CSV COMPARE
Compare two CSV files
Match rows by an ID column and see changed cells, added rows and removed rows. Free, no account, and your files stay in this browser tab.
CLEANING PREVIEW
Cleaned data
- Removed row
- Extra spaces removed
- Empty cell filled
Removed records are left out of this view and your download.
COMPARISON PREVIEW
What changed?
A inventory-september.csv vs B inventory-october.csv Sample data Change files ↓
Values show before → after. Added rows appear only in B; removed rows appear only in A. Reports protect cells that could run as spreadsheet formulas.
| Lines | Status | sku | product | price | stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A 2 · B 3 | Changed · 1 cell | A-100 | Canvas tote | 24.00 | |
| A 4 | Only in A | A-102 | Linen apron | 32.00 | 18 |
| A 6 · B 2 | Changed · 1 cell | A-104 | Wool throw | 7 | |
| B 6 | Only in B | A-105 | Cedar coasters | 18.00 | 40 |
How this CSV compare works
Rows are matched by a key, not by position
Choose a column whose value identifies each row, such as an order number, email or SKU. A filled, unique column is suggested. Because rows are paired by that value, sorting one file differently does not create false differences. If one column is not unique, match on up to three together. In our re-sorted orders test, comparing by position reported 24 differences and matching by order number reported 6.
What counts as a difference
Cells are compared as exact text, so 24.0 and 24.00 differ by default. Turn on only the rules you want under Comparison rules:
- Case and spaces at the start or end of a value.
- Number format:
24.0=24.00,1,200=1200. It also treats007as7, so leave it off for ZIP codes and part numbers. See how leading zeros get lost. - Empty values: empty,
NA,N/A,NULLand-. - Date format:
2026-01-01=1 Jan 2026. Dates such as01/02/2026are not guessed.
Values counted as the same are shown in grey and counted separately, so you can check them.
When the column names differ
Columns are paired by name, including names that differ only in capitals, spaces, hyphens or underscores, such as ID and id or customer_id and Customer ID. Any other pair can be set under Review column mapping. If no column is paired, the result says the values were not checked, rather than reporting no differences.
What you can download
Choose cell differences, changed records, added records, removed records, or all records with a status. Downloads are free, need no account and include every row, while the table previews the first 400. Cells that could run as spreadsheet formulas are neutralised in the report.
Limits
CSV or TSV files up to 15 MB each. Excel workbooks are not read: save each sheet as CSV first, or see which method fits two Excel files. Files that will not load may have a structural fault; this test shows what each error means.
Want to practise first? Compare two small files and check the expected result. Need to tidy a file before comparing? Use the CSV cleaner.