If you’ve ever tried to figure out what technologies your competitors use, you know it’s not as easy as it sounds. Marketers, product managers, and founders all want to spot trends early, avoid dead-end tools, and not get blindsided by changes. But most “trend” reports are fluff, and vendor case studies are basically ads.
That’s where real-world data—like what Similartech provides—comes in handy. Instead of guessing, you can see what’s actually running on millions of websites. This guide cuts through the noise and shows you how to use Similartech data to track technology adoption in your industry, without wasting your time.
Why Care About Technology Adoption Trends?
Let’s get something out of the way: not everyone needs to obsess over what tech stack their competitors use. But if you…
- Sell B2B SaaS or web services
- Work in digital marketing
- Make decisions about IT infrastructure
- Need to pitch or build integrations
…then knowing who’s adopting what does matter. It helps you:
- Spot rising tools before they’re everywhere
- Avoid tech that’s losing ground
- See what your target customers actually use (not just what’s hyped on Twitter)
It’s not about copying—it's about making smarter bets and avoiding nasty surprises.
What Is Similartech and What Can You Actually Do With It?
Similartech scans millions of websites to see which technologies are running where. That means everything from analytics tools to shopping carts to CDN providers. You get:
- Market share data: How many sites use X tool? Is it growing or shrinking?
- Trends over time: See when a tech started taking off (or dying off).
- Breakdowns by industry, country, traffic, and more.
- Lists of companies: Who’s using what, so you can prioritize outreach or research.
What it’s NOT: Similartech can’t see behind login screens or detect every backend tool. You won’t get perfect data on internal-only software or truly custom builds. But for web-facing tech—think analytics, chat, CMS, ecommerce—it’s about as good as it gets.
Step 1: Figure Out What You Actually Want to Track
Don’t start by clicking around. Start by asking, “What do I need to know?”
Some examples:
- Which ecommerce platforms are gaining ground with fashion retailers?
- Are competitors ditching Google Analytics for privacy-focused analytics?
- What A/B testing tools are actually in use at mid-size SaaS companies?
Pro tip: Focus on the decisions you need to make, not just “cool data.” It’s easy to get lost in the weeds.
Step 2: Getting Access and Navigating Similartech
Similartech has a free version, but most serious tracking happens with a paid plan. If you’re just testing the waters, the free tier gives you a taste—market share snapshots and limited company lists.
What you get with paid:
- Deeper lists of companies using each tech
- Trend graphs over months/years
- Filtering by vertical, geography, site traffic, etc.
- Exporting data (CSV is your friend)
Navigation is straightforward: search for a technology, view its profile, and dig into market share, trend lines, and company lists. The UI isn’t the prettiest, but it gets the job done.
Step 3: Tracking Technology Usage in Your Industry
Here’s how to actually use Similartech data in a way that matters:
1. Narrow Down by Industry or Vertical
Let’s say you work in travel tech. Instead of looking at, say, Shopify usage across the whole web, filter down to travel, hospitality, or booking sites. This weeds out noise from unrelated industries.
- Use Similartech’s filters (industries, countries, traffic)
- Cross-reference with your own target customer list, if you have one
- Ignore “all websites” stats—they’re dominated by hobby sites and irrelevant traffic
2. Look for Real Trends, Not Just Big Numbers
Lots of techs have huge installed bases because they’ve been around forever (WordPress, jQuery, Google Analytics). What’s more telling is change over time.
- Compare current usage to 12-18 months ago
- Watch for sudden spikes or steady declines
- Don’t get distracted by single-month blips (sometimes it’s just a batch of spam sites)
3. Identify Early Movers and Laggards
- See which companies in your space are quick to try new tools
- Notice who’s stuck on old tech (these might be good sales targets for migrations)
- Spot clusters—are certain market segments adopting faster than others?
4. Check for “Zombie” Tech
Some tools are everywhere but haven’t seen real adoption growth for years. These “zombie” technologies can eat up a lot of mindshare but are basically legacy at this point.
- If something’s flat for years, don’t expect it to suddenly matter again
- Be skeptical of vendor “market leader” claims based on old numbers
Step 4: Benchmark Against Competitors
It’s tempting to just look at industry-wide stats, but real insight comes from company-level data.
- Pull lists of companies using a particular tech in your vertical
- Compare your own stack to the competition—where are you ahead or behind?
- Use the data to spot targets for partnership, sales, or even hiring (if you see everyone moving to a tool you don’t know, that’s a signal)
Honest take: Don’t overthink this. You don’t need to match every tool your competitors use. Focus on trends that actually affect your product, sales, or customer experience.
Step 5: Ignore the Hype, Trust the Patterns
Here’s where most people trip up: they get excited about every new tool that shows up in the “rising” list. Reality check—most of these will fade away.
- Look for sustained growth, not just a flash in the pan
- Avoid switching tech every quarter because of “hot” trends
- Use Similartech to validate (or debunk) what you’re hearing from sales reps or Twitter threads
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
- Overfitting: Just because a competitor uses a tool doesn’t mean you should. Context matters.
- Data Gaps: No tool can see everything. If a tech is mostly backend, Similartech won’t detect it.
- Analysis Paralysis: Don’t get stuck making charts for weeks. The goal is action, not a perfect report.
- Ignoring Context: Sometimes a tech spikes because of a free plan, a big promo, or a botnet. Always sanity-check odd data.
Real-World Use Cases
A few ways smart teams actually use Similartech:
- Sales teams prioritize accounts based on which prospects use (or don’t use) a competing tool.
- Product managers spot gaps—if everyone’s adopting a plugin except your customers, ask why.
- Investors look for early signals—e.g., is a new payment processor quietly eating Stripe’s lunch in APAC?
- Marketing uses it to tailor messaging (“We integrate with the tools you already have”).
If you’re in a niche market, Similartech’s value is even higher—you get to see adoption patterns before they hit mainstream “trend” reports.
What to Ignore
There’s a lot of noise in any big dataset. Don't waste time on:
- Long-tail techs with under 0.1% market share, unless you’re in a super-niche field
- Old “installed base” numbers—focus on growth and recent adoption
- Case studies on vendor blogs—always check what’s actually being used, not just what’s being marketed
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Tracking technology adoption is useful, but don’t make it your full-time job. Use Similartech to get answers to real business questions, spot patterns, and maybe flag a few surprises. Then get back to building, selling, or shipping.
Check in every few months. Trends change, but not overnight. Stay curious, but don’t chase every shiny object. The best teams use data to make decisions, not excuses.
You don’t need perfect data—just data that’s good enough to move forward.