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figures verified 2026-09-10

Syften alternative

The MCP server sits on the $119.95 tier, and pricing climbs with filter count. Agents that want to search once, or a small product with many terms to watch, pay for a shape they do not use.

What you keep

  • Discourse, Hacker News, Mastodon, GitHub, and Stack Exchange coverage today.
  • Webhooks on the PRO tier.

What changes

  • Bluesky and Mastodon are planned on discatch, not live; Syften has them today.
  • Push that runs a command, not only a webhook to a URL.
  • A quote before each call, and no filter-count tiers.
  • OAuth instead of an API key for MCP when it ships.

How to move

Three steps. Your AI assistant can do all of them with only the domain name.

  1. 1

    Get a trial key

    No email, no credit card, and a free amount of usage on free sources. Enough to try discatch on the terms you watch today.

    the agent does

    curl -X POST https://api.discatch.com/v1/keys/trial
  2. 2

    Get a price quote for your terms

    Turn each Syften keyword into a search and price it. Before anything runs, discatch tells you the most it can cost. Compare that number to what you pay now.

    the agent does

    curl -X POST https://api.discatch.com/v1/quote \
  -d '{ "query": "\"your product\"", "sources": ["hackernews", "discourse", "web"], "since": "7d" }'
  3. 3

    Set up standing searches with a destination

    One standing search per term, delivered to a webhook, a Claude Code or Codex command, a Doozy todo, or email. Run both tools side by side for a week. Searches that find nothing cost nothing.

    the agent does

    curl https://api.discatch.com/v1/catches -H "Authorization: Bearer $DISCATCH_KEY" \
  -d '{ "name": "your product", "query": "\"your product\"", "sources": ["hackernews", "discourse", "web"], "interval": "15m", "destination": { "type": "webhook", "url": "https://example.com/hooks/discatch" } }'

Before you move

  • List the sources you actually read. If Bluesky or Mastodon is most of your feed, Syften has them today and discatch has them planned.
  • Check your tier. If you are on PRO for MCP or webhooks, discatch’s REST API works today with a trial key and no tier gate.
  • Export your filter list. Each filter becomes a catch. Catches are not limited by count or tier.

What Syften does well

Syften has operated since 2019 with a dated changelog, commits visible in the trust strip, and honest documentation. Its MCP page says what MCP cannot do. If you want the widest indie source list today with no push requirement, Syften is the tool to beat. discatch’s angle is push, per-unit pricing, and Discourse as a first-class source.

The MCP comparison

Syften’s MCP server ranks #1 for "MCP social listening." It has 8 tools, uses API-key auth, and costs $119.95/mo. It does not push. discatch’s MCP server is planned for phase 3 with OAuth on every plan. In the meantime, the REST API works with a trial key today. The difference is push: a catch calls your destination when it fires. Syften’s MCP waits to be polled.

Questions

Both cover Discourse forums. What is different?

discatch gives Discourse a first-class page, per-forum watching by URL, site: restriction in queries, and a forum-triage playbook. Syften covers Discourse as one source among several under a generic /forums page.

Syften says MCP cannot push. Is that true for discatch too?

Yes, MCP is pull-only by spec for everyone. That is why discatch ships push separately: a catch calls your destination when it fires.

Which is cheaper at the entry level?

Different shapes. Syften’s $29.95 buys a filter tier with 3 community filters and no API. discatch’s free tier covers free sources with a daily unit allowance, and paid plans start at $19/mo placeholder with catches at 15 minutes.

Does Syften have annual pricing?

No annual pricing was shown on syften.com on 2026-09-10. The tiers are monthly only. discatch plans to offer both monthly and annual.

Why is the MCP server PRO-only on Syften?

Syften gates MCP and webhooks to the $119.95/mo PRO tier. API access starts at Standard ($49.95/mo). discatch’s MCP server, when it ships, will be on every plan.

Does Syften use OAuth for MCP?

No. Syften’s MCP server uses a personal API key as a Bearer token. discatch’s MCP server will use OAuth when it ships.

Does Syften cover LinkedIn?

No. Syften’s llms.txt states it does not monitor LinkedIn or Facebook. SnitchFeed uses this as a wedge against Syften.

What sources does Syften have that discatch does not?

Syften ships Bluesky, Mastodon, Indie Hackers, Lobste.rs, Dev.to, Product Hunt, Slack communities, X (add-on), YouTube (add-on), podcasts, and newsletters today. discatch has Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and Product Hunt planned.

How does Syften’s F5Bot alternative page compare to the real F5Bot?

Syften’s /f5bot-alternative page names "Power, Ultra, and Enterprise tiers" and quotes no F5Bot prices. F5Bot’s tiers on 2026-09-10 are Free, Silver ($9.99), Gold ($49.99), Platinum ($214.99), and Diamond (from $500). The page has no "verified on" date.

Last reviewed by , founder, dcouple. Syften facts read on 2026-09-10 from syften.com/mcp-social-listening, syften.com/llms.txt, syften.com/#pricing, syften.com/documentation. Research: docs/seo/competitor-map.md.