CSV Compare: Find the Differences Between Two Files

Compare two CSV, Excel, JSON or text files and see every added, removed and changed row, with the changed cells highlighted. Download the full comparison as Excel, CSV or a report. Nothing is uploaded.

Original

Paste cells or a Google Sheets link

Changed

Paste cells or a Google Sheets link

How it works

  1. Add both files

    The original and the changed version: CSV, Excel, JSON, YAML, XML, text or code, or cells pasted from Google Sheets.

  2. Match them up

    Tables are matched row by row on a key column found for you (an ID, SKU or email); JSON, YAML and XML key by key, with lists of records matched by their id; text line by line.

  3. See the differences, download them all

    The summary and the first differences show on the page, old values struck through and new ones beside them. The full comparison downloads as Excel, CSV, a highlighted HTML report, a unified diff or a JSON list of changes.

CSV compare: see exactly what changed

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CSV compare here lines up two versions of a file and shows every difference: rows added, rows removed, and in changed rows the old value struck through beside the new one.

A plain text csv diff calls a whole row changed when one cell differs, and every row changed when the file was re-sorted. This one matches rows by a key column it finds for you - an ID, SKU or email - so it can compare csv files in any order, cell by cell.

To compare csv exports from two days, two systems or two people, drop both in. As a csv diff checker it can ignore case, extra spaces and columns you expect to change, and treat 1,200 and 1200.00 as the same number.

It is also an excel file compare: drop in two .xlsx workbooks and pick the sheet in each. For a google sheets compare, paste the cells or the shared links of both sheets. Pipe-separated files work too, and the CSV to PSV converter changes one to the other.

How to compare two CSV files

  1. Add the original and the changed file.
  2. Check the column the rows are matched by.
  3. Read the summary and the first differences, then download the full comparison as Excel, CSV or an HTML report.

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Why it matters

Private by design

Bank statements, payroll and customer lists never leave your computer: the file is read and written in your browser.

Nothing silently changed

Leading zeros, long ID numbers, commas inside quotes and line breaks inside cells come through exactly as they were.

Numbers stay numbers

Values like 1,234.50, $1,200 and 7% are recognised, so Excel and JSON get real numbers rather than text.

Questions

What if the rows are in a different order?

Choose a key column (an ID found in both files is picked for you) and rows are matched by it, whatever order they are in.

Can I ignore case, spaces or a column?

Yes. Ignore upper and lower case, extra spaces, and any columns - a last-updated timestamp, say - that you expect to differ.

Is 1.0 the same as 1?

By default, yes: numbers are compared as numbers, so 1,200 and 1200.00 match. Switch that off to compare the exact text.

Can it compare Excel files or Google Sheets?

Yes: drop in two .xlsx files (and pick the sheet in each), or paste cells from Google Sheets for either side.

Can it compare JSON, YAML or XML?

Yes, key by key: the order of keys does not matter, numbers match their text form if you want, and lists of records with an id are matched by it even when re-ordered. Each difference shows its path, such as items[id=3].price.

Can it compare text or code?

Yes, line by line, as a diff checker: added and removed lines with their line numbers, and a unified .diff you can apply with git or patch.

Why are only some differences shown?

The page shows the summary and the first ten differences so you can check the comparison at a glance. The full comparison, every difference, is one click away as Excel, CSV, an HTML report or a diff.

Is my data uploaded?

No. The whole conversion runs in your browser, so the file never leaves your computer.

Can it open a password-protected PDF or Excel file?

Yes. Drop it in and you are asked for the password; the file is unlocked in your browser and the password is never sent or saved. PDFs locked with RC4 or AES (up to AES-256, PDF 2.0) and Excel workbooks saved with Encrypt with Password both open. A PDF that only restricts copying or printing opens without asking. Without the password nothing is guessed: the file stays shut.

How big a file can it handle?

Hundreds of thousands of rows are fine on a normal laptop; the preview shows the first rows and the download has them all.