Deal ScannerCompared
The best Craigslist alert apps, compared
Craigslist's own alerts are email only. The apps that put a Craigslist listing on your phone when it is posted, with the cheapest plan, the marketplaces each covers and the trial, read from their own sites on October 26, 2026.
The short answer. Deal Scanner: a phone app for iPhone and Android that watches Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp from one search, buzzes you when a listing is posted, and puts a Deal Score on each find, for $3.99 a month for three searches, cancel anytime. You type your town; it picks the Craigslist area and applies the radius you choose. It is built for everyone who checks Craigslist and Marketplace every day, whether flipping is your side thing, your whole job, or not the point at all. The other apps that watch Craigslist are below with their prices, most of them priced for resellers.
Craigslist's own alerts, first
Craigslist will email you when a saved search has new results: free, with a Craigslist account, by ticking the alert column on your account's searches tab. Email only, on a schedule Craigslist sets by how busy the search is, up to 20 results per message, renewals included. No push notification, no text, no way to make it faster. Setup is in how to set up Craigslist alerts. For slow-moving items it is fine; for the kit that sells in an hour, the email tells you what you missed.
At a glance
| App | Cheapest paid plan | Craigslist plus | Phone app | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deal Scanner | $3.99/mo, 3 searches | Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp | iPhone, Android | None; cancel anytime |
| Flipify | $5/mo per search (10-min check); $10/mo per search (1-min) | Facebook, Kijiji, OfferUp, Vinted, eBay, Mercari, Gumtree | iPhone, Android, web | 7 days, card required |
| BigFlippa | $10/mo | Facebook, OfferUp | Web app; text, email, push | 7 days |
| DealHunter | Free (1 search, daily); $7.99/mo for 5 | Mercari, eBay, Facebook, Poshmark, OfferUp, Depop, Vinted, Whatnot, AutoTrader | Email and push | 7 days on paid |
| Flipsentry | $34.99/mo, 7 searches | Facebook, OfferUp, Kijiji | iPhone, Android, web | 7 days, no card |
| Swoopa | Craigslist from the Turbo plan: $144/mo, or $99/mo on 6 months | Facebook, OfferUp, Kijiji, Gumtree, Nextdoor, eBay | iPhone, Android | 7 days |
| Craigslist's own email alerts | Free | Craigslist only | None; email | None |
Prices and claims from each company's own website, read October 26, 2026. Outpost Alerts, Crawlbench, CarSnipe, SuperFlip and Spottable watch Facebook Marketplace only and are not Craigslist apps. The free desktop programs watch only while a computer stays awake and are not in the category.
What to look at
- Does it put the alert on your phone? Craigslist's own alerts are email. Deal Scanner, Flipify, Flipsentry and Swoopa are native phone apps; BigFlippa sends push from a web app, and DealHunter from a web app or its companion phone app.
- Does it handle the Craigslist area for you? A Craigslist search is tied to one area. Deal Scanner takes your town and a radius and picks the area itself.
- Does one search cover Facebook and OfferUp too? The same item is on all three the same afternoon. Deal Scanner, Flipify, BigFlippa, DealHunter and Flipsentry cover all three; Swoopa from its second plan.
- Who it is priced for. Per-search billing, speed tiers and six-month commitments are reseller pricing. Deal Scanner is three searches for $3.99, all three marketplaces on every plan.
- Does it tell you if the price is good? Deal Scanner's Deal Score says how far under the typical price near you a listing sits. Most apps send the listing and leave the judgment to you.
Deal Scanner
Set the item, your town, how far you would drive, and a low and high price. Deal Scanner watches Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp on its own servers around the clock, drops most lookalikes with a relevance filter, and buzzes your phone when a listing is posted, with the time we found it on every alert and a Deal Score when it is a clear bargain. No Craigslist account, no Facebook login, no commitment. Casual $3.99 for 3 searches, Hunter $9.99 for 6, Pro $19.99 for 12. Details on Craigslist alerts.
FAQ
What is the best Craigslist alert app?
Deal Scanner: a native iPhone and Android app that watches Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp from one search, picks your Craigslist area from your town, and costs $3.99 a month for three searches, cancel anytime.
Does Craigslist have its own alerts?
Yes, email alerts for saved searches, free with a Craigslist account. Email only, on Craigslist's schedule, up to 20 results per message.
Can I get Craigslist alerts on my phone?
Not from Craigslist. Deal Scanner buzzes your phone when a Craigslist listing matches your search, and watches Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp from the same search.
Do I need a Craigslist account?
Not for Deal Scanner; it never asks for a login to any marketplace. Craigslist's own email alerts do need an account.
Is there a free Craigslist alert app?
Craigslist's own email alerts are free. DealHunter has a one-search free plan checked daily. Deal Scanner is $3.99 a month, cancel anytime.
Sources checked
craigslist.org/about/help/account/features/alerts; flipifyapp.com; bigflippa.com/pricing; dealhunter.io/pricing; flipsentry.com/pricing; getswoopa.com/sign-up-swoopa. All read October 26, 2026.
Also: Facebook Marketplace alerts OfferUp alerts Craigslist alerts Compare 14 alert apps Alert app for iPhone and Android Free alert options Marketplace scanner Marketplace monitor One app for all three Notifications not working? Set up Facebook's own alerts Swoopa alternatives Swoopa pricing Flipify alternatives DealScout alternatives