# Wachete vs changedetection.io, and a third option for developers > Hosted and cheap against open source and self-hosted, plus AyeWatch for when the problem is alert noise. URL: https://claudegpt.si/news/wachete-vs-changedetection-io Published: 2026-10-25T19:21:36.572Z Updated: 2026-10-26T07:06:43.946Z Author: ClaudeGPT Si Newsroom Section: Reviews Topics: Wachete, changedetection.io, Self-hosting Publisher: ClaudeGPT Si ## Key takeaways - Wachete is hosted and starts at $5.40 a month for 50 hourly pages; changedetection.io is free to self-host or $8.99 a month hosted. - Both define a change by location and text or number conditions, so redesigns and small edits cause noise or missed changes. - AyeWatch replaces selectors with a plain-English rule and adds topic and social monitoring, from $9 a month. Wachete vs changedetection.io is a common comparison for developers because the two sit at opposite ends of the same idea. Wachete is a cheap hosted service you configure in a browser. changedetection.io is open-source software you can run yourself. Both watch pages and tell you when text changes. Below is how they compare on the details developers care about, followed by a third option that solves a different problem: telling you whether the change matters. ## The short answer Pick changedetection.io if you want to own the stack and are happy to maintain it. Pick Wachete if you want a hosted tool with logins, files and history for a few dollars a month. Pick [AyeWatch](https://ayewatch.ai) if your real issue is alert noise, or if the changes you care about happen on pages you have not added yet. ## Head-to-head | | Wachete | changedetection.io | | --- | --- | --- | | Model | Hosted service | Open source; self-host free or hosted $8.99 a month | | Free option | 5 pages and 1 dynamic page, daily checks | Self-hosting is free | | Paid entry | $5.40 a month, 50 pages, hourly | $8.99 a month hosted | | Targeting | Select a page area; whole-site crawl | CSS and XPath selectors | | JavaScript pages | Dynamic page monitors, limited per plan | Real Chrome browser on hosted | | Logins | Flow monitors from the Standard plan ($10.90) | Browser Steps | | Files | Text in PDF, Word and Excel on Premium and up | Not compared here | | Notifications | Email, push, Slack, Teams, Discord, Telegram, webhook | 85+ services | | History | Up to 12 months, charts, spreadsheet export | Kept on your own server | | Integrations | REST API, MCP server, Zapier | Notification services; your own server | ## Where each one wins **changedetection.io** wins on control. Your data stays on your machine, you can read the code, and selectors give exact targeting. The trade-off is that you run it: a server, updates, a headless browser for JavaScript pages, and your own fixes when a selector breaks after a redesign. **Wachete** wins on convenience per dollar. You get a hosted cloud runner, apps for iOS, Android and Windows, number conditions, charts and a signed webhook without touching a server. Its FAQ also says there is no monthly check cap: you pay for the number of pages and the interval. Both share one limit. A rule is a location plus a text or number condition. When a page changes in a way your rule did not foresee, you either get a false alert or miss the change. ## The third option: rules by meaning AyeWatch drops selectors entirely. You paste one or more URLs and write the rule as a sentence, for example "Alert when the API changelog adds a breaking change or deprecates an endpoint." Each change is checked against that sentence, and when it fits you get a short summary instead of a diff. A redesign that moves the changelog into a new layout does not break the monitor, because nothing in the rule points at a position on the page. It also covers ground neither tool does. Topic monitors search across more than a billion sources, and social monitors cover X, Reddit, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok. A monitor like "security advisories for the libraries we depend on" can surface a post on a forum or a vendor blog without you listing either. For integration, paid plans include a REST API to manage monitors, webhooks signed with HMAC-SHA256 that carry the summary, an MCP server, and Slack, Discord and email delivery. Push notifications and the in-app feed are on every plan. Pricing: the Free Preview gives three lifetime runs with no card, and paid plans start at $9 a month. Paid plans also add webhooks with HMAC signatures, a REST API and an MCP server, so alerts can feed your own scripts or agents. ## What AyeWatch does not do AyeWatch does not list login pages, file tracking, value charts or a self-hosted version. If you need any of those, keep Wachete or changedetection.io for that job. Many developers end up with both: a self-hosted or Wachete watch on the one price field they chart, and AyeWatch for the pages and topics where they only want to hear about real changes. ## Quick decision - I want to run it myself: changedetection.io. - I want hosted, cheap and good with numbers and logins: Wachete. - I want fewer alerts that explain themselves, plus web and social coverage: [AyeWatch, which you can try without a card](https://ayewatch.ai/pricing). ## Frequently asked questions ### Is changedetection.io better than Wachete? It is better if you want open source and full control and are willing to maintain a server. Wachete is easier and cheap to host. ### Can either tool monitor pages behind a login? Yes. Wachete does it with flow monitors from its Standard plan, and changedetection.io with Browser Steps. ### What is the alternative to both? AyeWatch, which alerts on changes that match a rule you write in plain English and also watches topics and social platforms. ## Sources - [Wachete FAQ](https://www.wachete.com/faq), Wachete - [Wachete: web page monitoring and change detection](https://www.wachete.com/), Wachete - [changedetection.io](https://changedetection.io/), changedetection.io - [AyeWatch plans and features](https://ayewatch.ai/), AyeWatch - [AyeWatch pricing](https://ayewatch.ai/pricing), AyeWatch - [AyeWatch vs Wachete](https://ayewatch.ai/vs/wachete), AyeWatch