Compare lists / Terms

Using List Reconcile and its reports

These terms apply when you use List Reconcile to compare pasted values or selected columns from text files. The site is a free, independent utility. It currently has no account registration, subscription, payment checkout, or purchased report entitlement. Using the tool means accepting the conditions below for this service and the reports it produces.

The question a report answers

The comparison groups a selected text value from each input record and counts its occurrences in A and B. A positive A minus B result means more occurrences in A. A negative result means more in B. In both establishes presence on each side, while Different counts includes values whose frequencies differ, including values found on only one side.

A repeated identifier appearing four times in A and twice in B produces a count difference of two. That result does not identify which two individual records are unmatched. The service does not authenticate source records, pair payments with invoices, sum quantity or amount columns, approve a financial adjustment, or determine that similar names describe the same person.

The remaining fields of a CSV record are context for your review. They are not automatically compared cell by cell. Equal key counts do not establish equal dates, descriptions, balances, or complete tables. Use a workflow suited to those questions if the selected-key comparison does not meet your task.

Your inputs and matching choices

You must have permission to process the data you choose to open or paste. Browser-local processing does not override an employer's data-handling rules or another person's rights in the records. You retain your rights in your input and reports; opening a file here does not transfer ownership of it to List Reconcile.

Check the export period, source filters, separator, header setting, and selected column on each side. The tool cannot tell whether two differently named columns identify the same business entity. It also cannot restore digits, leading zeros, or fields removed by another application before the file reached it.

Exact matching is the default. Ignore outer whitespace and Ignore case change comparison keys when you enable them. Original records remain available for inspection. These options do not perform fuzzy matching, Unicode normalization, or a validated mapping between different identifier systems. You are responsible for choosing rules appropriate to the data.

How to use the supporting evidence

View rows shows the records behind a grouped value. Source references use physical input lines, including headers and blank lines. A quoted field can span several lines. If you sort or edit another copy of the file, its displayed rows may no longer correspond to those references. Keep the original export when someone needs to reproduce your review.

Before relying on a result, inspect a known match and a known difference. Check that an intentionally repeated ID has the expected counts. Empty selected keys are skipped and reported; they are not resolved or matched by the service. Review skipped-key counts if every record must be accounted for in your workflow.

Use the report as evidence for the question it actually answers. Changes to financial records, inventory, permissions, or employee records require your own verification and any approval required by your organization. Our fictional examples illustrate the tool's rules and are not recommendations about how to resolve a real dispute.

Downloads have different contents

The current filter and search apply to a download across every result page. The CSV report contains a summary, source line references, and the source filenames with their comparison settings. Excel and JSON also contain associated original rows. Copy values copies comparison keys only. Check the chosen format and selection before sending a report to someone who needs full record context.

Excel exports store source values as text. A CSV file cannot force another application to preserve an identifier's type, and the CSV report prefixes potentially executable formula-like strings for safer spreadsheet handling. These formats are not interchangeable archival copies. Keep the original input and choose JSON or the text-cell workbook when exact field strings matter.

You control downloaded files and clipboard copies after they leave the page. The application does not retain a cloud copy that support can restore. Share the example links only to fictional sample data; it is not a way to share your current result with a colleague.

Availability and practical limits

Each input is limited to 50,000 records, 5 MiB, and 256 columns. Excel output has a 32,767-character limit for an individual field. Malformed files, unsupported encodings, browser memory pressure, or interrupted page sessions can prevent a comparison or export. Read the displayed error and retain the original file before retrying.

We provide the service as available and work to correct reported defects. We do not promise uninterrupted access, recovery of unsaved work, compatibility with every spreadsheet reader, or suitability for every use. The tool may change as defects are fixed or limits are revised. The controls and matching guide describe the behavior of the current version.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, we do not accept responsibility for decisions or losses caused by relying on an unchecked report, a wrong source export, or a conversion performed by another application. Nothing in these terms removes rights or responsibilities that applicable law does not allow the parties to exclude.

Use of the site and its explanations

Do not attack the service, interfere with other visitors' access, or use it to process data unlawfully. You may save and share reports generated from data you are entitled to use. The guide examples are provided for learning and may be adapted to test your own comparison workflow.

List Reconcile is independent of Microsoft, the other comparison tools, and the community sites linked in its articles. Those links provide context and do not imply endorsement. We revise these terms when the service changes; the updated date identifies the current text. The privacy notice explains the separate handling of browser inputs, hosting requests, and support messages.

Contact us

Email contact@comparetwolists.app. For a comparison problem, send a small fictional example, your selected columns and options, and the result you expected. Please leave private records out of your message.