Distill
What is Distill?
Distill is a website change monitoring tool. It allows users to track changes to websites and receive alerts when changes are detected.
How Distill works
Distill keeps an eye on a web page by opening it on a schedule, reading the page’s HTML, and letting you know when something changes.
Two ways to run monitors
| Type | How it’s added | Where it runs | Does your device need to be on? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local monitor | Added via Distill’s browser extension or desktop app (default there) | On your device (your browser/app) | Yes. Keep the browser/app open for checks to run. |
| Cloud monitor | Added via the web app at monitor.distill.io (default there) |
On Distill’s servers | No. Checks run even if your device is off. |
More information about the local and cloud checks is available at https://distill.io/docs/web-monitor/cloud-local-monitors/.
What happens on each check
- Open the source URL
- Local monitor: your browser/app opens the URL.
- Cloud monitor: Distill’s servers open the URL.
- Read the content.
- Compare with last time. If the content is different, Distill records the new version in Change History.
- Evaluate conditions (optional).
- If condition is set, Distill checks detected change with them. It will proceed to the next step only if condition is
true.
- If condition is set, Distill checks detected change with them. It will proceed to the next step only if condition is
- Triggers Alerts
- All actions set on the monitor are triggered.
Note: Actions can include things like notifications you’ve set up for the monitor.
Supported Monitor Types
Change notifications can be received via Email, SMS (text message), push notifications (mobile app), Discord, Slack, MS Teams, and other apps integrated with Distill’s webhook call.
Platforms
- Web App - Always accessible from the cloud at https://monitor.distill.io/.
- Browser extension - Available for Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Edge.
- Phone Apps - Available for iOS and Android.
- Desktop Apps - It is in public alpha testing. Please check https://distill.io/apps/web-monitor/ for app links.
Websites can be checked for changes on Distill’s server (in the cloud) or the user’s browser (local checks).
Distill supports the free plan. Please check Distill plans and pricing for more details.
Here are some useful articles that showcase how you can monitor different types of webpages using Distill:
- Track and buy concert and event tickets online
- Monitoring availability of US visa appointment dates
- Using web monitors for competitive intelligence
- Track upcoming sneaker releases, size restocks, and limited edition drops
Check out Distill Blogs to learn more about different use cases and guides on how to use web monitors.