# Distill web monitor for Chrome: what runs locally, and when cloud wins

> Local checks are fast and free but stop with your browser; cloud checks are metered. A hosted AI monitor keeps running without a browser and tells you what changed in plain words.

URL: https://claudegpt.si/news/distill-web-monitor-chrome-local-vs-cloud  
Published: 2026-10-25T18:15:49.425Z  
Updated: 2026-10-26T07:18:54.480Z  
Author: ClaudeGPT Si Newsroom  
Section: Guides  
Topics: Distill, Chrome extensions, Website change monitoring  
Publisher: ClaudeGPT Si

## Key takeaways

- Distill's local checks in Chrome are unlimited and can run every 5 seconds, but only while the device and browser are on.
- Cloud checks are metered in 10-second units, and each solved reCAPTCHA v2 adds 24 checks.
- AyeWatch runs every monitor in its cloud from a plain-English rule, with an API and MCP server on paid plans.

The Distill web monitor for Chrome is one of the most installed page watchers around, and for good reason: it is quick to set up and runs fast checks from your own browser. What many users only learn later is how much depends on where each monitor runs. This explainer covers the local and cloud split in Distill, the limits on each, and the point where a hosted monitor like [AyeWatch](https://ayewatch.ai) makes more sense.

## Local monitors: fast, free, and tied to your machine

When you add a monitor from the Chrome extension, it can run locally. Local checks happen in your browser (or in Distill's desktop app for Windows, macOS or Linux), and Distill does not count them against a quota. You can set intervals as short as 5 seconds.

That makes local monitors ideal for a developer who keeps Chrome open all day. The limits are simple:

- **The machine has to be on.** Sleep, shut down or close the browser and local monitors stop checking.
- **Devices are counted.** The free plan allows 2 devices, Starter and Professional allow 3, and Flexi starts at 4. Each extra device on Flexi is $15.
- **Your browser does the work.** Pages are loaded in your session, which is handy for pages you are logged in to.

## Cloud monitors: always on, metered

Cloud monitors run on Distill's servers, so they keep going overnight. They are where the plans differ:

| Plan | Price | Monitors | Fastest cloud interval | Cloud checks a month |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0 | 25 (5 in cloud) | 6 hours | 1,000 |
| Starter | $15/mo | 50 | 10 minutes | 30,000 |
| Professional | $35/mo | 150 | 5 minutes | 100,000 |
| Flexi | $80+/mo | 500+ | 2 minutes | 200,000+ |

From distill.io/pricing, October 2026. Annual billing takes 20% off.

Two details are easy to miss. A cloud check is counted in 10-second units, so a page that takes 15 seconds to render costs two checks. And if Distill solves a reCAPTCHA v2 during a check on a premium plan, that adds 24 checks. Unused checks do not carry over.

## Selectors: the other dependency

Whether local or cloud, a Distill monitor watches the element you picked. If the site ships a new layout, the selector may point at nothing or at the wrong block. For a developer this is familiar: it is the same fragility as a scraper. You fix it by opening the page, reselecting, and saving.

## When a hosted monitor wins

A hosted AI monitor removes both dependencies, the machine and the selector. In AyeWatch you paste a URL into the web app or the iOS or Android app and describe the change in a sentence, for example "alert me when a new release is tagged or the install command changes". Checks run on AyeWatch's servers, and the rule is matched against the meaning of the page, not its DOM path. You get a short written summary when it matches.

What this gives a developer:

- **Monitors that keep running** when the laptop is closed, with no device count.
- **No reselecting** after a site redesign.
- **A REST API and signed webhooks** on paid plans, plus an MCP server so an AI coding agent can create or pause monitors.
- **Topic monitors** for things that are not a single page, such as release chatter about a library on Reddit, X or YouTube.

Paid plans start at $9 a month, below Distill's $15 Starter, and there is a Free Preview with three runs and no card. Instead of picking an element, you write what should count as a change, and the alert arrives as a short summary rather than a highlighted diff.

## Keep the Chrome extension for this

If you need a value on one page checked every few seconds while you work, Distill's local monitors are faster and more precise than any hosted tool, and they are free. They are also useful for pages that only load inside your logged-in browser session, which AyeWatch does not watch; it covers public pages.

## A sensible split

Many developers end up with both: Distill in Chrome for the handful of second-by-second checks during the workday, and a hosted monitor for everything that needs to keep running overnight or survive a redesign. To see how the two compare feature by feature, AyeWatch publishes a [Distill comparison table](https://ayewatch.ai/vs/distill).

## Frequently asked questions

### Does the Distill Chrome extension keep checking when Chrome is closed?

No. Local monitors run only while the browser or desktop app is running. Cloud monitors keep going.

### How fast can Distill check a page?

Local monitors can check every 5 seconds. Cloud monitors range from every 6 hours on the free plan to every 2 minutes on Flexi.

### Can AyeWatch watch pages behind my login?

No. AyeWatch watches the public web. Distill's local monitors can check pages in your logged-in browser.

## Sources

- [Distill pricing](https://distill.io/pricing/), Distill
- [Distill web monitor](https://distill.io/), Distill
- [AyeWatch plans and features](https://ayewatch.ai/), AyeWatch
- [AyeWatch vs Distill.io](https://ayewatch.ai/vs/distill), AyeWatch