What's the difference between line, word, and character diffs?

Line diffs treat each line as a unit and show whole lines added or removed — best for code or configs. Word diffs split on whitespace, which reads naturally for prose. Character diffs highlight even tiny edits like a typo fix — useful when one line changed and you want to see exactly which character moved.

No. The diff runs entirely in your browser using the jsdiff library. Nothing leaves your device.

Can I diff really long files?

Yes, within reason. Browsers handle a few megabytes comfortably; multi-megabyte diffs may take a second to render.

Does it support diffing JSON specifically?

For semantic JSON diffing (key reordering, etc.) the JSON Formatter has a dedicated Diff mode that pretty-prints both sides first. This tool diffs the raw text you paste.

Text Diff

Compare two pieces of text and see exactly what changed. Line, word, or character level — all in your browser.

−3+4

Original

Modified

Diff

- The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
+ The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy cat.
  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
- Hello world.
+ Hello snaptxt!
  TODO: add tests
- TODO: fix the build
+ TODO: fix the build
+ TODO: ship it

How to use it

1Paste the original text on the left and the modified text on the right.
2Pick the diff granularity: Lines (most common), Words (prose), or Chars (tiny edits).
3The diff below highlights additions in green and removals in red.

Common use cases

Sanity-check a config file change before deploying.
Spot the difference between two log lines, API responses, or stack traces.
Track what's changed in a piece of prose, copy, or contract text.
Compare two versions of a generated artifact (formatted JSON, SQL, etc.).

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between line, word, and character diffs?: Line diffs treat each line as a unit and show whole lines added or removed — best for code or configs. Word diffs split on whitespace, which reads naturally for prose. Character diffs highlight even tiny edits like a typo fix — useful when one line changed and you want to see exactly which character moved.
Is my text uploaded?: No. The diff runs entirely in your browser using the jsdiff library. Nothing leaves your device.
Can I diff really long files?: Yes, within reason. Browsers handle a few megabytes comfortably; multi-megabyte diffs may take a second to render.
Does it support diffing JSON specifically?: For semantic JSON diffing (key reordering, etc.) the JSON Formatter has a dedicated Diff mode that pretty-prints both sides first. This tool diffs the raw text you paste.