PixieWire vs TouringPlans

TouringPlans, the crowd-calendar and touring-plan site, brought back its free dining Reservation Finder on October 22, 2026. Here is how it compares with PixieWire for Disney dining alerts. We build PixieWire, so every TouringPlans fact below links to the page it came from.

Checked October 24, 2026

One alert, over and over, for a full year

PixieWire's Single Watch is not a one-time alert. Watch one table at a time for 12 months; booked it or changed your mind, create a new watch for the next restaurant, as many times as you like, for no extra charge.

PixieWire single alert: One alert used over and over for a full year: $4.99, or $9.99 with texts. Booked it or changed your mind? Create a new watch, no extra charge
TouringPlans single alert: None; free searches, or Full Access by the year
Text alerts all year at PixieWire: $9.99 once: one alert at a time, used over and over for 12 months; never renews
Text alerts all year at TouringPlans: $24.97: Full Access for Disney World for a year (up to 3 searches per resort); never renews

All PixieWire prices →

Month and Trip Pass: one charge, nothing to cancel

A Trip Pass is 3 months for one charge ($24.99), and a Month Pass is $14.99 for 30 days. You get what you paid for and no more charges after it: when the pass ends, it ends. Don't worry about forgetting to cancel after your trip; there is nothing to cancel.

Does PixieWire renew?: Never. Every pass is one charge with nothing to cancel, and no more charges after it
Does TouringPlans renew?: Never. Full Access is sold for 1, 2 or 3 years with no automatic renewal

At a glance

Price: PixieWire: $4.99 for 12 months of one watch at a time, moved to any table as often as you like ($9.99 with texts); $14.99 Month, $24.99 Trip, $69.99 Annual; TouringPlans: Reservation Finder free with a basic account; texts need Full Access, $24.97 a year for Disney World or $13.97 for Disneyland
Single alert: PixieWire: One alert used over and over for a full year: $4.99, or $9.99 with texts. Booked it or changed your mind? Create a new watch, no extra charge; TouringPlans: None; free searches, or Full Access by the year
Renews?: PixieWire: Never. Every pass is one charge with nothing to cancel, and no more charges after it; TouringPlans: Never. Full Access is sold for 1, 2 or 3 years with no automatic renewal
Free option: PixieWire: 60-day availability calendar and 30-day history on every restaurant page, no account needed. No free alerts; TouringPlans: Yes: up to 3 searches per resort at a time, by email
Alerts by: PixieWire: Email and iPhone app push; texts from $9.99; TouringPlans: Email for everyone; texts to US and Canadian numbers with Full Access
Speed (as published): PixieWire: Measured: each watched Walt Disney World table checked about every 18 seconds on every pass; email out about 0.5 s after a find (method at /dining-alerts/speed); TouringPlans: No check interval published; a search stops after its first find until you restart it
Coverage: PixieWire: 155 dining venues (Walt Disney World 125, Disneyland 30), plus experiences Disney books online, such as Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and Savi's Workshop; TouringPlans: Standard dining reservations at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, parties of 8 or fewer (not Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, tours, dessert parties or show packages)
App: PixieWire: Works in any browser, nothing to download; the free iPhone app adds push alerts. No Android app yet; TouringPlans: Website; alerts by email or text. Its Lines app (iPhone and Android) is for wait times

Free email alerts vs paid passes

The Reservation Finder is free with a basic TouringPlans account: up to 3 active searches per resort, with alerts by email. PixieWire has no free alerts; passes start at $4.99 for one watch by email and app push for 12 months. If three searches by email are enough, TouringPlans costs nothing.

Texts

TouringPlans texts US and Canadian numbers if you hold Full Access for that resort: $24.97 a year for Walt Disney World or $13.97 for Disneyland. Full Access never renews, comes with a full refund on request within 45 days of a website purchase, and also unlocks its crowd calendar, touring plans and Lines app. PixieWire texts from $9.99 for one table for 12 months, and every Month, Trip and Annual Pass includes texts.

