SIDETRACK vs SmarterDiff
SIDETRACK
hopencorp.comSmarterDiff
smarterdiff.comSide by side
| Figure | SIDETRACK | SmarterDiff |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $16.66/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Spec score · Document Comparison Software | 7.4 (#21) | 8.3 (#8) |
| Intended users | The maker describes SIDETRACK as a lightweight desktop tool for lawyers' everyday document comparison and review workflow. | The About page identifies legal professionals, financial analysts and auditors, journalists and fact-checkers, and software developers as users. |
| Local processing | The maker says SIDETRACK runs on the user's PC and documents are not uploaded. | Comparisons run in the browser; the site says file data is not sent to its servers or external services. |
| Purpose | SIDETRACK compares Word documents and creates a marked-up PDF and an editable redline DOCX using Microsoft Word's comparison engine. | SmarterDiff compares text, Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, folders, and images in a browser without uploading files. |
Plans
In their own words
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.