Direct answer
Can I compare spreadsheets saved in different file formats?
Diff Anything compares workbooks sheet by sheet and row by row across Excel (XLS, XLSX, XLSM, XLSB, and their templates), OpenDocument (ODS), and Apple Numbers. The two workbooks can use different formats, so an XLSX can be compared directly with ODS or Numbers without converting either file first. Rows are matched by their content or by key columns you choose, so an inserted row is one added row, and formulas are compared between two workbooks of the same format. A CSV or TSV export can also be compared with one sheet of a workbook.
Supported formats
Use a shared value model across spreadsheet containers.
Open any two XLS/XLA, XLSX/XLSM/XLAM, XLSB, ODS, or Apple Numbers workbooks. The extensions do not need to match.
Diff Anything pairs sheets by name and compares their rows by the stored values rather than the unrelated internals of each file container.
Open a CSV or TSV file beside a workbook to check an export against the sheet it came from. The first sheet is used by default; choose another under Compare with sheet, and a note names the sheet that was compared.
- Excel: XLS, XLA, XLT, XLSX, XLSM, XLTX, XLTM, XLAM, and XLSB
- OpenDocument: ODS and OTS
- Apple: Numbers
- CSV or TSV against one sheet of a workbook
Rows and keys
Match rows by content, or by the key column you choose.
Rows are matched by their content, so an inserted or deleted row is one added or removed row and the rows after it still match. A changed row names the cells that differ on each side, such as Summary row 5 changed: B5, D5.
When rows were re-sorted, choose an ID column under Match rows by, or type several header names or column letters under Key columns. Rows with the same key are compared wherever they are, and a key that appears twice is a warning. The table view shows matched rows side by side with their row number in each workbook.
Exact boundary
Treat a clean result as value equivalence—not workbook identity.
Spreadsheet comparison uses stored cell values, and formulas between two workbooks of the same format, such as two XLSX or two ODS files. Formatting, charts, macros, and workbook layout are not compared.
Between different formats, or with Numbers files, formulas are not compared, so a formula and a literal value compare as equal when their stored results are equal. Use the original spreadsheet applications when you need to validate styles, charts, print setup, VBA, or editing behavior.
Best for
Where this workflow fits.
- Checking data after moving a workbook between Excel, LibreOffice, and Apple Numbers
- Finding changed cells across every sheet of a workbook
- Reviewing private spreadsheet data without uploading it
No accounts, cloud comparison service, analytics, or telemetry.
Relevant capabilities
What Diff Anything brings to the job.
Practical workflow
From setup to a reviewed result.
Choose sources
Open files or folders, paste content, or use Pro to load a saved profile with known options.
Select a mode
Use automatic detection or explicitly choose text, structured data, cross-format spreadsheet, notebook, SQLite, folder, archive, document, image, binary, or API comparison. In code comparisons, switch between Smart Diff and conventional Line Diff without changing sources.
Review and resolve
Navigate stable differences, apply supported changes, or use Pro to resolve three-way conflicts and conflict markers or approve a folder synchronization plan without losing source context.
Save or automate
Use Pro to export or print a report, export a JSON Patch, apply a patch, or retain a profile, invoke the CLI, or wire the comparison into Git and CI.
Useful in practice
Direct answers
Questions about compare spreadsheets different formats.
Can I compare spreadsheets saved in different file formats?
Diff Anything compares workbooks sheet by sheet and row by row across Excel (XLS, XLSX, XLSM, XLSB, and their templates), OpenDocument (ODS), and Apple Numbers. The two workbooks can use different formats, so an XLSX can be compared directly with ODS or Numbers without converting either file first. Rows are matched by their content or by key columns you choose, so an inserted row is one added row, and formulas are compared between two workbooks of the same format. A CSV or TSV export can also be compared with one sheet of a workbook.
Can Diff Anything compare XLSX with ODS or Apple Numbers?
Yes. Supported workbook formats share the same sheet-and-cell value model, so mixed-format pairs such as XLSX with ODS or Numbers can be compared directly.
Can I compare a CSV file with an Excel workbook?
Yes. Open the CSV or TSV file on one side and the workbook on the other. They are compared by cell values with the workbook's first sheet, or the sheet you choose under Compare with sheet. Values are compared as stored text, so 20 and 20.0 count as different.
Are formulas and spreadsheet formatting compared?
Formulas are compared between two workbooks of the same format, such as two XLSX files, so a changed formula counts even when its result is the same. Formatting, charts, macros, and workbook layout are outside this comparison.
Does an inserted row make every row below it different?
No. Rows are matched by their content, so an inserted row is one added row. For re-sorted sheets, match rows by a key column under Match rows by.
Do spreadsheet files leave the computer?
No. Spreadsheet extraction and comparison run locally, with no Diff Anything account, cloud comparison service, analytics, or telemetry.
Go deeper
Review cross-format spreadsheet values, release trees, documents, and visual assets with purpose-built navigation, safety checks, and rollback.
Read Compare folders, spreadsheets, documents, and imagesFree & Pro: what’s included
Available on the Mac App Store and Microsoft Store. Free desktop use lets you try every comparison engine for files up to 5 MiB per side and 10 new comparison sessions per local day; collection previews show the first 100 items, binary comparisons the first 100 byte differences, and PDF previews the first 3 pages. Plain text, JSON, and Jupyter notebook comparison are complete, and opening files from Finder or File Explorer, diffanything:// links, and AppleScript are free. The free CLI supports text, JSON, and notebooks. A one-time Pro purchase removes the preview and session limits and unlocks larger sources within technical limits, saved profiles and history, saving folder snapshots, report export and printing, JSON Patch export, applying patches, three-way merge and conflict resolution, the Git merge driver and merge tool, folder synchronization, batch manifests, trusted preprocessors, and every CLI mode.