Does list comparison remove duplicates?

Yes. Results contain one item per unique matching value. Duplicate counts reflect the selected case, whitespace and leading-zero rules. The first spelling is retained.

Can I ignore case, whitespace and leading zeros?

Yes. Each rule has its own checkbox. Ignoring extra spaces collapses repeated whitespace for matching. Ignoring leading zeros lets values such as 007 and 7 match.

How do I compare two Excel columns?

Copy one column into List A and the other into List B. Review A Only and B Only for missing values and In Both for matches. Copying individual columns avoids CSV quoting and column-selection issues.

Which output formats are supported?

Plain text, numbered lists, Markdown bullets, HTML unordered and ordered lists, hashtags, JSON arrays and quoted strings. Alphabetic or numeric sorting and output case conversion apply to all four groups.

Can I import or download lists?

Upload or drop plain-text files such as TXT, CSV, TSV, LOG and Markdown, or a JSON array file, up to 5 MB. JSON arrays may contain strings, numbers or booleans. Text imports preserve rows; Split separates values using one of 12 delimiters. Every result group has copy and download controls.

Are my lists uploaded or saved?

List comparison and file reading happen locally. List contents are not sent to a server. Sending to another OneClickUse tool uses this tab's session storage, removes the transferred entry when it is read, and expires it after five minutes.

How is a list diff different from a text diff?

A list diff compares membership regardless of order. A text diff compares lines in sequence to highlight insertions and deletions. Use Compare Lists for IDs or emails and Text Diff for documents, source code or logs.

Text Tool

Compare Two Lists Online

Name: Compare Two Lists Online
Author: Anil Gautam

Find differences, shared items and a combined list. Paste lists or import text files, adjust matching rules, then copy or download the results.

Runs locally in your browser

Privacy-first workflows

Fast and simple

100% Free, no signup

Written by Anil Gautam · Updated 4 October 2026

What do the four list results mean?

A Only is the set difference A − B: entries in your first list that the second list does not contain. B Only is the reverse difference B − A. In Both is the intersection A ∩ B. All Items is the union A ∪ B, containing each distinct matching value once.

For List A = Apple, Banana, Cherry and List B = Banana, Date: A Only contains Apple and Cherry; In Both contains Banana; B Only contains Date; All Items contains Apple, Banana, Cherry and Date. Item order does not affect which group a value belongs to.

Compare Excel columns, email lists or product IDs

Copy one column from Excel or Google Sheets into each input. Each nonempty line becomes an item. This helps find missing SKUs, reconcile user IDs, compare two URL inventories or combine mailing lists without duplicates.

Start with case-sensitive matching for identifiers. Turn it off when uppercase and lowercase should match. Ignore leading zeros only when 007 and 7 represent the same identifier; keep it off for codes where zeros matter.

Matching and formatting are separate

The comparison preserves the first spelling of each matching value. Shared values use List A's spelling. Output sorting and case conversion change the result display without rewriting the inputs. Cleanup buttons deliberately edit the selected input.

CSV and TSV imports do not select spreadsheet columns or parse quoted CSV cells. Splitting replaces a chosen literal separator with line breaks. File imports are limited to 5 MB; large pasted lists may take longer to render. Use Text Diff for changes in document order or wording.

How it works

How to compare two lists online

STEP 01

Paste one item per line into List A and List B, or upload a TXT, CSV, TSV or JSON array file. CSV and TSV files are read as text; use Split when needed.

STEP 02

Adjust case sensitivity, surrounding spaces, repeated spaces or leading zeros to match your data.

STEP 03

Review A Only, In Both, B Only and All Items. Empty lines and duplicate matching values are excluded.

STEP 04

Choose sorting, output case and a format, then copy, download or send a result to another tool.

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