Release and migration checks

Compare two XML sitemap snapshots

Paste or open two saved urlset XML files from the same sitemap scope. See what changed and download the comparison as JSON.

Comparison runs in this browser tab. XML stays here: no upload, URL fetching, saved history or sign-in. Clear the inputs or close the tab when finished.

Each snapshot: up to 2,000,000 UTF-8 bytes and 5,000 URL entries. Unzip files first. Use child urlsets, not a sitemap index.

The inputs start with a fictional example: one URL added, one removed and one lastmod changed.

What the result means

URLs match by exact loc text after XML decoding and trimming outer whitespace. HTTP/HTTPS, host spelling, path case, queries and trailing slashes stay distinct. Standard sitemap namespaces and unnamespaced urlsets are accepted.

lastmod, changefreq and priority compare as trimmed strings. Date and number formatting can count as a change. Image, video and hreflang extensions are ignored. Identical duplicates collapse; conflicting duplicates, malformed XML, invalid locs, DTDs, custom entities and exceeded limits stop the whole comparison.

“Removed” means absent from the later snapshot. An incomplete export can look like a removal. This does not check live pages, broken links, indexing or SEO impact, and it is not a full sitemap protocol validator. Unchanged URLs are counts, not individual rows.

Need the same JSON structure in an automated workflow?

The Sitemap Snapshot Diff Actor accepts the same two XML snapshots for programmatic comparisons on Apify. Supply both snapshots each run; it does not crawl or maintain cross-run history, schedules or alerts.

That hosted service is paid. Check its current price and run budget before starting. Unlike this local tool, Apify stores inputs and outputs in run storage under its retention and access settings. Only send data you are authorized to process; remove private URLs, credentials and sensitive query parameters.

View the paid automation on Apify →