Compare JSON Payloads
Compare two JSON objects and spot changes locally in your browser.
Browser JSON diff comparison
Compare two JSON payloads locally to see what has changed, been added, or removed between them. The tool performs a deep recursive comparison and reports every difference with its full path, making it easy to spot changes in complex nested structures. It is useful for API response diffs, configuration drift detection, and verifying data migrations.
Benefits: Instant recursive diff with full dot-notation paths, detects additions, removals, and value changes, handles deeply nested objects and arrays, all data stays in your browser for complete privacy, clear count of total differences found.
Best for: Comparing API responses before and after changes, detecting configuration file drift between environments, verifying database migration results, reviewing JSON schema changes, debugging webhook payload differences, and validating data transformations.
Limitations and tradeoffs
- Does not support side-by-side visual highlighting of changed lines
- Array comparison is index-based, so reordered arrays will show many false differences
- Requires valid strict JSON input, does not accept JSON5, comments, or trailing commas
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Browse Developer toolsQuestions before you use it
Does order matter when comparing JSON?
Object key order does not matter in JSON. {a:1, b:2} and {b:2, a:1} are considered equal. Array order still matters because arrays are ordered collections, so [1, 2] and [2, 1] will show differences.
Can I compare deeply nested JSON?
Yes. The comparison is recursive and handles arbitrarily deep nesting. Each difference is reported with its full dot-notation path, such as user.address.city, so you can pinpoint exactly where changes occurred in complex structures.
Is my JSON data private?
Completely. All comparison happens in your browser using JavaScript. No data is ever transmitted to a server. This makes it safe to compare sensitive payloads like API keys, user data, or internal configuration files.
What types of changes are detected?
The tool detects three types of changes: additions (keys present in the modified JSON but not the original), removals (keys present in the original but missing from the modified), and value changes (same key with a different value or type). Each change is clearly labeled in the output.
Can I compare JSON with comments or trailing commas?
No. The tool uses the standard JSON.parse method, which requires strict JSON syntax. Remove any comments, trailing commas, or single-quoted strings before pasting. You can use a JSON formatter tool to fix syntax issues first.