Compare Two Lists — Find Differences
Paste two lists or drag & drop files below to instantly find what's unique to each and what they share.
List A
Type or Drag & Drop a file
List B
Type or Drag & Drop a file
Options
A Only
A ∩ B (In Both)
B Only
A ∪ B (All Items)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find items that are in one list but not another?
Paste your items into List A and List B, then look at the A Only panel for items exclusive to List A, or B Only for items exclusive to List B.
Can I upload a file instead of pasting text?
Yes. Click the Upload File button in the toolbar above either input box to browse for a file. You can also drag and drop a file directly onto the input box — just drop it anywhere over the text area and it will load automatically.
Supported formats:
Size limit: 5 MB per file. For larger datasets, split the file first and compare in batches.
Not supported: Excel (
CSV note: Files are loaded as plain text — each row (including all columns) is treated as one item. For best results use single-column files. To compare a specific column from a multi-column CSV, use the Column Compare (coming soon) tool instead.
Supported formats:
.txt, .csv, .tsv, .log, .md, and other plain text files.Size limit: 5 MB per file. For larger datasets, split the file first and compare in batches.
Not supported: Excel (
.xlsx), Word (.docx), or PDF files — export to .csv or .txt first.CSV note: Files are loaded as plain text — each row (including all columns) is treated as one item. For best results use single-column files. To compare a specific column from a multi-column CSV, use the Column Compare (coming soon) tool instead.
Can I sort the results?
Yes. Each input panel has a Sort button (the arrow icon) that opens a dropdown with four options:
• A → Z — alphabetical ascending (apple, banana, cherry)
• Z → A — alphabetical descending (cherry, banana, apple)
• 0 → 9 — numeric ascending (2, 10, 100) — non-numeric items go to the bottom
• 9 → 0 — numeric descending (100, 10, 2)
You can also sort the results by choosing a sort order in the Options panel before comparing.
• A → Z — alphabetical ascending (apple, banana, cherry)
• Z → A — alphabetical descending (cherry, banana, apple)
• 0 → 9 — numeric ascending (2, 10, 100) — non-numeric items go to the bottom
• 9 → 0 — numeric descending (100, 10, 2)
You can also sort the results by choosing a sort order in the Options panel before comparing.
Can I compare lists case-insensitively?
Yes. In the Options panel, uncheck Case Sensitive. The comparison will then treat "Apple" and "apple" as the same item.
What is the difference between list intersection and union?
Intersection (A ∩ B) shows only items that appear in both lists. Union (A ∪ B) shows all unique items from both lists combined. For example, if List A is
apple, banana and List B is banana, cherry, the intersection is banana and the union is apple, banana, cherry.How do I compare two Excel columns for differences?
Copy each column from Excel and paste into List A and List B. The tool will instantly show which values exist in one column but not the other. Alternatively, save each column as a
.txt file and drag it onto the input box.Can I compare lists that have leading spaces or extra whitespace?
Yes. Enable Ignore Leading/Trailing Spaces and Ignore Extra Spaces in Options to normalize whitespace before comparing. For example,
apple and apple will be treated as the same item.Can I compare numbers that might have leading zeros?
Yes. Enable Ignore Leading Zeros in Options so that "007" and "7" are treated as the same value.
Are my lists stored anywhere?
No. All processing happens entirely in your browser. Your data never leaves your device and is never sent to any server.