Which File and Data Formats Can DiffFind Compare?

Updated

DiffFind compares plain text plus JSON, YAML, XML, CSV, PDF, and Excel (XLS/XLSX) files. You can bring content in by pasting text, choosing a local file, or loading it from a URL or cURL command. If your content is one of those formats, you can run a comparison without converting it first.

Supported formats at a glance

Format What DiffFind does with it
Text Compares by character, word, sentence, line, or paragraph; tracks additions, removals, and moved text
JSON Compares structure, not just the raw lines
YAML Compares structure
XML Compares structure
CSV Compares structure
PDF Load a local PDF and see changes highlighted on the page
XLS / XLSX Compares every sheet in the spreadsheet at once

The structured formats (JSON, YAML, XML, CSV) are handled as structure rather than plain text, so a reordered key or a moved block shows up as a meaningful change instead of a wall of red and green.

How you load each format

There are four input routes, and they apply across the supported formats:

  • Paste text — fastest for short comparisons, and the site offers a quick text compare with a load-example option to try it first.
  • Choose a file — used for local PDFs and Excel workbooks, which are read from your machine.
  • Load from a URL — pulls the content to compare from a web address.
  • Load from a cURL command — useful when you already have a request that returns the data you want to diff.

For pasted text, the site states that your text goes to the DiffFind app only when you click Find difference, and nothing is stored on the page.

Choosing comparison options

Once the content is loaded, you pick the format and the comparison options. For text you can set the granularity — character, word, sentence, line, or paragraph — which changes what counts as a single difference. For structured data, the comparison works at the structure level. For PDFs, the output is a highlighted view on the page itself. For Excel, the comparison covers all sheets at once rather than one tab at a time.

Optional AI analysis

DiffFind offers optional AI analysis on top of the diff. It explains what a change means, and cited facts are checked against your source documents with a verification status shown. This is separate from the comparison engine, so you can use the precise diff on its own or add the AI layer when you need the meaning behind a change.

What to check before you upload

  • Confirm your file is one of: text, JSON, YAML, XML, CSV, PDF, or XLS/XLSX. Other formats aren't listed as supported.
  • For PDFs and Excel files, you're loading a local file, so have it ready on the device you're using.
  • If your data lives behind an API, the URL and cURL loading routes let you compare it without saving a copy first.
  • Decide your comparison granularity up front for text — switching from line to word level changes how many differences you'll see.