# Website Change Monitor: Price and Text Changes via Wayback (`rickivory/wayback-what-changed`) Actor

Only real changes. Compares the cleaned text of every Wayback Machine snapshot of a page and returns just the diffs with real added or removed text, plus prices before and after. No noise flags, no comparison cap.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/rickivory/wayback-what-changed.md
- **Developed by:** [Rick Ivory](https://apify.com/rickivory) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools, Business
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per event

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/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Website Change Monitor: Price and Text Changes via Wayback Machine

**Track competitor price changes without the alert noise.** Find out what actually changed on any web page, and when. Give it a URL. It reads every archived Wayback Machine snapshot in the window you choose, compares the cleaned visible text, and returns only the changes that are real: lines added, lines removed, and prices that moved, with links to both snapshots.

It does not return snapshot lists, and it does not flag a page as "changed" because its markup, tracking code or a rotating widget changed.

### Who it's for

- **Competitive pricing research.** When did a competitor change their plans, and from what to what?
- **Terms and policy tracking.** What changed in a terms of service, refund or privacy policy?
- **AI agents** answering "when did X change on this page?" in one call with structured output.

### Real example: stripe.com/pricing (run on Nov 9, 2026)

Default input, last 3 changes, 25 snapshots scanned. The Actor ignored 4 lines from a recommendations widget that blinked in and out between snapshots, and returned 2 real changes:

1. **Oct 30, 2026, 11:29 to 17:16 UTC.** Stripe restructured its payouts pricing: a new **"Dispute appealed fee: $15.00 for each dispute you appeal"**, new per-rail payout rates (ACH next day $0.50, ACH same day $1.00, real-time $2.50, Fedwire $25.00), stablecoin payouts, and coverage going from "50+ countries" to "160+ countries". 57 lines added, 48 removed.
2. **Nov 5 to Nov 6, 2026.** A wording fix: "Smart Dispute fee" became "Smart Disputes fee".

### How it works

1. Looks up distinct archived captures of each URL with the Internet Archive CDX API.
2. Fetches the archived HTML and strips scripts, styles and, by default, navigation and footers.
3. **Drops flickering content.** Lines that appear and disappear 3 or more times across the scanned snapshots (rotating widgets, A/B tests, personalised banners) are ignored. A line that is added and stays, or a promotion that starts and later ends, is still reported.
4. Compares the visible text of every snapshot in the window, with no cap. Snapshots whose cleaned text is identical are skipped.
5. Reports each real change with dates and links to both snapshots. Content that only moved position is counted as moved, not changed.
6. Pairs price and number changes only when the surrounding words match ("Pro plan $29/mo" to "Pro plan $35/mo"), so unrelated numbers are never reported as a price move.

### Modes

- **Last N changes** (`lastChanges`): scans the newest captures and reports up to N real changes, each pinned to the window between the last capture before it and the first capture after it.
- **Date range** (`dateRange`): compares the page at the start and end of a date range.

### Input example

```json
{
  "urls": ["https://stripe.com/pricing"],
  "mode": "lastChanges",
  "lastChanges": 3,
  "maxSnapshotsToScan": 25
}
```

### Output example (one `diff` record, abridged from the real run above)

```json
{
  "type": "diff",
  "url": "https://stripe.com/pricing",
  "from": { "date": "2026-11-05T13:09:06Z", "snapshotUrl": "https://web.archive.org/web/20261105130906/https://stripe.com/pricing" },
  "to":   { "date": "2026-11-06T13:23:09Z", "snapshotUrl": "https://web.archive.org/web/20261106132309/https://stripe.com/pricing" },
  "summary": "1 line(s) added, 1 removed",
  "linesAdded": 1, "linesRemoved": 1, "linesMoved": 0,
  "numberChanges": [],
  "added":   ["There's no Smart Disputes fee for lost disputes. The dispute received fee still applies."],
  "removed": ["There's no Smart Dispute fee for lost disputes. The dispute received fee still applies."],
  "truncated": false,
  "diffMethod": "lcs",
  "flickeringLinesIgnored": 4
}
```

Other record types: `no-change` (with a reason) and `error`. Neither is charged.

### Notes and limits

- **Coverage depends on the Archive.** If the Archive did not capture a page, there is nothing to compare.
- **Regional versions.** The Archive sometimes captures another country's version of a page. When the currency switches (for example € to $), the change is flagged as `currencyChanged`, not reported as a price change.
- **Flicker filter.** On by default; switch off "Ignore flickering content" if you want to see A/B test churn.
- **Polite by design.** One request at a time, with a delay between requests and backoff on rate limits. Large runs take time.

### Pricing (pay per event)

- `snapshot-scanned`: per archived snapshot read and compared.
- `diff-report`: per real change found. You pay for changes, not for noise.
- `snapshot-row`: per capture row, only when "Also output snapshot rows" is on.

Set a max cost per run and the Actor stops scanning cleanly when it is reached.

Archived content is provided by the Internet Archive (https://archive.org). This Actor is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Internet Archive.

# Actor input Schema

## `urls` (type: `array`):

Pages to check, e.g. a competitor's pricing or terms page.

## `mode` (type: `string`):

lastChanges: find the most recent real content changes. dateRange: compare the page at the start and end of a date range.

## `lastChanges` (type: `integer`):

lastChanges mode: how many distinct content changes to report per URL.

## `fromDate` (type: `string`):

dateRange mode: start date, YYYY-MM-DD.

## `toDate` (type: `string`):

dateRange mode: end date, YYYY-MM-DD.

## `maxSnapshotsToScan` (type: `integer`):

lastChanges mode: how many of the newest distinct captures to inspect. Higher finds older changes but takes longer.

## `ignoreNavigation` (type: `boolean`):

Drop nav bars and footers before diffing so menu tweaks are not reported as changes.

## `suppressFlicker` (type: `boolean`):

lastChanges mode: drop lines that blink in and out 3+ times across the scanned snapshots (rotating widgets, A/B tests). Real additions, removals and promos that start and end are still reported.

## `maxLinesPerSide` (type: `integer`):

Caps the added and removed arrays in each diff record.

## `includeSnapshotRows` (type: `boolean`):

Output one row per archived capture inspected (charged per row).

## `requestDelayMs` (type: `integer`):

Politeness delay. The Internet Archive rate-limits heavy traffic; do not set this low.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "urls": [
    "https://stripe.com/pricing"
  ],
  "mode": "lastChanges",
  "lastChanges": 3,
  "maxSnapshotsToScan": 25,
  "ignoreNavigation": true,
  "suppressFlicker": true,
  "maxLinesPerSide": 150,
  "includeSnapshotRows": false,
  "requestDelayMs": 1500
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "urls": [
        "https://stripe.com/pricing"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("rickivory/wayback-what-changed").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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "urls": ["https://stripe.com/pricing"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("rickivory/wayback-what-changed").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "urls": [
    "https://stripe.com/pricing"
  ]
}' |
apify call rickivory/wayback-what-changed --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,rickivory/wayback-what-changed"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/aXla6bDaaHOFM0bq5/builds/zsv9glGUXPoSLlwO4/openapi.json