Changedetection.io
FreeOpen-source website change monitoring and notification
About Changedetection.io
Changedetection.io is an open-source website change monitoring tool that watches any web page for content changes and sends notifications through over 80 channels. With 20,000+ GitHub stars since its 2020 launch, it fills a gap that RSS feeds and APIs cannot cover — monitoring arbitrary web content for changes such as competitor pricing pages, government regulation updates, product back-in-stock notifications, or job listing changes. Both simple text-based diffs and full visual screenshot diffs for pixel-level change detection are supported. Static HTML pages load natively while JavaScript-rendered single-page applications require the optional Playwright integration via a separate Docker container. Notification delivery works through email, Discord, Slack, Telegram, ntfy, Gotify, and 80+ additional services via the Apprise notification library. Content filtering allows monitoring only specific CSS selectors or XPath elements rather than the full page, reducing noise from irrelevant changes. JSON and XML endpoint monitoring tracks API response changes without requiring a service subscription. Proxy support enables monitoring of geo-restricted content. Docker Compose is the standard installation method, keeping setup accessible for technical users. A hosted cloud version called Livewatch.io serves non-technical users who want the functionality without running a server. For anyone who has wished for a notification when a specific piece of web content changes, changedetection.io is the most capable self-hosted solution available.
Key Features
Pricing Plans
Free
- Self-hosted
- Unlimited watches
- All notification channels
- Visual and text diff
Pros
- Monitors any web page for changes
- Visual and text diff
- Massive notification options
- JavaScript rendering support
- Simple Docker setup
Cons
- Can be resource-heavy with many watches
- JavaScript rendering requires separate Playwright container
- No built-in mobile app
- Complex CSS selectors needed for specific content
Best For
- Price monitoring and deal tracking across e-commerce sites
- Monitoring competitor websites for content or pricing changes
- Tracking government or regulatory page updates
Not Ideal For
- Real-time monitoring requiring sub-minute checks
- Users without Docker knowledge
Potential Deal Breakers
- JavaScript-rendered page monitoring requires extra container and more RAM
- High-frequency checking across many sites can strain server resources
- Some anti-bot sites block monitoring requests
Data & Privacy
Self-hosted website monitoring. All watch configurations, change history, and notification data stay on your server. No telemetry. No data shared externally.
Who Is This For?
Hands-on tested 2026-05
Signup Experience
Self-hosted via Docker — no account or signup needed. Docker setup is straightforward and the web UI is available immediately. First watch can be added in under two minutes.
For Home Users
Best self-hosted tool for tracking website changes. Visual diff makes it easy to spot what changed. Great for price tracking, stock alerts, and monitoring site availability.
For Business Users
Powerful for competitive monitoring and change detection at scale. JSON and XML monitoring support adds value for tracking API changes. Low overhead and easy to run on any VPS.
Our Verdict
Changedetection.io fills a unique niche — monitoring any website for changes without relying on the site offering an API or RSS feed. The notification flexibility is exceptional. Resource usage scales with the number of watches and JavaScript rendering.