Question 1

Why does the JSON option matter?

Accepted Answer

Without it, two documents that differ only in key order or indentation look completely different. Ticking it pretty-prints both first, so what you see is a difference in the data rather than in the formatting.

Question 2

Can it compare two files rather than pasted text?

Accepted Answer

Paste is the input here. Open each file in an editor and paste both sides in - for anything larger, a proper diff tool on your own machine will serve you better.

Question 3

Is my text uploaded?

Accepted Answer

No. Both sides are compared in the page, which matters when the two things you are diffing are API responses or config files with credentials in them.

Question 4

Does it show character-level changes within a line?

Accepted Answer

Changes are highlighted line by line. A line with one changed word shows as a changed line rather than marking the individual word.

Free text and JSON diff tool