List Comparison

Compare two lists online to find common items and differences instantly — free tool.

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About

About the List Comparison

Compares two lists, one item per line, and sorts every item into only-in-A, only-in-B, or in-both.

Marketers use it to find which subscribers are on one mailing list but not another, and developers use it to spot-check which records differ between two exported datasets. It's one of many free data tools on Toolapt, and like every tool here, it's free to use with no sign-up and no limit on how many times you run it.

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Guide

Using the List Comparison

  1. 1

    Step 1

    Paste your first list, one item per line, into List A.

  2. 2

    Step 2

    Paste your second list into List B.

  3. 3

    Step 3

    Adjust Case sensitive and Trim whitespace to match how you want items compared.

  4. 4

    Step 4

    Click "Compare" to see counts and the three result lists.

  • Splits each list by line and compares items between the two
  • Shows items only in A, only in B, and items in both, each in its own box
  • Reports a count for each of the three groups
  • Optional case-sensitive comparison, off by default
  • Optional whitespace trimming, on by default, so stray spaces don't cause false mismatches
  • Works entirely in your browser — nothing you paste is sent to a server
  • Free to use, with no sign-up and no limit on how many times you run it

Marketers

Marketers use the List Comparison tool for finding which subscribers appear on one mailing list but not another before merging or deduplicating them.

Developers

Developers use the List Comparison tool for spot-checking which records differ between two exported datasets or configuration lists.

QA engineers

QA engineers use the List Comparison tool for confirming an expected list of values matches an actual list returned by a system under test.

Students and researchers

Students and researchers use the List Comparison tool for finding overlap or differences between two sets of survey responses or data entries.

Examples

List Comparison examples

3 worked examples

01

Two mailing lists

With List A as alice@x.com, bob@x.com, carol@x.com and List B as bob@x.com, carol@x.com, dave@x.com, Compare reports 1 only in A (alice@x.com), 1 only in B (dave@x.com), and 2 in both.

02

Case-insensitive by default

With List A as "Apple" and List B as "apple", Compare reports 1 item in both, since Case sensitive is off by default — turn it on to treat them as different.

03

Only one list filled in

With List A as red, green, blue and List B left empty, all 3 items are reported as only in A, since there's nothing in B to match against.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers to common questions about the List Comparison.

What does the List Comparison tool do?

It compares two lists, one item per line, and sorts every item into only-in-A, only-in-B, or in-both.

Is the List Comparison tool free to use?

Yes. It's free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many times you use it.

Is my data safe when I use this tool?

Yes. The comparison happens entirely on your own device — nothing you paste is sent to a server.

What does "Trim whitespace" do?

It's on by default and removes leading/trailing spaces from each line before comparing, so "apple" and " apple " are treated as the same item.

What does "Case sensitive" do?

It's off by default, meaning "Apple" and "apple" are treated as the same item. Turn it on if case should matter for your comparison.

Does it remove duplicate items within the same list?

Yes, each list is treated as a set of unique items, so duplicate lines within List A or List B don't affect the result.

What happens if I only fill in one list?

Every item from the filled-in list appears in the corresponding "only in" result, since there's nothing in the other list to match against.

Can I use this tool on my phone?

Yes. The page is fully responsive and works on mobile, tablet and desktop browsers alike.

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