DiffPDF, compare PDF files from Ubuntu desktop

About DiffPDF

About DiffPDF

In this article we are going to take a look at DiffPDF. It is an application that we will all use to have at hand from time to time. This is a software tool that allows us compare two PDF files. The result will allow to see the difference between both from a graphical environment. This is quite useful if we have several versions of the same document. From the terminal we can do the same with the diff command.

DiffPDF is a small but useful tool. This is very easy to use and is free for Linux, you can see its characteristics from its web page. If you are a reader of books or manuals, this application can compare the changes in paragraphs and other deeper aspects of our reading sources. Let's see how to install and use DiffPDF.

The program is very intuitive in its use. We just have to load the PDF files and hit the "compare" button for the application to show us the differences.

Although it is from simple appearance and operation, DiffPDF hides some interesting options like other programs dedicated to handling PDF files. The program will allow users the possibility of establishing 3 different comparison modes: by words, characters or appearance (that is, the structure of the document). With these three types of search, we can find every last difference between the two documents.

This application will also provide us information at the metadata level such as the author, the creation date, the software used for its creation, the size, the resolution, the number of pages, etc.

To make the comparison between documents more precise, we can mark the option to exclude margins (top, bottom, right, left) by setting the distance we want or dividing the documents by zones to further refine our search for differences.

If you want to change the color of the text highlighting, all you have to do is click on "Options" and on the "Highlighting" tab we will change the color to your liking. In these options we can customize the results of the program to our liking. It gives us options such as establishing a base color in the changes or varying the mode of signal discrepancies between documents.

Once we have made the comparison, we have the option of save a report with the differences between both documents.

To compare the text of two PDF files, first we have to insert File # 1 and File # 2. From the right sidebar we will select 'Words' in the drop-down list “Compare”. Use the preview and next button to see the differences between PDFs.

Diffpdf comparing pdfs

By default, DiffPDF compares two files for text. We also have the option if you also want to compare graphics of the two files. For example, if there are graphics in PDFs, we can compare those graphics and DiffPDF will specify the differences.

We can also compare images in PDF files and select "Appearances" from the "Compare" drop-down list on the right sidebar. It will give us the option of power compare the two PDF files by characters, set page ranges to find the differences. When everything has been configured, as I have already said lines above, we will only have to click on the «Compare» button at the bottom of the sidebar. You will notice the changes thanks to the highlighted texts.

Install DiffPDF on Ubuntu

DiffPDF is free and multi-platform software being available for Linux, OS X and Windows. For Ubuntu we can install it in a simple way. We open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and write the following command in it.

sudo apt install diffpdf

Uninstall DiffPDF

Removing this application from our operating system is as simple as installing it. We just have to open the terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and write:

sudo apt remove diffpdf && sudo apt autoremove

As I said at the beginning of the article, we can do this from the terminal using the diff command. If we look for other programs for the comparison of documents in Ubuntu we will find some more. It is only a matter of looking for the one that best suits the needs of each one.


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