PDF option
3. You will now see a screen with 2 partitions.
4. From the left partition, select the first file to compare.
5. From the right partition, select the second file to compare.
6. You can now see the comparison of both files.

In this way, it is possible to compare PDFs online.

Disadvantages of Comparing PDFs with Online Tools

When comparing PDFs online, you will have to risk your data privacy as online platforms prompt you to upload PDFs onto their sites. These PDFs might then remain safe on the site for a shorter or extended span without any sort of encryption, risking the privacy of your information. Moreover, you can't even access these tools without the internet.

Comparison of the Three PDF Comparing Tools

In short, UPDF stands out as the best pick among all the editors discussed in this article. It's user-friendly, comes with innovative features, supports adding stickers as annotations, and much more!

Conclusion

Sometimes when too many versions of the same file are created, comparison becomes an absolute must. If you search the internet for 'how to compare PDFs', various online and offline tools will be available.

However, as is clear from the above options, tools like Adobe Acrobat are extremely expensive and heavy. On the other hand, free online tools do not offer security functions and are limited in functionality as well. Therefore, it is clear that UPDF is a complete PDF suite that performs high-quality PDF comparison at a good cost, it can also set a password to protect PDF and ensure your documents are safe. It is not surprising to learn that users from across the globe are providing such high ratings to UPDF and are recommending this as the ultimate PDF comparison software. Get it now.