> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://primerlab-genomic.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# primerlab compare

> CLI reference for the primerlab compare command

Compare two primer design results side-by-side.

## Synopsis

```bash theme={null}
primerlab compare <result_a> <result_b> [options]
```

## Arguments

| Argument   | Required | Description                |
| ---------- | -------- | -------------------------- |
| `result_a` | Yes      | Path to first result.json  |
| `result_b` | Yes      | Path to second result.json |

## Options

| Option     | Short | Description                  |
| ---------- | ----- | ---------------------------- |
| `--labels` | `-l`  | Custom labels (default: A,B) |

## Examples

### Basic Comparison

```bash theme={null}
primerlab compare run1/result.json run2/result.json
```

### With Custom Labels

```bash theme={null}
primerlab compare run1/result.json run2/result.json --labels "Original,Optimized"
```

## Output

The comparison shows:

* Quality scores
* Tm balance
* GC content
* Hairpin/dimer ΔG values
* Pros and cons for each design
* Winner determination