Ever wondered what tools, scripts, or platforms your competitors are using on their websites—and how often they switch things up? Maybe you want to know if a site finally ditched that old analytics platform, or if they're suddenly running A/B tests. If you’re a marketer, product manager, or just a curious snoop, tracking these changes can give you useful insights.
You could manually check web pages, but honestly, who’s got the time? That’s where Builtwith comes in. It’s a tool that tells you what’s running under the hood on just about any website—and, with a little know-how, it’ll show you how those technologies change over time.
Let’s cut through the fluff. Here’s how you really use Builtwith to track tech changes, what’s worth paying for, and what to watch out for.
1. Understand What Builtwith Really Does
Before you dive in, a quick reality check: Builtwith scans websites and tries to detect what technologies they're using. That includes things like:
- Web servers (Apache, nginx, etc.)
- JavaScript frameworks (React, Vue, jQuery)
- Analytics and marketing tools (Google Analytics, Hotjar)
- E-commerce platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce)
- CDN and security tools (Cloudflare, Akamai)
What it’s good at:
- Giving a quick snapshot of a site’s tech stack
- Tracking when certain technologies were first detected or removed
- Surfacing patterns across many sites (with paid plans)
What it’s not:
- A 100% accurate, up-to-the-minute view (it relies on scans, not real-time monitoring)
- Able to see behind login walls or into private/internal systems
- Always able to detect custom or obscure tools
If you just want to see what’s on a site right now, the free version is usually enough. But to track changes over time, you’ll need to look at their historical data, which is part of their paid options.
2. Sign Up (or Not): Free vs. Paid
You can use Builtwith for free, but the free version is pretty limited. Here’s how it breaks down:
Free Version
- Shows you the current tech stack for any public website
- Limited historical info (usually just the “first detected” date)
- No alerts or deep change tracking
Paid Plans
- Full tech change history (what was added/removed and when)
- Email alerts for technology changes
- Bulk tracking for lots of sites
- Exportable reports
Pro tip: If you’re just tracking a handful of sites and don’t need alerts, you can get by with the free version and some manual effort. If you want to monitor lots of sites or need regular updates, you’ll have to pay. The price isn’t cheap, so make sure you really need it.
3. Step-By-Step: Tracking Technology Changes
Step 1: Look Up a Website
- Go to Builtwith and type the site’s URL into the search bar.
- You’ll see a list of detected technologies, grouped by category.
- Scroll down for more detail. You’ll see when certain tools were “first detected.” This gives you a rough starting point.
Step 2: Explore the Technology Profile
- Click into any technology name (like “Google Tag Manager”) for more info.
- You’ll see “History” if you’re on a paid plan. This shows when the tech was added or removed.
- Look for patterns: Did they switch analytics tools? Add a new ecommerce platform?
Step 3: Use the Timeline (Paid Feature)
- The timeline view breaks down tech changes by date.
- It’s not always granular—sometimes it’ll show “August 2023” instead of a specific day.
- You can see when changes happened, but not why. That’s up to you to guess (or ask the site owner, if you’re bold).
Step 4: Set Up Alerts (Paid Only)
- If you’re monitoring competitors or clients, set up email alerts.
- You’ll get a message when Builtwith detects a tech change—handy if you don’t want to check manually.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over every tiny change. Sometimes sites try out tools for a day or two, or load scripts for testing. Focus on big, lasting shifts—like moving from one hosting provider to another, or dropping a major analytics tool.
4. Use the Export and Comparison Features (If You Must)
If you’re tracking more than a couple of sites, you can export reports (CSV, Excel) with a paid plan. This is useful for:
- Building lists of competitors and comparing tech stacks
- Tracking your own sites for compliance or security
- Feeding data into your own dashboards
The “Compare” feature lets you see what two sites have in common, or how they differ. Honestly, it’s a little clunky, but for a quick gut check, it works.
Heads up: The exported data can get messy. Builtwith detects lots of tiny scripts, many of which don’t matter. Don’t get lost in the weeds—stick to the big-ticket items.
5. Make Sense of the Data (Real-World Examples)
So you’ve got all this data—now what? Here’s how to use it without wasting your time:
- Competitive analysis: Spot when a rival adds live chat, launches A/B testing, or switches to a faster CDN.
- Sales intelligence: See what tools a prospective client is already using (so you don’t pitch them the same thing).
- Security/compliance audits: Make sure your own sites aren’t running outdated or risky tech by accident.
But:
Don’t read too much into every change. A site might add a new script for a test and delete it a week later. Builtwith can only see what’s public-facing and doesn’t know the business reason behind a change.
6. Limitations and Gotchas
No tool is perfect. Here’s what to keep in mind:
- Scan frequency: Builtwith doesn’t scan every site every day. Sometimes tech changes take a while to show up.
- Detection blind spots: Some tools are hard to spot—especially if they’re loaded dynamically or only on certain pages.
- False positives/negatives: You’ll occasionally see tech listed that isn’t really in use, or miss things that are.
- Historical data gaps: If a site blocks bots or changes quickly, you may see holes in the timeline.
Bottom line: Use Builtwith as a guide, not gospel. Double-check anything critical, especially if you’re making business decisions.
7. Alternatives: When Builtwith Isn’t Enough
Sometimes Builtwith doesn’t cut it. Here are a few cases where you might want something else:
- Need real-time, page-by-page tracking: Try browser extensions like Wappalyzer for spot checks.
- Want deeper change logs or screenshots: Services like Visualping or Diffbot can track visual or content changes, not just tech.
- Looking for free options: There are open-source and free tools, but they’re usually less robust and harder to use at scale.
8. Keep It Simple—And Don’t Obsess
Tracking tech changes is useful, but it’s easy to overdo it. Most of the time, you care about the big moves, not every script tweak. Start by tracking a handful of sites. Check in every month or so. If you find yourself drowning in data, dial it back.
Tech stacks change all the time. Use tools like Builtwith to spot trends, not to micromanage every detail. And if you’re not learning anything new—or acting on what you find—maybe it’s time to focus elsewhere.
In short: Builtwith is a solid way to track website technology changes over time, as long as you know what it’s good for (and what it isn’t). Don’t get sucked into the hype. Use what’s useful, ignore the rest, and keep moving.