KordFree diff tool
Compare two Excel files
Diff two Excel files in your browser, free, no account: changed cells highlighted in place, added and deleted rows marked, sheet by sheet. Built by Kord for BOMs, calc sheets, and equipment lists, and it opens with a sample BOM pair loaded.
Free, no account. Opens with a two-revision BOM loaded.
Two versions of the same workbook, and a question the file names refuse to answer: what actually changed? bom-v2-FINAL.xlsx does not say which unit prices moved, which line items appeared, or which cell quietly went from a formula to a pasted value on its way through review. Excel itself will show you both files side by side and let you squint.
Drop both files on the diff instead and read the answer. Changed cells are highlighted where they changed, added and removed rows are marked, and the two versions sit in one table rather than two windows. It runs free in the browser - no account, no install - and it opens with a sample BOM pair loaded, so you can see how it reads before you hand it your own files.
What the comparison shows
What you get on screen once both files are in, and why each piece is there:
- Cell-level changes. The value that moved, highlighted in the cell where it moved - not a whole row flagged because one number changed.
- Added and removed rows. A BOM that grew three line items reads as three added rows, in place, not as a wall of red.
- The rendered sheet, when layout matters. Switch from the table view to the page view to compare the sheet as it prints - useful when the change is formatting, not data.
- A link instead of two attachments. Share mints a URL that renders the same diff for anyone who opens it, so "see row 41" arrives with the comparison attached.
How to compare two Excel files
Three steps, none of which is signing up:
- Open the diff tool - it loads with a two-revision BOM already compared, so you see the result shape before committing your own files.
- Drop your two Excel files into the Before and After slots - up to 25 MB each.
- Read the comparison. If someone else needs to see it, Share turns it into a link.
Every way to compare Excel files
This tool is not the only way, and depending on where the spreadsheet lives it is not always the best one. What we would actually reach for:
| Tool | Reach for it when | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Excel's Inquire add-in | You have Office Professional Plus or Microsoft 365 enterprise on Windows and want a cell-by-cell workbook report | Buried behind File > Options > Add-ins, Windows only, and the result is a report only you can see |
| View Side by Side plus a helper sheet of =Sheet1!A1<>Sheet2!A1 | A one-off check on a sheet you control end to end | Manual, blind to formatting, and someone rebuilds it every time |
| Diffchecker, xlCompare, ExcelCompare.org | Quick one-off diffs of a generic spreadsheet | Solid at exactly that; most are single-format tools with nothing downstream of the diff |
| daff or git-xl in a terminal | Tabular data that already lives in a Git repo | Needs a repo and a command line, and your BOM is probably in SharePoint |
| This one (Kord's diff tool) | BOMs, calc sheets, equipment lists - and anything you may later want reviewed as part of a document set | In the browser, free, 25 MB per file |
FAQ
The questions people ask before dropping real files on a free tool, answered plainly:
Is it actually free?
Yes. No account, no trial clock, no watermark. The tool exists because we build Kord, version control for engineering document sets, and a diff you can run in ten seconds explains the product faster than any brochure.
Do my files get stored?
Files are kept only as long as it takes to draw the comparison. Most formats render in your browser; Word and PowerPoint are converted to a preview by our servers in memory, and a file too big to ride a request travels through a short-lived upload that is deleted automatically. There is no account, so there is no history to attach anything to. The longer answer is at work.withkord.com/security.
What is the size limit?
25 MB per file. Larger Office files are routed through a short-lived upload behind the scenes, so a 20 MB workbook behaves the same as a 2 MB one.
Can I share the comparison with someone?
Yes. The Share button mints a link that renders the same comparison for whoever opens it - no account on their end either. It beats mailing two attachments and a paragraph of directions.
What if my two files are different formats?
The diff wants two files of the same type - two .xlsx, two .pdf, and so on. Give it a mismatched pair and it says so rather than rendering something misleading.
We diff spreadsheets every submittal cycle. Is there a workflow version of this?
That is the product the tool comes from. Kord keeps version history on the whole document set - the calc sheet and the datasheets and drawings that quote its numbers - shows this same diff between any two revisions, and runs review sessions with sign-off before a revision is issued. The tool is the free, two-file corner of it.
When two files aren't the real problem
A one-off diff answers a one-off question. If your team compares Excel files every revision cycle - and the revision that matters sits next to drawings, specs, and calc sheets that have to agree with it - that is the job Kord exists for: version control on the whole document set, this same visual comparison between any two revisions, and review sessions with sign-off before anything is issued. The longer argument is in Git for documents.
Compare other formats
The same tool reads eleven formats - the full list is on the compare index. Nearby: Compare two Word documents · Compare two PDF files · Compare two JSON files.