Compare Two JSON Files Online

Diff two JSON payloads, API responses, or config files line by line with JSON syntax highlighting. Format both files first so keys line up, then compare to spot added, removed, or changed values.

Diff

Text Diff Checker

LOCAL · Browser-Only

Compare two texts and see the differences highlighted

Original Text

0 lines · 0 chars

Modified Text

0 lines · 0 chars

Ignore whitespaceIgnore caseIgnore line endings

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Quick Start

1Paste the first JSON into the Original panel
2Paste the second JSON into the Modified panel
3Click Compare to highlight changed lines
4Use ignore-whitespace to skip formatting-only differences

What This Tool Does

This is a text comparison with JSON coloring, not a structural one, and that distinction is the whole story. The two documents are compared as they are written, so two files holding identical data with the keys in a different order will show as different.

The practical consequence is that formatting both sides the same way first is not a tidiness step, it is the technique. Run both through a formatter with the same indentation, and ideally with the keys sorted, and what is left is a difference in the data rather than a difference in the whitespace.

Once both sides are consistent, word-level highlighting inside a changed line points at the value that moved instead of making you reread the whole line. That is what turns a comparison of two API responses into something you can scan.

Limits Worth Knowing

There is no semantic or key-aware JSON comparison here. Reordered keys read as changes.
Nothing is formatted for you before the comparison. Format both documents yourself first.
Ignore whitespace helps with indentation differences but will not fix a difference in key order.
JSON is one of the highlighting choices, so strings and numbers are colored even though no keyword list applies to it.
The .patch export behaves the same as for any other text, which is useful when you want to hand the change to somebody else.

Common Questions

Does it ignore key order?

No. It compares the documents as text, so reordering keys registers as a change. Sort the keys on both sides first if order is not meaningful to you.

Why is my whole file one big change?

Different indentation, almost always. Format both documents with the same settings and compare again.

Can it diff two API responses?

Yes, and that is a common use. Format both to the same shape first, then read the highlighted values rather than the highlighted lines.

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Looking for FAQs and advanced options? Visit the full Text Diff Checker page →

What This Tool Does

Limits Worth Knowing

There is no semantic or key-aware JSON comparison here. Reordered keys read as changes.

Nothing is formatted for you before the comparison. Format both documents yourself first.

Ignore whitespace helps with indentation differences but will not fix a difference in key order.

JSON is one of the highlighting choices, so strings and numbers are colored even though no keyword list applies to it.

The .patch export behaves the same as for any other text, which is useful when you want to hand the change to somebody else.