# Competitor Price Monitor – Price Drop Alerts, Any Store URL (`bovi/competitor-price-monitor`) Actor **Stateful product price & stock monitor.** Watch any product URL (Shopify, WooCommerce, custom stores) and get typed alerts each scheduled run: price moves, back-in-stock, out-of-stock, sale started/ended, variant changes. KV diffing emits ONLY what changed — plus a watchlist digest. - **URL**: https://apify.com/bovi/competitor-price-monitor.md - **Developed by:** [Vitalii Bondarev](https://apify.com/bovi) (community) - **Categories:** E-commerce, Automation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $9.00 / 1,000 product snapshots This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Competitor Price Monitor — Price & Stock Change Alerts Watch any competitor's **product pages** and get a clean, typed alert the moment something moves: a price drop, a restock, a sell-out, a sale starting or ending, a new or removed variant. This is a **monitor**, not a one-shot scrape — keep it on a schedule and each run reports **only what changed** since the last one, so you pay for signal, not for re-dumping the same catalogue every day. ### What it does On every scheduled run, for each product URL you give it: 1. **Reads the product reliably.** It first tries the store's own product endpoint (Shopify `/products/.js` — clean structured data with every variant's price, SKU and in-stock flag), then falls back to JSON-LD, OpenGraph/microdata, and finally a text parse. A resilient browser handles JS-only storefronts automatically. Every snapshot carries a `parse_confidence` so a degraded read is flagged, never silently mis-reported. 2. **Compares against the previous run** (state is persisted per URL in a named Key-Value store) and emits **typed change events**. 3. **Builds a watchlist digest** — cheapest in-stock item, a full price matrix, stock/sale counts, and this run's change summaries — one decision-ready record. ### Outputs Three record types land in the dataset (filter by `record_type`): - **`snapshot`** — `domain`, `title`, `price`, `currency`, `compare_at_price`, `in_stock`, `on_sale`, `lowest_price`/`highest_price`, `variants[]` (each with price / compare-at / SKU / availability), `parse_confidence`, `extraction_method`. - **`change_event`** — `event_type`, `summary`, `previous_value`, `current_value`, `change_pct`, `direction`, `variant`. Event types: `price_changed`, `variant_price_changed`, `back_in_stock`, `out_of_stock`, `sale_started`, `sale_ended`, `title_changed`, `variant_added`, `variant_removed`, `page_changed_unparsed`. (`baseline_created` is emitted on the first run of a URL and is informational, not billed as a change.) - **`digest`** — one per run: `cheapest_in_stock`, `price_matrix`, `in_stock_count`, `out_of_stock_count`, `on_sale_count`, `changes_by_type`, `change_summaries`, `notes`. ### Input | Field | What it does | |---|---| | `productUrls` | Product page URLs to monitor (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, custom). | | `emitDigest` | Emit the one-per-run watchlist digest (default on). | | `eventTypes` | Restrict which change events are emitted/charged (empty = all). | | `kvStoreName` | Named KV store that persists state between runs — keep it constant across scheduled runs. | | `forceBrowser` | Always render in a browser (slower; normally auto-escalated only when needed). | | `proxyConfiguration` | Apify Proxy; defaults to **US residential** so geo-localized prices stay stable run-to-run. | ### How to use it as a monitor 1. Add your competitors' product URLs and run once — this bootstraps a baseline (you'll see `baseline_created` records, no change events yet). 2. **Schedule** the actor (e.g. daily) with the **same `kvStoreName`**. 3. From the second run on, you get only the changes — wire the `change_event` records into your alerting (email, Slack, a webhook on new dataset items). ### Reliability note Keep the proxy country pinned (default US). A rotating exit country can serve a different currency for the same page, which would look like a price change and re-baseline your monitor. The actor already guards against a currency flip, but a pinned country keeps the data cleanest. ### Pricing Pay-per-event: one charge per product snapshot, one per change event emitted, one per watchlist digest. Platform compute runs on your own Apify account. # Actor input Schema ## `productUrls` (type: `array`): Public product page URLs to watch, e.g. ['https://www.allbirds.com/products/mens-wool-runners', 'https://example-store.com/products/widget']. Works with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and most custom storefronts. Each successfully read product = one product-snapshot charge. ## `emitDigest` (type: `boolean`): Aggregate all monitored products into one decision-ready digest record: cheapest in-stock item, counts of price drops / restocks / out-of-stock, a price matrix and this run's change summaries. One watchlist-digest charge per run. ## `eventTypes` (type: `array`): Filter which typed change events are emitted (and charged). Leave empty for ALL. Valid: price_changed, variant_price_changed, back_in_stock, out_of_stock, sale_started, sale_ended, title_changed, variant_added, variant_removed, page_changed_unparsed. ## `kvStoreName` (type: `string`): Named Apify Key-Value store that persists per-URL product state between runs. Keep the same name across scheduled runs to enable change detection — the first run on a URL bootstraps a baseline and emits no change events. ## `forceBrowser` (type: `boolean`): Skip the fast static fetch and render every page in a managed browser (Camoufox). Slower; use only if a target page returns no price via the default path. The actor normally escalates to the browser automatically when needed. