Compare two PDFs and find every text change
Contract redlines without the guesswork — removals on A, additions on B, side by side.
Free: 3 jobs per UTC day, 25 MB per file. PDF exports include a visible Made with Bindery watermark. Pro exports clean PDFs.
Prefer the full studio? Open Compare PDF in the app →
Pick the before and after versions and Bindery diffs their text layers line by line, page by page. Differing pages render side by side with the removed lines highlighted on the old version and the added lines on the new one, and the full list of changes is yours as a plain-text report.
Version comparison usually involves the most sensitive documents of all — contracts mid-negotiation. Bindery runs entirely in your browser — your file is never uploaded, so there is nothing to delete from a server afterwards.
How it works
- Drop both versions of the document
- Choose which file is A (before) and B (after)
- Read the side-by-side diff and download the report
Redlines for contracts, page by page
Pick the before and after versions and Bindery diffs their text layers line by line, page by page. Pages that differ render side by side, with removed lines highlighted on the old version and added lines on the new one, and the full list of changes downloads as a plain-text report. It is the fastest way to answer “what did they change?” when a counterparty returns a draft without tracked changes — and it works on any two PDFs, from any source, without either of them leaving your device.
What it compares, and what it does not
The comparison is about what the document says: changed, added and removed lines, matched per page. Formatting, fonts and images are not flagged, and a page that was merely reflowed by a different export may show shifted lines — read the report with that in mind. Scanned versions need a text layer first: run both files through OCR on the device, then compare the searchable results. For a quick eyeball rather than a diff, render both with PDF to JPG and flip between the images.
Comparing in the browser versus uploading
| Compare PDF | Bindery | Upload-based tools |
|---|---|---|
| Where the file is processed | In your browser tab, on your device | Uploaded to the service’s servers |
| Drafts under negotiation | Neither version leaves the device | Both uploaded, retained for a period |
| Output | Side-by-side highlights plus a text report | Varies |
| What exists afterwards | The original and the new file, both on your device | A server copy until the retention window ends |
| Works offline | Yes, once the app has loaded | No |
Questions people ask
What kind of differences does it find?
Text differences — changed, added and removed lines, matched per page. Visual-only changes (images, formatting) are not flagged; the comparison is about what the document says.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
Scans need a text layer first. Run both files through the local OCR tool, then compare the searchable versions.
Are my contract drafts uploaded?
No. Both files are read and compared entirely in your browser — nothing is transmitted, logged or retained anywhere.
Can it compare a Word file with a PDF?
Convert the Word file with Word to PDF first, then compare the two PDFs. Since the comparison is text-based, the conversion’s layout does not matter.
Does it detect moved paragraphs?
A moved paragraph shows as removed in one place and added in another, which is what most redline tools do. The report makes the pairing visible.
How long does a comparison take?
A few seconds for typical contracts; text extraction on the device is fast, and there is no upload or queue.