One find vs a watch that keeps going

When the Reservation Finder finds a table it stops searching, and you press Restart to look again; TouringPlans says it won't send more alerts until you do. A PixieWire alert keeps watching until its dates pass, so if you miss one opening you still hear about the next.

How many tables, and which ones

TouringPlans supports standard dining reservations for parties of 8 or fewer, up to 3 searches per resort at a time; Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, tours, dessert parties and show packages aren't covered yet. A PixieWire Trip Pass holds 25 alerts at once, each covering up to 7 days in a row, across 155 dining venues including dining events, and also watches Walt Disney World experiences Disney books online, such as Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, checked about every 20 minutes.

Travel advisors

TouringPlans says its tools are for personal use only, so travel agents can't use the Reservation Finder for clients. PixieWire has a travel advisor program: approved advisors gift clients a key that opens a Trip Pass.

How often each one checks

TouringPlans doesn't publish how often the Reservation Finder checks. PixieWire checks each watched Walt Disney World table about every 18 seconds on every pass, measured, with the method on our alert speed page. Neither service books for you, so you can run both on the same table.

What it costs

One restaurant, email is fine: PixieWire: $4.99, one payment, 12 months; TouringPlans: Free (up to 3 searches per resort)
One restaurant, by text: PixieWire: $9.99, one payment, 12 months; TouringPlans: Full Access: $24.97 a year (Disney World) or $13.97 (Disneyland), never renews
A week-long trip, 10 restaurants: PixieWire: $24.99 Trip Pass: 90 days, 25 alerts, texts and Ride Alerts; TouringPlans: 3 searches at a time per resort
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique: PixieWire: Walt Disney World experiences included, checked about every 20 minutes; TouringPlans: Not supported yet
A travel advisor's clients: PixieWire: Advisor program: gift keys that open a Trip Pass; TouringPlans: Not allowed (personal use only)

Pick TouringPlans if

You want free dining alerts and email is enough.
You're watching three tables or fewer per resort.
You also want crowd calendars, touring plans and wait times: Full Access is $24.97 a year and never renews.

Pick PixieWire if

You're watching more than three restaurants for one trip.
You want an alert that keeps watching after the first opening.
You want Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or other Walt Disney World experiences watched.
You want texts for one table at $9.99 for 12 months.
You're a travel advisor watching tables for clients.

Start watching

Most people need one of these two passes. Both are one payment and never renew. You book the table yourself in My Disney Experience; we never ask for your Disney login.

A whole trip

Trip Pass · $24.99

One charge, nothing to cancel: 90 days, 25 alerts at once, email, app and text, Ride Alerts included, +2 friends or family.

Table after table, all year

Single Watch + SMS · $9.99

One alert you use over and over for a full year, by email, app and text. Change your mind, create a new watch.

Email and app only is $4.99. Want a month or a year instead? See all five passes →

Questions

Is the TouringPlans Reservation Finder free?

Yes. It needs a TouringPlans account, but a free basic account is enough for up to 3 searches per resort with email alerts. Texts need Full Access for that resort ($24.97 a year for Walt Disney World, $13.97 for Disneyland). PixieWire has no free alerts, but every restaurant's 60-day availability calendar and 30-day history are free.

How often does the TouringPlans Reservation Finder check?

It doesn't say. Its pages explain that a search stops after its first find until you restart it. PixieWire checks each watched Walt Disney World table about every 18 seconds on every pass, with the method on our alert speed page.

Does TouringPlans Full Access renew?

No. Full Access is sold for 1, 2 or 3 years with no automatic renewal, and TouringPlans refunds it in full on request within 45 days of a website purchase. PixieWire passes don't renew either: each one is one payment with an end date.

Is either one affiliated with Disney?

No. PixieWire is not affiliated with The Walt Disney Company. Alert services are independent companies; Disney's own way to book is My Disney Experience.

More comparisons

Sources

TouringPlans facts are from these pages, read on October 24, 2026. Prices change, so check their site before you buy.

Out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it →

Not affiliated with The Walt Disney Company. The TouringPlans name belongs to its owner and is used here only to compare.