Compare Two Semver Versions — Which Is Newer?

Comparing Two Semver Versions

Version comparison answers a simple question: given two versions, which one is newer? The SemVer specification defines a precise algorithm for this.

The Comparison Algorithm

Versions are compared component by component, left to right:

1. Compare MAJOR — higher MAJOR wins
2. If MAJOR is equal, compare MINOR — higher MINOR wins
3. If MINOR is equal, compare PATCH — higher PATCH wins
4. If PATCH is equal, compare pre-release identifiers (see below)
5. Build metadata is always ignored

Examples

Version A	Version B	Result	Deciding Factor
2.0.0	1.9.9	A > B	MAJOR: 2 > 1
1.3.0	1.2.9	A > B	MINOR: 3 > 2
1.2.4	1.2.3	A > B	PATCH: 4 > 3
1.2.3	1.2.3	A = B	All equal
1.2.3	1.2.3-alpha	A > B	Release > pre-release
1.2.3-beta	1.2.3-alpha	A > B	"beta" > "alpha" lexically
1.2.3+build.1	1.2.3+build.2	A = B	Build metadata ignored

Pre-release Comparison

When both versions have pre-release identifiers and the same MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH:

1. Split pre-release by dots into tokens
2. Compare tokens left to right
3. Numeric tokens are compared as integers (2 < 11)
4. String tokens are compared lexically ("alpha" < "beta")
5. Numeric tokens have lower precedence than string tokens
6. Fewer tokens means lower precedence (if prefix matches)

Practical Comparison

1.0.0-alpha < 1.0.0-alpha.1 < 1.0.0-beta < 1.0.0-beta.2 < 1.0.0-rc.1 < 1.0.0

Using the Compare Tab

Enter two versions in the Compare tab to instantly see:

• Which version is newer
• The component-by-component breakdown
• The difference in major, minor, and patch numbers

Sorting Multiple Versions

When you have a list of versions, comparison is applied pairwise to produce a sorted order. The result follows the same rules — major takes priority, then minor, then patch, then pre-release.