Sales outreach is a slog when you’re shooting in the dark. If you know what tech your prospects are actually using—especially if it’s a competitor—you can cut the fluff and pitch something relevant. This guide is for sales and business development folks who don’t want to waste time guessing.
We’re going to break down how to use Similartech to spot competitor technologies on target websites. No fluff, no theory—just straight-up tactics you can use to find good-fit leads and send emails that get replies.
Why Bother Mapping Competitor Tech?
Before we dive in, here’s the honest truth: Most “targeted outreach” is just a fancy way to say “I hope this works.” But if you know a company is using a competing product, you can:
- Save time by focusing on real opportunities, not random lists.
- Personalize your pitch: “Saw you’re using X—here’s why Y works better for teams like yours.”
- Avoid bad fits. If someone already uses your product, or something totally incompatible, move on.
Sure, there are other tools that claim to do this. But Similartech is one of the few that gives you a decent shot at real tech stack data—if you know what you’re doing.
Step 1: Get Access to Similartech
Let’s not pretend: Similartech isn’t free for serious usage. There’s a limited free tier, but if you need bulk data or want to run lots of searches, you’ll need to pay up.
- Free version: Good for poking around, validating an idea, or checking a handful of sites.
- Paid plans: Unlock bulk search, export, and more detailed filters. If you’re on a sales team, someone should pony up for this—it’ll pay for itself if you’re using it right.
Pro Tip: Don’t bother with the browser extension unless you just want to check tech stacks one-by-one as you browse.
Step 2: Define Your Competitor Technologies
You can’t look for “competitors” in the abstract. You need a list of actual products or platforms that compete with yours.
- Start with your own product: What categories is it in? (e.g., live chat, analytics, e-commerce platform)
- List direct competitors: Who do you go up against in deals? List their actual product names.
- Think broader: Sometimes, “competitor” just means “the old way.” (e.g., if you’re selling live chat, email ticketing systems might count.)
Example:
If you sell a help desk SaaS, competitors might be Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom, Help Scout, etc.
Get this list down in a spreadsheet. You’ll use it for search queries and filtering.
Step 3: Search for Competitor Tech with Similartech
Here’s the meat of it. Similartech lets you search for websites by the technologies they use. You can filter by competitors and find companies already using similar tools.
How to do it:
- Log in to Similartech.
- Use the Technology Filter:
- Search for your competitor by name.
- Select from the “Technologies” dropdown. (You can usually stack filters if you want.)
- Review the results:
- You’ll get a list of websites using that tech.
- You can filter further by country, traffic, industry, etc.
- Export (if you can):
- On paid plans, you can export the results as CSV for easy outreach.
- On the free version, you’ll have to copy/paste or check sites manually.
What works:
- This is pretty accurate for web-based tools (think: chat widgets, analytics, ecommerce platforms).
- Great for identifying companies who’ve already bought into your product category.
What doesn’t:
- Back-end tech is hit-or-miss. If your competitor is an API or a service that doesn’t leave a web footprint, you won’t see it.
- Some tools hide themselves pretty well or get bundled, so it’s never 100%.
Step 4: Qualify and Prioritize Your Leads
Just because someone uses a competitor doesn’t mean they’re dying to switch. But it’s a heck of a lot better than cold-blind outreach.
Ways to qualify:
- Company size: Use Similartech’s filters or cross-reference with LinkedIn.
- Traffic estimates: Higher-traffic sites often have more budget and pain points.
- Industry: Focus on verticals where you have a strong story.
- Stack depth: If they use a lot of tech, they’re more likely to experiment.
Shortlist the best fits. Don’t bother with tiny blogs running your competitor’s free plan—focus on organizations that look like real buyers.
Step 5: Craft Smarter Outreach
Now you’ve got a list of companies using a competitor. Don’t blow it with a generic pitch.
Personalize using what you know:
- “I noticed you’re using [Competitor]—how’s that working for you?”
- “Many [industry] teams are moving from [Competitor] to [Your Product] for [specific reason].”
- “Saw you’re using [Competitor], but not [feature you offer]. Worth a chat?”
Keep it honest. Nobody likes a cheesy teardown of their current tool.
Pro Tips:
- Reference something specific, but don’t be creepy (“Our robots saw you’re using Intercom…” is a bad look).
- Keep it short—focus on one good reason to chat, not a laundry list.
- If you see they’re using several tools together, mention how you integrate or simplify.
Step 6: Keep Your Data Fresh
Tech stacks change all the time. Companies test tools, run pilots, or switch when contracts are up. So don’t treat your list as evergreen.
- Re-run searches every month or quarter.
- Watch for new competitors entering the market.
- Spot trends: If a lot of companies are ditching a competitor, find out why—that’s gold for your pitch.
What to ignore:
Don’t obsess over tiny changes (like a site swapping out their analytics). Focus on the big pieces that matter for your product.
Step 7: Don’t Rely on Similartech Alone
No single tool is perfect. Similartech is best for:
- Front-end web tech (widgets, scripts, trackers).
- SaaS tools that inject code into the site.
It’s not great for:
- Deep back-end stuff (databases, internal tools).
- Tech that doesn’t live in the browser.
Double-check your findings:
- Visit the site and see if you spot the tool in action.
- Cross-reference with LinkedIn, BuiltWith, or Crunchbase if you need confirmation.
- Don’t pitch someone on a switch if you’re not sure they’re actually using the competitor.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Spray-and-pray outreach: Just because you have a list doesn’t mean you should blast everyone. Quality > quantity.
- Misidentifying tech: Sometimes Similartech gets it wrong. Always double-check before you send that “I see you’re using X…” email.
- Ignoring timing: If someone just rolled out a new competitor, they probably aren’t switching anytime soon.
- Over-engineering: Don’t spend all day tweaking filters. Get a list, do a sanity check, and start reaching out.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Finding competitor tech with Similartech isn’t rocket science, but it does take a bit of legwork. Start small, run a few searches, and focus on the leads where your pitch actually makes sense. Iterate as you go—what works for one segment or product might flop for another.
Above all, don’t get paralyzed by data. The goal is to have smarter, warmer conversations—not to build the perfect list. Keep it simple, keep moving, and refine your approach as you learn what lands.