Compare two PDFs and spot differences fast (visual diff)
Need to compare PDFs and don’t want to wrestle with print dialogs or heavyweight desktop software? You can handle it directly in your browser. With PDFMaple’s **Compare PDF** tool, you upload your file, choose a couple of options, and download a polished result in minutes.
Below you’ll find a practical workflow, along with tips and FAQs to help you avoid the most common mistakes when you compare PDFs.
When to use Compare PDF
- Check changes between contract versions.
- Verify whether a supplier updated a document.
- Compare drafts of a report before final submission.
- Spot layout differences after conversion or compression.
Step-by-step: Compare PDF in PDFMaple
- Open **Compare PDF** and upload **PDF A** and **PDF B**.
- Choose a DPI (higher DPI shows finer differences).
- Run the tool to generate a visual comparison output.
- Download the comparison result and review highlighted differences.
Pro tips for better results
- Use 150 DPI for quick checks and 200–300 DPI for detailed review.
- If the PDFs have different page counts, compare section-by-section (extract pages first).
- For text-level changes, visual diff is best combined with manual spot checks.
- Repair PDFs first if one version won’t render properly.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a text compare or a visual compare?
This tool produces a visual diff—great for layout and formatting changes, and also for spotting moved text.
Why does DPI matter for comparing?
The compare output is based on rendered page images. Higher DPI renders more detail and catches subtle changes.
Can I compare scanned PDFs?
Yes. Visual comparison works well on scanned pages because it compares appearance.
Next steps
If this is part of a bigger workflow, these tools pair well with Compare PDF:
Once you’ve run through the steps above, you’ll have a clean output file that’s ready to share, upload, or archive. If you handle PDFs often, bookmark this guide and keep PDFMaple open in your toolkit—you’ll save time every week.