Is there a word document format that supports version diff comparisions?

Question

I know this question has probably been asked already but I would really like to know of a program that will show line by line the differences between to word documents. Thus I need a word document format that supports this (.doc, .docx and .ods obviously don't).

Are HTML and XML the only formats that come close to supporting this feature or is there another format?

Answer 1

MS Word 2007 itself can compare docs for you! Check this link. Is this what you are looking for?

Answer 2

LaTeX, DocBook (which is actually XML).

Answer 3

I use MS Word 2003 (yes, it still works fine on Windows 10). For the most part I like it, and it does have a compare feature for comparing .doc or .docx files, but that feature is rather pathetic.

Fortunately, there are at least two good free alternatives. Kingsoft WPS Writer v.10.2.0.5978 and LibreOffice Writer 5.4.3 (both free, and both circa Nov. 2017) both do a pretty good job comparing MS Word documents. (You can also get LibreOffice very conveniently via Ninite.)

WPS Office is "free with advertising," or you can pay to make the ads go away. LIbreOffice is free and open-source.

I think I prefer LibreOffice by a narrow margin, but the compare feature is a bit hard to find. First open your "new" document in LibreOffice Writer. Then navigate to Edit -> Track Changes -> Compare Document... and open the "old" document. LibreOffice Writer shows you the "new" document and identifies what has changed in it by showing the insertions with underlines and the deletions as struck-through (deleted) text. It is quite nice, actually.

Of course, both WPS Writer and LibreOffice Writer can also edit your files. So, if you remember to save in .doc or .docx format, they can completely replace MS Office, for many users. However, compatibility isn't perfect in the more obscure "corners" of the programs, so I find myself still using the old MS Word 2003 for editing, most of the time.