If you’re running go-to-market (GTM) at a B2B company, you’ve got a hundred tools promising “data-driven growth” or “revenue acceleration.” Most of them overpromise and underdeliver. This article digs into Similartech—what it actually does for B2B GTM teams, where it falls short, and how it stacks up against other leading GTM tools. If you’re tired of vague claims and want the real story on using Similartech for prospecting, market mapping, and more, you’re in the right place.
What Is Similartech and What Problem Does It Solve?
At its core, Similartech is a web technology profiler and lead gen tool. It crawls millions of websites to figure out what technologies (think: CRM, analytics, chat widgets, ecommerce platforms) those sites are using. The main pitch for B2B GTM teams: you can find companies using (or not using) specific tools, spot tech adoption trends, and build targeted prospect lists.
Who cares?
- Sales teams looking to pitch their software to companies running a competitor’s product.
- Marketing teams mapping market share or planning campaigns.
- Product teams researching which technologies are gaining ground.
The idea is simple: if you sell, say, a Zendesk alternative, you can find companies using Zendesk—or with a gap you can fill.
But does it actually work in practice, or is it just another data vendor with a shiny UI? Let’s break it down.
Core Features: What You Get (and What You Don’t)
Let’s cut through the sales fluff. Here’s what Similartech actually does for GTM teams:
1. Technology Tracking
- Find websites using (or not using) specific tech
You can search for companies running Salesforce, Intercom, Shopify, etc. - Track adoption trends over time
See how many companies are adopting or dropping certain technologies.
What works:
If your sales pitch hinges on knowing what stack a prospect uses, this is gold. No more guessing who’s a fit.
What doesn’t:
Coverage is biased toward sites with decent traffic or established tech. Niche or newer tools often get missed. Also, just because a company has a tech tag doesn’t mean they’re using it in a meaningful way.
2. Lead Lists and Prospecting
- Build lists by tech, geography, vertical, and size
- Export data for outbound campaigns
What works:
Building a targeted list is dead simple. Filtering is fast, and you can slice data by industry, country, employee count, and more.
What doesn’t:
Contact data is limited—Similartech is about company info, not direct emails or phone numbers. You’ll still need another tool (or a lot of LinkedIn time) to find people to actually contact.
3. Market Analysis
- Competitive intelligence: See which companies are switching between tools.
- Market share reports: Who’s winning or losing in your space?
What works:
The high-level trends are genuinely useful for anyone doing TAM/sizing work or competitive analysis.
What doesn’t:
Don’t expect granular, boardroom-ready dashboards. This is more for quick insights than for building your entire go-to-market strategy.
The Experience: What’s It Like to Use Similartech?
You log in, type in a tech (say, “HubSpot”), and get a list of companies using it. Filter by country, industry, or Alexa rank. Export to CSV, sync with your CRM, or just copy-paste. That’s basically it.
- UI is straightforward. Not pretty, but you won’t get lost.
- Speed is good. Results come back quickly.
- No frills. You won’t find fancy integrations or AI-driven recommendations here.
Pro tip:
The Chrome extension is surprisingly handy for quick, on-the-fly checks while browsing company websites.
Annoyances:
- Sometimes you’ll get outdated results (a company switched stacks months ago, but it still shows up).
- “Company” granularity can be too broad; for example, you might get “Amazon.com” as a hit, but that tells you nothing about which team or division actually uses the tool.
Where Similartech Shines (and Where It’s Weak)
Best for: - Finding net-new prospects by tech stack - Quick market sizing and tech adoption trends - Fast-and-dirty competitive research
Not great for: - Deep contact info or lead enrichment - Anything requiring up-to-the-minute accuracy - Workflow automation or CRM integration (some options, but nothing robust)
Ignore the hype about: - “Intent data.” Just because someone uses a tool doesn’t mean they’re in-market for yours. - “AI-powered insights.” There’s not much here beyond standard filtering and reporting.
How Similartech Compares to Other GTM Tools
Let’s stack up Similartech against a few leading GTM and sales intelligence platforms: BuiltWith, ZoomInfo, Clearbit, and Apollo.
1. BuiltWith
Very similar to Similartech:
Tracks what technologies websites use and lets you build lists.
- Coverage: BuiltWith generally has broader coverage, especially for smaller sites.
- UI: Clunkier than Similartech.
- Data freshness: About the same (sometimes stale).
- Price: BuiltWith is often cheaper for basic plans.
Verdict: Both do the same job; pick the one whose data overlaps best with your ICP.
2. ZoomInfo
A different beast:
ZoomInfo is all about contact data, org charts, and enrichment. It does some tech tracking, but that’s not its main thing.
- Contact accuracy: Much better.
- Tech data: Not as deep or granular.
- Integrations: Strong (but you’ll pay for them).
Verdict: If you want emails and phone numbers, ZoomInfo is better. But if you just need company-level tech info, Similartech is simpler and much cheaper.
3. Clearbit
More about enrichment:
Clearbit helps you enrich leads and accounts, with some tech stack data.
- Real-time API: Great for website personalization.
- Tech data: Decent but less comprehensive.
- Focus: More on enrichment and scoring than prospecting.
Verdict: Use Clearbit if you want real-time data for your forms or site; use Similartech for deeper tech stack prospecting.
4. Apollo
All-in-one sales engagement:
Apollo bundles lead data, sequences, email finding, and more.
- Prospecting: Strong, especially for SMB/mid-market.
- Tech data: Has some, but less reliable.
- Automation: Way ahead of Similartech.
Verdict: Apollo is best if you want a single platform for outreach and contact data, but it won’t replace Similartech for nuanced tech stack analysis.
Real-World Use Cases (and What to Watch Out For)
Where Similartech helps: - Outbound sales: Target companies using your competitors. - Partnerships: Identify companies ripe for integrations or co-selling. - Marketing: Size up your audience for paid campaigns.
Where it falls down: - Contact discovery: You’ll need another tool or manual research. - Up-to-date accuracy: Tech changes aren’t always caught right away. - Small companies/startups: Coverage is weak for the long tail of the web.
Pro tip:
Don’t rely on a single tool for your GTM data. Cross-check with LinkedIn, your CRM, or even old-fashioned Google searches.
Pricing and Value for Money
Pricing is a bit opaque (welcome to B2B SaaS). Expect to pay a few hundred to a few thousand bucks a year, depending on features and export limits.
- For pure tech profiling: Good value compared to the cost of a full ZoomInfo or Clearbit subscription.
- For contact data or workflow automation: You’ll need to budget for extra tools.
Watch for:
- Export caps and “pay-per-row” pricing.
- Annual contracts with auto-renew clauses.
Final Thoughts (and a Sanity Check)
If you need to find companies based on their tech stack, Similartech does the job—fast, no-nonsense, and without the sticker shock of some all-in-one platforms. It’s not a silver bullet. You’ll still need other tools for contacts, enrichment, and outreach. But as part of a smart GTM stack, it’s a legit way to find new prospects and size up your market—just don’t expect it to do everything.
Keep it simple: start with a few targeted searches, sanity check the results, and plug Similartech into your workflow where it actually saves you time. As with any tool, you’ll get out what you put in. Iterate, don’t overthink it, and don’t get dazzled by big claims. The basics still work.