Visualping is one of the most renowned website monitoring tools on the market. Its simplicity makes it a great choice for individuals, but its lack of advanced functionalities prompts some businesses look for an alternative.
In this article, we’ll cover the top 5 advanced Visualping alternatives to monitor websites for changes at scale, analyzing their reviews, key features, and differentiators.
Some of these tools can track changes behind a login screen and allow you to archive web pages. At the same time, they come with a built-in Zapier connector and a developer-friendly API, making them a great choice for all businesses, regardless of size.
Urlbox - Best for monitoring pages behind a login screen
G2 rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
Urlbox is a screenshot service API used by businesses of all sizes to capture snapshots of webpages at specific time intervals. You can use it to monitor your online reputation, track brand mentions across the web, track product prices on different platforms, and even archive social media posts.
Compared to Visualping, you might find the setup process a bit more complex. This is due to Urlbox’s advanced functionalities and configuration options:
- Monitor pages behind a login screen: Urlbox allows you to set up custom cookies before loading the target URL, which makes it possible for it to screenshot pages behind a login screen.
- Archive webpages at specific time intervals: Go beyond monitoring by creating an archive of the websites you’re interested in. Urlbox integrates with Amazon S3 by default, allowing you to upload your screenshots to S3 buckets automatically.
- Zapier connector: Connect Urlbox with thousands of different apps via Zapier.
- Developer-friendly: Urlbox works with all major programming languages, making it a great choice for developers regardless of their tech stack.
- Various output formats: You can export your screenshots as images in various formats, including PNG, JPEG, WEBP or AVIF, as a PDF document and even as an HTML file.
These features make Urlbox a great Visualping alternative, especially if you are a developer looking to monitor websites for changes at scale.
It’s important to mention that Urlbox can not analyze the screenshot by itself. This means you’ll have to manually analyze each image for changes or use a separate tool (like ChatGPT) to point out the differences between 2 screenshots.
Urlbox starts at just $19/month with various options depending on the volume of screenshots and features you need.
Sign up now and enjoy a 7-day free trial so you can try Urlbox before committing to a paid plan.
Browse AI
G2 rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
Browse AI is a web automation platform that allows you to monitor websites for changes. It works differently compared to Visualping, as it extracts data from websites and uploads it into rows of a Spreadsheet.
Because Browse AI is actually a web scraper, its setup process can be quite complex and repetitive. First, you need to specify the URL you want to monitor. Then, you’ll be asked to install their Chrome extension that will record your actions on the target webpage.
Once you complete this configuration, Browse AI will scrape the webpage and extract the data into a Spreadsheet. You can configure how often you want this to happen and even get notified when it detects changes.
This functionality makes it great for businesses looking to monitor and extract data at the same time, especially if this data is dynamically generated.
You can try Browse AI by signing up for their free plan, which allows you to extract 500 rows of data per month. Paid plans start at $19 per month when billed yearly and allow you to extract 50,000 rows of data per year.
Key features:
- Human-like navigation: Browse AI's visual automation technology allows it to browse websites just as a human would, allowing you to select specific elements you want to track just by clicking on them.
- Complex task handling: The platform can fill out forms, manage cookies, and even tackle CAPTCHAs.
- Prebuilt automations: Browse AI comes with prebuilt robots you can implement in a few clicks that allow you to extract data from prominent websites, such as Product Hunt, Indeed, Yelp, and more. You can track this data and get notified when certain keywords pop up.
Sken
G2 rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Sken is a website monitoring tool with the sole purpose of tracking changes on web pages. Its setup process is similar to Visualping, as you simply input the URL of the site you wish to monitor and select the section or element you want to track. It also allows you to hide specific elements, like cookie banners or popups, making it easy to monitor just what’s truly important to you.
However, it's worth noting that the tool is relatively basic and doesn't offer extensive configuration options. It doesn’t even have the option to monitor the mobile version of a website.
If that’s something you are not looking for, then Sken might be a great Visualping alternative, especially since it’s three times cheaper. Its Standard plan goes for $12 per month and allows you to run up to 3,000 checks per month.
Key features:
- Fully customizable scheduler: Sken’s intuitive timetable allows you to easily select the day and hour when you want it to check the target URL.
- Visual configuration: Simply add your URL and select the elements or sections you want to monitor.
- Chart preview: If you are tracking numerical values, like product prices, then you can visualize the changes in a chart.
Change Tower
G2 rating: 4 out of 5 stars
ChangeTower is a simple-to-use website change detection and archiving platform. It works in the same way as Visualping but comes with more advanced tracking features, such as the ability to monitor text files and PDFs.
The platform has built-in archiving capabilities and a native Zapier connector that makes it easy to integrate its functionalities with thousands of other apps.
But what truly makes ChangeTower a great Visualping alternative is its ability to simulate user actions. This feature allows you to monitor changes done to multi-step forms or SPAs.
ChangeTower offers a free plan with limited features. Their paid plans start at $9 per month and allow you to run up to 1,500 checks per month for 500 URLs.
Regardless of the plan you choose, you will be able to monitor content, keywords, and visual page elements.
Key features:
- Visual page monitoring: Easily select the element or section of the page you want to monitor by simply clicking on it.
- Keyword monitoring: Get alerted when specific keywords or phrases are detected on the monitored page, ideal for tracking specific content changes.
- Archive data: Maintain a historical record of monitored webpages, with timestamped logs, so you can revisit past versions of sites.
Hexowatch
G2 rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Hexowatch positions itself as an AI-driven sidekick for companies looking to monitor websites for changes. It’s a truly all-purpose tool with a wide range of tracking options, such as visual changes, content updates, source code modifications, or even price fluctuations.
Moreover, you can configure it to track specific HTML elements, sitemap updates, and even monitor backlinks.
What makes Hexowatch a great Visualping alternative is its automatic AI monitoring module, which keeps track of any change that might take place on a webpage (including visual, HTML, or 3rd party technology changes).
You can set the tool to check websites as often as you need, from every minute to once a week, and also adjust the sensitivity of monitoring, ensuring you're alerted about the slightest of changes.
Hexowatch will notify you via email, Slack, or Telegram by default, but it also comes with a Zapier connector. This adaptability ensures you're always in the loop, no matter where you are or what tools you use.
Pricing plans start at $29 per month, for which you can run up to 4500 checks per month.
Key features:
- Detailed change reports: Get comprehensive reports highlighting the exact changes on a webpage.
- Multiple integrations: Receive alerts through various channels like email, Slack, and Telegram.
- Archiving capability: Every change is archived, providing a historical snapshot of a website's evolution.
What is the best Visualping alternative to monitor websites for changes?
Choosing the best Visualping alternative to monitor websites for changes largely depends on your business needs.
While tools like Browse AI and Hexowatch offer a range of features from web automation to AI-driven monitoring, it's essential to consider the specific requirements and the level of granularity you aim to achieve while monitoring webpages.
Sken and ChangeTower also provide valuable services, each with its own set of strengths, from user-friendly configurations to detailed archival capabilities.
However, if you prioritize a blend of simplicity with advanced functionalities, Urlbox stands out. Its ability to capture snapshots of webpages at specific intervals, combined with its developer-friendly nature and integration capabilities, makes it a great Visualping alternative.
So, if you're on the hunt for a reliable and efficient website monitoring tool, then sign up for a 7-day free trial and give Urlbox a try,
