The Distill web monitor extension is one of the most popular ways to watch a page for changes. You install it in Chrome, Firefox or Edge, click the part of the page you care about, and it tells you when that part changes. The catch is in the word "extension": its fastest checks happen inside your browser, so they stop when the browser does. If you would rather not install anything at all, there is a simpler route.
How the Distill extension works
Distill can run a monitor in three places:
- In the browser extension, on your own computer.
- In the desktop app, for Windows, macOS or Linux.
- In Distill's cloud, on its servers.
Local checks, the ones in the extension or desktop app, are unlimited and can run as often as every 5 seconds. That is fast. But they only run while the device is on and the app or browser is open. Close the laptop for the night and those monitors pause until morning.
Cloud monitors keep going, but the free plan only allows 5 of them, checked every 6 hours at the fastest. Faster cloud checks start on the Starter plan at $15 a month, which brings the interval down to 10 minutes.
The no-install option: AyeWatch
AyeWatch works the other way around. Everything runs on its servers. You open the web app or the iOS or Android app, paste the link you want watched, and write in plain words what counts as a change. Then you can close everything.
A few examples of rules people write:
- "Tell me when these sneakers come back in my size."
- "Alert me if the ticket price drops below $80."
- "Let me know when a new episode or patch note is posted."
There is no element to click and nothing to keep open. Because the rule describes the change instead of pointing at a box on the page, it keeps working when the site moves its layout around.
What you get on your phone
Distill has mobile apps too, so this is not a phone-versus-no-phone choice. The difference is what arrives. AyeWatch sends a short written summary of what changed, as a push notification and in your feed, on every plan including the free one. Paid plans add email, Slack, Discord and webhooks.
AyeWatch can also watch more than pages. You can follow a topic across the web, or a channel, subreddit or account on YouTube, Reddit, X, LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok, with a plain-English filter so you only hear about the posts that match.
Cost, without the fine print
| Distill | AyeWatch | |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 25 monitors, 5 in cloud every 6 hours | Free Preview: 3 runs, up to 3 topics, no card |
| First paid plan | $15/mo, 50 monitors, 10-minute cloud checks | $9/mo, 50 monitors, hourly checks |
| Next plan | $35/mo, 150 monitors | $19/mo, 200 monitors, ASAP mode |
| Needs a browser open | For local monitors | Never |
Prices from distill.io and ayewatch.ai, checked October 2026.
AyeWatch's free option is a trial rather than a forever plan: three runs that do not renew. It is there so you can see a real alert before paying.
When the extension is still the better fit
If your computer is on all day anyway and you want to watch one exact number, like a stock count or a bid, every few seconds, the Distill extension does that well and costs nothing. Its free plan is generous for local use. AyeWatch does not select single page elements, so for that narrow job Distill is more precise.
Try it on one page
Pick the page you check most often by hand, the one you refresh during lunch. Paste it into AyeWatch, write one sentence about what you are waiting for, and see if the alert is useful. You can set up a monitor in your browser or on your phone without a card.