Track Changes in LaTeX
Free Tool, No Perl install, No Terminal
Word has Track Changes. LaTeX has latexdiff. Compare single-file papers or complete multi-file LaTeX projects directly in your browser, with no Perl installation required.
How it works
Same as Word
Limitation
\todo{} or \marginpar{} for comments.Good to know
A snapshot, not a live editor
latexdiff compares two finished files and writes a static marked-up file. To accept a change, use the new version going forward; to reject it, revert to the old file and re-diff. You need two completed versions, not live typing.
Free LaTeX track changes tool
Overleaf gates Track Changes behind its Premium plan. This gives you the same version-to-version comparison free. Download both project versions (Menu → Download → Source) and upload the ZIPs directly.
Compile with the ulem package
The output is a .tex file. latexdiff adds \RequirePackage[normalem]{ulem} to the preamble; install ulem (standard in TeX Live and MiKTeX) and compile with pdflatex.
Template conflicts? Use SAFE
Classes like elsarticle, acmart, and sn-jnl redefine commands the default markup relies on. If the diff compiles but the markup is invisible, switch the subtype option to SAFE and regenerate.
Frequently asked questions
No. LaTeX has no tracking feature. The community convention is latexdiff, a Perl script that compares two source files and writes a marked-up third file. This tool runs that script for you.
Functionally similar for comparing two versions. Overleaf Track Changes is a live, interactive editor on the Premium plan. This is a static diff of two completed LaTeX files or project ZIPs, free. If you need live editing, use Overleaf; if you need a diffed file for a resubmission or co-author review, this works.
No. The latexdiff Perl script runs on our server. You can paste LaTeX source or upload project ZIPs.
Not in the diff itself, which is a snapshot rather than an editor. To accept a change, use the new version as your source going forward. To reject one, edit the new version to match the old, then re-diff.
Almost always yes. The compiled PDF of a latexdiff output is the de facto standard for marked-up LaTeX resubmissions across PLOS, Elsevier, IEEE, and Springer titles. Some journals have specific colour requirements; the default blue-add / red-delete works for most.
Yes, with a caveat. The default math-markup=coarse marks any changed equation as a single block. For symbol-level detail switch to fine in the options; it is fragile on complex equations but useful for small algebraic edits.
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