Features

Everything a reliable document comparison needs.

CompareDesk compares Word, PDF and Excel. On your own computer. Without upload.

The functions at a glance

Tracked changes in Word

The result of a Word comparison is output as a DOCX with real tracked changes. Insertions, deletions and moves can be accepted or rejected individually.

Comparison PDF

For PDF documents, a clear comparison PDF is created that marks the differences found in colour and includes a summary of the changes.

Two-stage comparison

First, matching paragraphs are recognised as anchors, then a word-precise comparison is performed in the differing sections. This keeps even large, rearranged documents clear.

Colour coding

Inserted text appears blue underlined, deleted text struck through in red, moves in green. The presentation is immediately understandable.

Local and confidential

The comparison runs on your computer. The documents are not uploaded and do not leave your workstation.

Multilingual

The program interface is available in ten languages. The output follows the selected language.

Scanned documents

PDFs without a text layer are opened up by the built-in text recognition, which runs locally. Differences that rest solely on the recognition are held back; figures, dates and amounts are excluded from that leniency and are compared character by character. The result is a comparison version from the recognised text.

Excel comparison

Workbooks are compared sheet by sheet and cell by cell, in the XLSX, XLSM, XLS, ODS and CSV formats. Value, formula, number format and cell formatting are covered, as are sheets, rows and columns added or removed. Every finding states the sheet, the cell and the column heading.

Batch and version chain

Two folders are compared in pairs; CompareDesk forms the pairs from the file names, or failing that from the wording, and presents them for confirmation before the run. Several versions of the same document form a version chain yielding a single version history in which every passage names the version that brought it in and took it out. The batch delivers an overview with one line per pair, from which a click leads to the individual report.

Fidelity of format and formatting

Font, size, italics, indentation and tables of the original are preserved in the result; tables from PDF originals are rendered as tables again. Pure formatting changes appear as a category of their own and do not mix with the text changes.

Checksums and comparison certificate

Every output names both compared files with their SHA-256 checksum, so it can be established later that exactly these versions were compared. On request a signed comparison certificate is added, binding checksums, time, program version and key figures, verifiable offline.

Comments and change bars

Comments in the Word versions are compared as well: new, deleted and unchanged remarks appear in the Word file as balloons and in the comparison PDF as readable margin notes beside the passage, each with author and status. Vertical change bars in the margin mark every changed line in Word and in the PDF alike.

See for yourself.

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