# How do I compare two versions of a contract and see every change? > Run a PDF compare tool such as Foxit or Acrobat Compare on both versions, walk through each marked change, then send the list back. Free 8-minute lesson. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions/how-to-compare-two-versions-of-a-contract · Updated 2026-10-21 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) · Published October 21, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026 · 4 min read Open the version you agreed to in a PDF editor with a compare tool, such as Foxit PDF Editor or Adobe Acrobat, run **Compare** against the new version, and step through every change it marks one at a time. Then use the list of changes for your reply. The free lesson [Foxit PDF Editor: Catch Every Change in a Revised Contract](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare-two-versions-of-a-contract-with-foxit-pdf-editor) does this on a sample agreement where "small cleanups" turn out to be ten changes. A compare tool is the right first step because it works line by line and does not skip anything. AI is useful after that: to explain what a change means, or to turn the list into a plain note. Asking a [chatbot](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/chatbot) to "spot the differences" on its own can miss a changed number, so use it as a second pass, not the only one. ## What are the steps? 1. **Get both files.** The version you agreed to and the new one. PDFs are easiest. Word files can go through Word's own compare. 2. **Open the old version first.** In Foxit PDF Editor, Compare is on the **View** tab. It sets the open file as the **Old File**. 3. **Choose the new version** under **New File**, check the page range covers every page, and click **OK**. 4. **Read the summary.** It counts replacements, insertions and deletions. If the count does not match "a few small cleanups", that is your first finding. 5. **Step through every change** with **Next Change**. Look hardest at money, dates, notice periods, renewal terms and liability. 6. **Keep the list.** Changes are also saved as comments with the old and new text. Download the result. 7. **Reply with the list** and ask the other side to confirm which changes they meant. For Word documents, use **Review**, then **Compare** in Word to get a [redline](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/redline) of both versions. ## What does this look like in a real lesson? In [the Foxit lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare-two-versions-of-a-contract-with-foxit-pdf-editor), an operations manager at a made-up marketing firm gets version 2 of a software subscription agreement with the note "just a few small cleanups, please sign by Friday". She opens version 1, runs Compare against version 2, and Foxit makes a new PDF whose summary says **10 total changes**: nine replacements and one insertion. Clicking **Next Change** walks through them: the monthly fee went up by 150 dollars, [invoices](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/invoice) are now due in fifteen days instead of thirty, the cancel notice went from thirty to ninety days, the price increase allowed at renewal went from five to nine percent, a brand new sentence lets the vendor change or remove features with ten days' notice, and the liability cap dropped from twelve months of fees to three. The Comments panel lists each change as old text and new text, and that becomes the reply to the vendor. ## Where does AI help? - **Explaining a change.** Paste one changed clause into Claude or ChatGPT and ask what it means for you in plain words. It is not legal advice, so anything that matters goes to your lawyer. - **Comparing short text you can paste.** In [Claude: compare two versions of a document](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-compare-two-versions-of-a-document), you paste last year's and this year's remote work policy under clear labels, ask for a table of topic, 2025, 2026 and what changed, and use only the text below. Then you catch Claude's mistake: its "removed" list holds items that were only changed. You push back, and get a five-sentence note to staff that HR checks before it goes out. - **Asking questions of one PDF.** Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant answers questions about a document with citations, which helps when you want to find a clause fast. The [contract review with AI FAQ](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/automate-contract-review-with-ai-faq) covers more of what AI can and cannot do here, and [Foxit vs Adobe Acrobat](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare/foxit-vs-adobe-acrobat) compares the two PDF editors. ## What mistakes should I avoid? - **Trusting the cover email.** "Small cleanups" is a description, not a fact. Run the compare. - **Comparing the wrong base.** Use the version you actually agreed to, not an earlier draft. - **Only reading the summary.** Step through every change. One number is often the one that costs money. - **Asking AI alone to find changes in a long contract.** Use a compare tool first, then AI to explain. - **Signing before a person reviews it.** Contracts with money, renewals or liability need your own read and, where it matters, a lawyer's. ## Key takeaways - A compare tool marks every change line by line. Start there. - In Foxit PDF Editor, Compare is on the View tab. - Step through each change with Next Change and keep the comment list. - Use AI to explain a clause or tidy the list, not as the only check. - A person reviews anything that changes money, notice or liability. ## Frequently asked questions **Can ChatGPT compare two contracts?** It can compare text you paste or upload, but it may miss or mislabel changes, as the Claude lesson shows. Use it after a compare tool, and check its table against both versions. **What if the new version is a scan?** A compare tool needs real text, so a scan has to go through OCR first, and OCR can misread numbers. Ask the other side for the digital file. **Is there a free way to compare two PDFs?** If you have both versions as Word files, Word's own compare is already in the app. For PDFs, check whether your PDF editor's plan includes a compare tool before you rely on it. ## Learn it hands-on Free, interactive lessons: you do every step yourself in a practice copy of the real tool, it checks your work as you go, and nothing touches your real accounts. - [Foxit PDF Editor: Catch Every Change in a Revised Contract](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare-two-versions-of-a-contract-with-foxit-pdf-editor): A vendor sends "version 2, just small cleanups". Compare both PDFs in Foxit PDF Editor, see every changed fee, date and clause, and reply with a list. (about 8 minutes) - [Claude: Compare Two Versions of a Document and See What Changed](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-compare-two-versions-of-a-document): Paste last year’s and this year’s policy, get a side-by-side table of what changed, catch what Claude gets wrong, and turn it into a note to staff. (about 5 minutes) [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/foxit-compare-contract-versions) ## AI tools in this answer Each one in the Stepthrough AI tools directory: what it does, who it is for and the free lesson where there is one. [Foxit PDF Editor](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/foxit-pdf-editor) · [Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/claude) · [Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/presentations-docs#tool-adobe-acrobat-ai-assistant) [The full AI tools directory](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools) ## Related terms Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson. [Chatbot](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/chatbot) · [Redline](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/redline) · [Invoice](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/invoice) · [Document comparison](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/document-comparison) · [Fillable PDF](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/fillable-pdf) · [Limitation of liability clause](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/limitation-of-liability-clause) [The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) ## Related questions - [How do I get ChatGPT to read a PDF?](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions/how-to-get-chatgpt-to-read-a-pdf): Click the + in the message box, choose Add photos & files, pick the PDF and ask for answers with section or page numbers. Free… - [How are compliance teams using AI?](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions/how-compliance-teams-use-ai): Compliance teams use AI to compare rule and policy versions, answer questions from their own documents with citations, and write… - [How do I get ChatGPT to write like me?](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions/how-to-get-chatgpt-to-write-like-me): Paste two or three of your real past pieces between ### lines, add "copy my style, not the facts", then give it the new job… - [How do I make ChatGPT remember my business details in every chat?](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions/how-to-make-chatgpt-remember-my-business): Create a ChatGPT Project with instructions and your price list as sources, then start every chat inside it. 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