If you want to know what tools your competitors are actually using on their websites—what’s powering their checkout, analytics, support chat, and everything else—this guide is for you. Maybe you’re trying to catch up, avoid mistakes they made, or just satisfy your curiosity. Either way, you don’t need to be a developer or a spy. You just need a browser, a list of competitor sites, and a free afternoon.
We’ll walk through finding competitor tech stacks using Builtwith. I’ll show you what’s useful, what to ignore, and where Builtwith’s data sometimes falls short. Let’s get to it.
Why bother checking competitors’ tech stacks?
Before we dive into the how-to, a quick reality check: knowing a competitor’s tech stack won’t hand you their secret sauce. But it does give you:
- Clues about what’s working for them (or not)
- Ideas for tools you might want—or want to avoid
- A headstart on evaluating vendors or solutions
It’s research, not a magic bullet. Don’t obsess, but don’t skip it either.
Step 1: Make a list of competitor websites
First, you need targets. Who are you actually curious about? Don’t just Google “top X companies”—make a real list. Some tips:
- Focus on 3–10 direct competitors (not the Amazons of the world, unless you are Amazon)
- Include up-and-comers or niche players—they often use interesting tools
- Have actual URLs ready to go. Builtwith works one site at a time unless you pay.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure who your competitors are, look at who ranks above and below you for important keywords, or who your customers mention during sales calls.
Step 2: Go to Builtwith and enter a competitor’s URL
Head to Builtwith. The homepage is dead simple: you’ll see a big search box. Paste in the first competitor’s homepage URL (e.g., https://competitor.com).
Hit Enter. Wait a few seconds while Builtwith chews through the site.
Step 3: Read the technology profile
Now you’ll see a (sometimes overwhelming) summary of the technologies Builtwith found on that site. Here’s how to actually make sense of it:
What you’ll see
- Web frameworks: (React, Angular, Ruby on Rails, etc.)
- Hosting/CDN: (AWS, Cloudflare, Netlify, etc.)
- Analytics: (Google Analytics, Hotjar, Mixpanel, etc.)
- Ecommerce: (Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, etc.)
- Advertising/Retargeting: (Facebook Pixel, Google Ads)
- Widgets & plugins: (Live chat, pop-ups, forms)
What to focus on
- Major platforms: Are they running on Shopify? Or did they build their own stuff?
- 3rd party tools: What are they using for analytics, support, or marketing automation?
- Patterns across competitors: Note if several use the same tools—it’s probably not a coincidence.
What to mostly ignore
- Minor JavaScript libraries: Everyone uses some jQuery plugin you’ve never heard of. Don’t get distracted.
- Obvious stuff: If every site uses Google Fonts or Font Awesome, that’s not actionable insight.
Step 4: Dig deeper (but don’t get lost)
Builtwith shows more than just a list. Click on the little “+” icons or technology names to get more detail—sometimes you’ll see when a tool was first detected, or if it’s recently been dropped.
Why bother? - If you see that a competitor used Intercom but switched off last month, that’s a story worth digging into. - If they’ve got three analytics tools and keep switching, maybe they’re struggling with data.
Don’t overthink it: - Sometimes, Builtwith picks up old scripts or plugins that aren’t really “in use” anymore. - Some tech is hidden behind login screens—Builtwith can’t see everything. - False positives happen, especially with custom or obscure tools.
Step 5: Check multiple competitors and compare
Rinse and repeat for each competitor. Open each Builtwith report in a new tab. Look for:
- Common themes: Are 3 out of 5 all-in on the same helpdesk software? That’s probably worth a look.
- Oddballs: Is someone using a weird or homegrown stack? Ask yourself why.
- Recent changes: Did a competitor just add a new A/B testing tool? Maybe they’re ramping up experiments.
Pro tip: Make a simple spreadsheet with columns for each major tool category (e.g., Ecommerce, Analytics, Chat, CDN) and fill it in as you go. Patterns jump out fast.
Step 6: Export or document your findings
If you’re on a free Builtwith plan, you’ll need to copy-paste or manually record what you find. Paid plans let you bulk export, but honestly, for a handful of competitors, it’s overkill.
How to keep it useful: - Don’t just list every plugin—focus on the big, strategic tools. - Note any “unknown” or custom technologies; they can be worth asking about in interviews or sales calls. - If you spot recent stack changes, write down the when as well as the what.
Step 7: Sense-check and supplement Builtwith’s data
Builtwith is good, but not perfect. Some gotchas:
- It only sees public-facing code: Anything behind a login, or server-side only, is mostly invisible.
- It can miss tools that don’t leave a script or tag: Some analytics or backend stuff won’t show up.
- False positives/negatives: Sometimes it thinks a tool is present when it isn’t, or misses something obvious.
How to fill the gaps: - Visit the competitor’s site yourself. See what’s in the footer (powered by...), or what chat widget actually pops up. - Check job postings—sometimes companies openly advertise what tools they use. - Look for case studies, blog posts, or press releases mentioning tech changes.
What about bulk tracking and alerts?
If you’re doing this for dozens of companies or need regular updates, Builtwith has paid plans for tracking, exporting lists, and setting alerts for stack changes.
Is it worth paying for? - For most small teams: probably not. The free version is enough for basic research. - For agencies, investors, or sales teams who need to monitor lots of sites: maybe, but compare to alternatives like Wappalyzer or Netcraft first.
What Builtwith nails—and where it falls short
The good:
- Huge database, decent accuracy for public web tools
- Easy to use, free for individual lookups
- Good for “what’s the competition building with?” questions
The not-so-good:
- Misses backend/server-side tech
- Sometimes out of date or fooled by leftover code
- No context—just because someone has a tool installed doesn’t mean they’re using it for anything meaningful
Bottom line: Use Builtwith to get a lay of the land, but don’t treat its reports as gospel.
Keep it simple and iterate
You don’t need to reverse-engineer every line of a competitor’s site to get value here. The point is to spot major trends, avoid obvious mistakes, and maybe get inspired by someone else’s choices. Check a handful of competitors, jot down what matters, and get back to building your own thing. No tool or stack is a silver bullet—what matters is how you use it.
If you need to dig deeper, you can always come back and poke around. Start simple, stay curious, and don’t let research turn into procrastination.