i-net PDFC vs SmarterDiff
i-net PDFC
inetsoftware.deSmarterDiff
smarterdiff.comSide by side
| Figure | i-net PDFC | SmarterDiff |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $16.58/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 16 | 1 |
| Spec score · Document Comparison Software | 8.9 (#4) | 8.3 (#8) |
| Purpose | i-net PDFC compares documents and detects changes in text, tables, layout, and structure. | SmarterDiff compares text, Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, folders, and images in a browser without uploading files. |
| Self-hosting | Server, private-cloud, public-cloud and site deployments run on customer-controlled infrastructure, with Docker supported for site or cloud licenses. | The site says the underlying open-source libraries are available on GitHub and npm, but it does not publish a SmarterDiff self-hosting package or product license. |
| Support | The product support team is available Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CET/CEST. | Bug reports and feature requests are handled through a contact form requesting browser, format and problem details. |
| What it does | i-net PDFC compares PDF, DOCX, ODT, TXT, image and scanned documents, identifying changes in text, tables, layout and structure. | SmarterDiff compares text, Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, folders and images inside a browser. |
Plans
i-net PDFC
- Standard$199 a year
- Standard — yearly$199 a year
- Standard$495, paid once
- Standard — perpetual$495, paid once
- Plus$1,950 a year
- Plus — yearly$1,950 a year
- Server$2,950 a year
- Server — yearly$2,950 a year
- Plus$4,950, paid once
- Plus — perpetual$4,950, paid once
In their own words
i-net PDFC
i-net PDFC compares documents and detects changes in text, tables, layout, and structure. It supports PDF, DOCX, TXT, PNG, JPEG, BMP, and GIF comparisons; the product page also lists ODT. Structured comparison examines elements such as styles and shapes and recognizes tagged PDF and PDF/UA structure. Additional capabilities include table comparison by key columns, OCR, language detection, and exports of results and reports. The desktop application keeps files local for single-user work, while the server application supports multiple accounts, groups, and browser dashboards. Task Planner can schedule batch comparisons and other tasks. Developers have a RESTful interface, Java and.NET SDKs, and JUnit and NUnit libraries for verification workflows. Comparison files and data remain on the local computer or user's server rather than going to third parties, though optional server features may send configured data to external services. Platforms include Windows, Linux/UNIX, macOS 13+, Docker, and a browser interface for server use. A 30-day trial is available, but there is no free plan. Standard yearly costs $199 a year; prices exclude VAT.
SmarterDiff
SmarterDiff is a free browser-based tool for comparing text, Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, folders, and images. Text comparisons can show line, word, or character differences, with options to ignore case and whitespace. Excel and CSV comparisons check cell values and formulas, while image comparisons use pixel differences with overlay, side-by-side, and slider views. It can compare finalized.docx text, but not Word tracked-change markup; scanned PDFs without embedded text cannot be compared as text. SmarterDiff says comparisons run in the browser and files or results are not sent to its servers or external services. Comparisons can work offline after the first page load while browser libraries remain cached. File size depends on available computer memory and browser limits. It is a manual, one-off tool without workflow automation or integrations. The Free plan costs nothing, is ad-supported, requires no account, and has no artificial limits. Google AdSense may set ad-targeting cookies.