Smart Compare: See Exactly What Changed Between Any Two Policy Versions
Comparing two versions of a policy by hand isn't just slow — it's risky. A reviewer can approve something without fully understanding what changed, simply because doing the comparison properly would've taken more time than anyone had that day.
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A policy gets amended. Now someone has to figure out what actually changed.
For most teams, that still means opening two versions side by side, maybe two browser tabs, maybe two printouts on a desk. Reading both versions line by line while trying to flag what matters and write a summary so the rest of the team doesn't have to do the same thing all over again.
This process works, but it's slow, and it puts the entire burden of understanding a change on whoever happens to be doing the reading that day — Smart Compare changes that.
Side-by-side comparison, any two versions
Select any two versions of a policy document, whether they're back to back or years apart, and see exactly what changed between them, with every addition and removal highlighted automatically so nothing slips past a quick read. With Smart Compare, you’re not hunting for changes anymore — they're already flagged for you.
An AI summary that explains what it actually means
A list of highlighted text only tells you so much. Smart Compare also explains what those changes mean, in plain language, even grouping by theme. All so you understand the real scope of a change without picking through every clause yourself. That's the difference between knowing something has changed and knowing what it means for your policy.
Ask a question without leaving the page
For teams that also use Smart Search, Esper's built-in AI search tool for getting answers straight from your own policies and regulations, you can ask follow-up questions right there in the comparison view without switching tabs or tracking down a colleague. The answer's already where you need it.
A record you can actually stand behind
Comparing two versions of a policy by hand isn't just slow — it's risky. A reviewer can approve something without fully understanding what changed, simply because doing the comparison properly would've taken more time than anyone had that day.
Smart Compare closes that gap. Every comparison is logged, so there's a clear record of who reviewed what and when, and if a decision is ever questioned later, you have something to point to.
Built for how your team actually reviews policy
Smart Compare supports every role across your team: a policy manager drafting a change sees exactly what shifted from the last draft before it moves further along. A reviewer working through comments compares their markup against the version that came back to confirm every note was actually addressed, and anyone reading a policy can see how it's changed since the last time they looked at it, without needing to track down an old copy themselves.
We also built multi-year tracking to help generate historical reports on how a policy had evolved — not just version to version, but across years. That's precisely the kind of question Smart Compare was designed to answer.
Put your policy history to work
This is what it looks like to actually use your agency's policy history, not just store it, but make it possible to understand how it got to where it is today.
Curious what Smart Compare could surface in your own policy library? Schedule time with one of our agency experts to learn more
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Frequently Asked Questions
Esper’s Regulation & Code Management module is a platform that moves rulemaking and regulatory drafting out of disconnected tools (spreadsheets, emails, shared drives) and into a unified, auditable workflow. It supports collaborative drafting, version control, automated publishing, compliance deadlines, and AI-powered search across your regulations. Esper
Esper is primarily targeted at government agencies (state, local, regulatory bodies) that must manage, publish, and enforce rules, codes, or regulations. It helps modernize the regulatory process in a transparent, auditable fashion.
Some of the core features include:
- Collaborative drafting with versioning and redlines
- Workflow and approval routing (assign owners, set deadlines, send reminders)
- Automated publishing in appropriate formats
- AI-enabled search to quickly find portions of regulations with citation support
- Task management and visibility into bottlenecks
Esper maintains all drafts, redlines, and versions within a single system. That ensures every change is tracked, auditable, and tied to the appropriate approval steps, so stakeholders can always see “who changed what when.”
Every rulemaking task (e.g. drafting, review, public comment, approval) is assigned an owner and due date. The system sends reminders, tracks overdue items, and makes bottlenecks visible so leadership can intervene.
