Distill.io alternative

A Distill web monitor alternative where every check runs in the cloud

Urlooker watches the exact area of a page you select and emails you a readable before-and-after diff. Every check runs on our servers, so nothing depends on a browser staying open. The free plan covers two pages checked once a day, indefinitely, and paid plans start at $9 per month with Zapier and IFTTT delivery included.

Try Urlooker free Compare features

Distill figures below come from its public pricing page, captured August 2, 2026. Check both products' current plans before buying.

Quick fit Choose based on where checks run
Choose Urlooker for Cloud checks and workflow alerts on a small budget
Choose Distill for Local monitors, desktop and mobile apps, faster intervals
Urlooker free 2 pages, checked in the cloud once a day, free indefinitely.
Distill free 25 monitors listed, but only 5 run in Distill's cloud.
Integrations Zapier and IFTTT from $9/mo on Urlooker; Distill starts webhooks at $15/mo.
Side-by-side

Urlooker vs. Distill.io

The two products meter differently. Urlooker sells pages and a schedule. Distill sells monitors plus a monthly pool of cloud checks and an alert quota, and splits those monitors into cloud monitors and local ones that run only while its extension or desktop app is open.

Capability Urlooker Distill.io
Free plan, checks that run unattended 2 pages, checked once per day 5 cloud monitors, checked every 6 hours, 1,000 cloud checks per month
Free plan, checks needing a device on None. All checks run in Urlooker's cloud 20 further local monitors, unlimited checks while the app is open
Free plan alerts Email Email only, capped at 30 messages per month
Paid entry price From $9/month Starter $15/month, Professional $35, Flexi from $80
Webhook alerts Available with API access enabled From Starter at $15/month
Zapier and IFTTT Both supported Not listed among documented notification channels
Slack, Discord, and Teams Route through Zapier Native, from Starter at $15/month
Fastest documented interval Every 30 minutes on eligible plans 10 minutes on Starter, 5 on Professional, 2 on Flexi
JavaScript-rendered pages Headless Chrome on every plan, not metered separately Rendered locally by the extension or desktop app
Password-protected pages Public pages only Supported, including private pages and PDFs
Monitor types beyond web pages Web pages only JSON, XML, RSS feeds, and uptime monitors
Clients Web app, nothing to install Chrome, Firefox, and Edge extensions; Windows, macOS, and Linux apps; iOS and Android

Distill prices and limits captured from distill.io/pricing on August 2, 2026, in USD. Distill lists a 20% annual discount. Plans change; verify before purchasing.

Choose Urlooker when

The check should happen whether or not your laptop is on

  • You want unattended cloud checks without installing an extension or leaving a machine running.
  • A readable before-and-after diff of the section you selected is the output you need.
  • You want Zapier or IFTTT delivery without stepping up to a $15 tier.
  • The page is JavaScript-heavy and you do not want rendering treated as a separate, scarcer quota.
  • Keyword filters should suppress everything except the words you care about.
  • You would rather buy pages and a schedule than manage a monthly check pool and an alert quota.
See Urlooker pricing
Choose Distill when

You want monitors everywhere, or checks every few minutes

  • You want the same monitors on browser extensions, desktop apps, and iOS or Android.
  • Local monitors suit you: unlimited checks on your own machine, at no per-check cost.
  • The page sits behind a login, or you need to watch a PDF or a private page.
  • You need JSON, XML, RSS, or uptime monitors as first-class types.
  • Five- or two-minute cloud intervals are a genuine requirement, not a nice-to-have.
  • Native Slack, Discord, or Teams delivery matters more than the $15 entry price.
See Distill pricing

Distill holds a 4.6 out of 5 rating on G2. Reviewers do report extension trouble after browser updates, including monitors that stop running without an obvious warning, which is worth weighing if you plan to lean on local monitors.

Decision examples

Which web page monitor fits the job?

Overnight and weekends

A restock or price page

Local monitors pause when you close the browser, which is exactly when a quiet page tends to move. Urlooker checks on schedule regardless of what your machine is doing.

Small budget, real alerts

Competitor pricing page into Slack

Distill routes to Slack natively from Starter at $15/month. Urlooker sends a Zapier alert from $9/month, which reaches the same channel with one more hop.

Behind a login

A portal, dashboard, or private PDF

Distill is the right answer. Urlooker monitors public pages only, and no filter setting changes that.

Feeds and endpoints

A JSON API or an RSS feed

Distill treats these as dedicated monitor types with their own conditions. Urlooker is built for the rendered page, not the raw feed.

Diff style

The alert shows the text, not a pile of markup

Select the price, availability line, table row, or paragraph that matters. Urlooker records each check and reports what was added and removed inside that selection, so you can act on the email without opening the page. Check history stays with the monitor, so you can also look back at what a page said last month.

How Urlooker monitoring works
Previous check Current check
Availability Out of stock
Availability In stock — 3 left
Selected text changed Example Urlooker-style result, not a competitor screenshot
Common questions

Distill alternative FAQ

Distill's free plan lists 25 monitors and Urlooker's lists 2. Isn't that the whole story?

No, because the two numbers count different things. Five of Distill's 25 free monitors run in its cloud on a six-hour interval; the other 20 only check while the extension or desktop app is open on your machine. Urlooker's 2 free pages are checked daily on our servers whether your computer is on or not. Compare the unattended figures: 5 versus 2, not 25 versus 2.

Do I need to install anything to use Urlooker?

No. Urlooker is a web app. You add a page, select the area to watch, choose a schedule, and the checks run on our infrastructure. There is no extension to keep alive and nothing to reinstall after a browser update.

Which is cheaper if I need Slack or workflow alerts?

Urlooker. Zapier and IFTTT delivery are part of the paid plans that start at $9 per month, and Zapier reaches Slack, Discord, and Teams. Direct webhook delivery is available with API access enabled. Distill's pricing page puts webhooks, Slack, Discord, and Teams on Starter at $15 per month as of August 2, 2026.

Can Urlooker monitor JavaScript-heavy pages?

Yes. Headless Chrome rendering is available on every plan and is not billed as a separate quota, so a React or Vue page counts the same as a static one. See how to monitor webpage changes for setup.

Is Urlooker a complete replacement for Distill?

Not for every use. Distill has browser extensions, desktop and mobile apps, unlimited local checks, monitors for password-protected pages, JSON, XML, RSS and uptime types, and cloud intervals down to two minutes. Urlooker covers scheduled cloud monitoring of public pages, with text diffs and email, Zapier, and IFTTT delivery, plus webhooks with API access. If your requirements sit in the first list, stay with Distill.

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Nothing to install

Put two pages on a schedule, free

Cloud checks every day, a readable diff of the area you selected, and email alerts — without leaving a browser open.

Try Urlooker free