Compare Two Versions of a Contract Free (Spot Changes)

To compare two versions of a contract, copy the text of the old draft into the left box of the free text compare tool, the new draft into the right box, choose Words, and click Compare. Every deleted word is shown in pink and crossed out, every new word in green, so a changed notice period, a new "not" or a different amount can't slip past. Both drafts stay on your device, which matters for confidential agreements.

This is a practical checking method, not legal advice. A diff shows what changed; whether a change is acceptable is a question for you, or your lawyer.

Why redlines aren't enough

When the other side sends a revised draft, they may send a marked-up copy with tracked changes. That's helpful, but you're relying on them having tracked everything. Edits made with tracking switched off, a clean copy that "only fixes typos", or a PDF of the final version for signature can all contain changes nobody highlighted. Comparing the text yourself is a quick, independent check, and it's worth doing on the version you actually sign.

Step 1: Get both drafts as plain text

The tool compares text you paste in; it doesn't open files.

• Word or Google Docs: open the document, press Ctrl+A (Cmd+A on a Mac) to select all, copy, and paste.
• A PDF with selectable text: open it, select all, copy. PDFs put a line break at the end of every printed line, so if one draft is a PDF and the other a Word file, every line will look different. Run the PDF text through the free line break remover with Keep paragraphs first.
• A scanned PDF or a photo of a signed page: there's no text to copy. The OCR PDF tool can add a text layer; it's free for PDFs up to 2 pages, and Pro takes up to 200. Check OCR output carefully, because a misread digit is exactly the kind of difference you're hunting for.

Prepare both drafts the same way. If one went through the line break remover, put the other through it too.

Step 2: Compare by words

1. Paste the earlier draft into Original text and the later one into Changed text.
2. Select Words. Contract clauses are long paragraphs, and comparing by lines would mark a whole clause as changed when only one word moved.
3. Tick Ignore extra spaces, so spacing and indentation differences from copying don't clutter the result.
4. Leave Ignore capitals off. In contracts, "Party" (a defined term) and "party" can mean different things.
5. Click Compare, then switch between Side by side and Inline. Side by side is easier for long clauses; Inline reads like a redline.

The summary line shows how many words were removed and added. If you expected two small edits and see hundreds, something is off in the formatting; recheck Step 1.

For a long agreement, if the tool says the texts are too long or too different to compare quickly, compare it section by section, for example the definitions, then payment terms, then termination.

Step 3: Read the changes that matter most

A diff makes every change visible, but some deserve a slower read. Go through the highlighted parts with this list:

Look for	Example of a quiet change
Amounts and percentages	₹2,50,000 becomes ₹2,05,000; 18% becomes 1.8%
Dates and periods	"30 days' notice" becomes "90 days' notice"
Small words that flip meaning	"shall" becomes "may"; "not" added or removed; "and" becomes "or"
Who does what	"the Supplier shall" becomes "the Customer shall"
Limits and caps	liability limited to "fees paid" vs "fees paid in the last 3 months"
Renewal and termination	automatic renewal added; a termination right removed
Governing law and disputes	city or country of jurisdiction changed
Defined terms	a definition widened, which changes every clause that uses it
Removed text	an entire clause in pink with nothing green beside it

Deleted clauses are the easiest to miss in a marked-up copy and the easiest to spot in a diff: they show as a block of crossed-out text with no matching addition.

When a change is a single character, such as a decimal point or a digit, switch to Characters and compare that clause again to see exactly what moved.

Keep a record of what you checked

Once you've reviewed the differences, note them in an email or a short list: "Clause 7.2 notice period changed from 30 to 90 days; Clause 12 deleted." It gives you a clear basis for replying to the other side, and a record of what was agreed between drafts.

If you need to send back a version with questions, the free word counter is handy for the occasional clause or summary that must stay under a length limit.

Other ways to compare two documents

Microsoft Word has a built-in Review > Compare feature that compares two .docx files and produces a tracked-changes document, which is useful when both versions are Word files and you want to send a redline back. The browser tool is quicker for a one-off check, works on any text you can copy (from PDFs, emails or web pages), and needs no software. Our general guide on comparing two texts for differences explains all the options in more detail.

Check your drafts now

Paste both versions into the free text compare tool, choose Words, and click Compare. It's free, there's no sign-up, and the contract never leaves your device.