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Apify Proxy settings. Defaults to US residential proxies — pinning one country keeps geo-localized prices stable between runs (a rotating exit country flips currencies and re-baselines your monitors). ## Actor input object example ```json { "productUrls": [ "https://www.allbirds.com/products/mens-wool-runners" ], "emitDigest": true, "kvStoreName": "competitor-price-monitor-state", "forceBrowser": false, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ], "apifyProxyCountry": "US" } } ```` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): Dataset containing Competitor Price Monitor records (record\_type, domain, title, price, currency, in\_stock, on\_sale, variants, event\_type, summary, previous\_value, current\_value, change\_pct, direction, parse\_confidence, extraction\_method, extracted\_at). # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "productUrls": [ "https://www.allbirds.com/products/mens-wool-runners" ], "kvStoreName": "competitor-price-monitor-state", "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ], "apifyProxyCountry": "US" } }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("bovi/competitor-price-monitor").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "productUrls": ["https://www.allbirds.com/products/mens-wool-runners"], "kvStoreName": "competitor-price-monitor-state", "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"], "apifyProxyCountry": "US", }, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("bovi/competitor-price-monitor").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "productUrls": [ "https://www.allbirds.com/products/mens-wool-runners" ], "kvStoreName": "competitor-price-monitor-state", "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ], "apifyProxyCountry": "US" } }' | apify call bovi/competitor-price-monitor --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=bovi/competitor-price-monitor", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Competitor Price Monitor – Price Drop Alerts, Any Store URL", "description": "**Stateful product price & stock monitor.** Watch any product URL (Shopify, WooCommerce, custom stores) and get typed alerts each scheduled run: price moves, back-in-stock, out-of-stock, sale started/ended, variant changes. KV diffing emits ONLY what changed — plus a watchlist digest.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "ZzBI2NNGrUu88rpuq" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/bovi~competitor-price-monitor/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-bovi-competitor-price-monitor", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/bovi~competitor-price-monitor/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-bovi-competitor-price-monitor", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/bovi~competitor-price-monitor/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-bovi-competitor-price-monitor", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "productUrls" ], "properties": { "productUrls": { "title": "Product URLs to monitor", "type": "array", "description": "Public product page URLs to watch, e.g. ['https://www.allbirds.com/products/mens-wool-runners', 'https://example-store.com/products/widget']. Works with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and most custom storefronts. Each successfully read product = one product-snapshot charge.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "emitDigest": { "title": "Emit watchlist digest", "type": "boolean", "description": "Aggregate all monitored products into one decision-ready digest record: cheapest in-stock item, counts of price drops / restocks / out-of-stock, a price matrix and this run's change summaries. One watchlist-digest charge per run.", "default": true }, "eventTypes": { "title": "Change event types to emit", "type": "array", "description": "Filter which typed change events are emitted (and charged). Leave empty for ALL. Valid: price_changed, variant_price_changed, back_in_stock, out_of_stock, sale_started, sale_ended, title_changed, variant_added, variant_removed, page_changed_unparsed.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "kvStoreName": { "title": "KV store name for state persistence", "type": "string", "description": "Named Apify Key-Value store that persists per-URL product state between runs. Keep the same name across scheduled runs to enable change detection — the first run on a URL bootstraps a baseline and emits no change events.", "default": "competitor-price-monitor-state" }, "forceBrowser": { "title": "Force browser rendering", "type": "boolean", "description": "Skip the fast static fetch and render every page in a managed browser (Camoufox). Slower; use only if a target page returns no price via the default path. The actor normally escalates to the browser automatically when needed.", "default": false }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Apify Proxy settings. Defaults to US residential proxies — pinning one country keeps geo-localized prices stable between runs (a rotating exit country flips currencies and re-baselines your monitors).", "default": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ], "apifyProxyCountry": "US" } } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```