Top 10 Tools to Find Your Competitors Tech Stack

Choosing a tech stack is a crucial step in building any company since it forms the foundation on which you'll scale. A tech stack refers to the collection of tools a company uses to run its application, ranging from the programming language to third-party tools like payment processors. Ideally, you should choose a tech stack that can easily adapt to new technology, features, and customer needs.

Accessing your competitor's tech stack provides insight into their technical capabilities and potential blockers. Additionally, if you're building a solution that competes with a particular tool, many of these websites offer lead lists. Instead of searching by a competitor, you can look up a tool and use the list to reach out to potential customers. Knowing your competitor's tech stack will enable you to develop a compelling pitch highlighting how your tool can fit in and what sets your product apart from their current solution.

Let’s take a look at 10 websites and browser extensions you can use to find your competitor's tech stack.

#1 Wappalyzer

Wappalyzer is a competitor analysis tool with a technology look-up feature. It allows for 50 free lookups per month and is easy to use. Simply, input your competitor's URL, or upload a list of websites to analyze multiple competitors at once. The tool generates a tech stack that is organized into categories, such as Issue Tracker, Payment Processors, Security, and Analytics. Clicking on each tool provides pricing, a brief explanation of its use case, and a link to the website.

With a paid account, you can generate a lead list of other companies based on the technologies they use. Adding details such as keywords, domains, and company information will tailor the list further. Wappalyzer also allows you to set up notifications to know whenever a company adds or removes a tool. For faster website analysis, there’s also a Chrome extension available.

#2 BuiltWith

BuiltWith is a competitive analysis tool that allows you to conduct a technology lookup on your competitors. Simply input the link to your competitor's website and the tool will generate a technology profile categorized into different sections such as Frameworks, Content Management Systems, and Analytics and Tracking.

Individual site lookups are free and you have access to 10 detailed technology profiles before requiring an upgrade. Each tool includes a usage statistic chart that can be viewed for free, along with a short product description. BuiltWith also provides a lead list of other companies using the tool. While partial results can be viewed with a free account, upgrading to a paid plan is necessary to access the entire list.

#3 WhatRuns

WhatRuns is a free Chrome browser extension that allows you to view the technology used on any website. To use it, simply download the extension and choose the websites you want to follow. You will receive notifications whenever a website you are following either starts or stops using any technology. This tool is easy to use and a perfect low-budget option for getting a high-level overview of your competitors' tech stack.

#4 SimilarTech

SimilarTech allows you to search for your competitor's tech stack using their website URL. You can also search based on the tool or vertical category. The Technologies page lists all the technologies they are tracking by category, such as Advertising, Content Management, or Privacy.

If you search by tool, you will get an overview of data, including the top industry verticals, related technologies, and a handful of top websites using the tool. Searching by website provides the full tech stack, with the option to create reports for each tool and examine tools that have been added or removed from the website. You can also set up technology alerts to monitor changes in your competitor's stack.

#5 Snov.io

Snov.io is a free Chrome browser extension for quick technology lookups. Once you install the extension, you can launch it on any website to access a list of their tech stack. It will detect a range of tools from marketing and development to media servers. On the website, you can use the technology checker to search for specific tools. The result will be a list of companies using the tool that you can filter through by adding information such as employee number and country. You’ll be asked to create an account to download the CSV file but it’s completely free.

#6 Hexomatic

Hexomatic offers a free tech stack tool that can detect thousands of different technologies used on any website, including coding frameworks, analytics tracking services, tracking pixels, marketing tools, CMS, or server stacks. While the tool only outputs the name of the technology, users with an account can access additional features, such as contact details and website audits, to gain a deeper understanding of their competitor's technical capabilities.

#7 Webspotter

Webspotter is a browser extension that allows you to easily find out what technologies are being used on any website. With Webspotter, you can detect eCommerce platforms, CMS, web servers, and many other tools. The Chrome extension makes it super simple to get a full rundown with access to over 500+ technologies. Webspotter also provides the emails of website owners which is a valuable lead-generation tool.

#8 Tech Tracker

Tech Tracker is another free browser extension you can use to analyze a website. Once you install the extension it will display a full list of the websites stack. Including frameworks, analytics tools, and marketing automation. The website offers a few more features such as lead generation to build a list of companies using certain tools. You can receive website alerts to stay informed about changes to a website's tech stack, as well as technology alerts to be notified when a tool gains a new user.

#9 Netcraft

With Netcraft, you can generate a site report for free by looking up any website. The reports break down each tool with a short description and a popular website that also uses the tool. In addition to the site technology, you can view the hosting history, network, web trackers, and sender policy framework. This site is a bit more stripped back but still provides a good set of data to start generating an idea of your competitor's tech.

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#10 Awesome Tech Stack

Awesome Tech Stack allows you to look up 10 companies for free every month. By inputting the website URL, you’ll receive a full rundown of the tech stack's security, performance, and modernity. An overall awesomeness score is calculated based on these three areas with a list of similarly ranked websites. Finally, the website will offer improvement suggestions on the tech stack along with other tools that could be added.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are several tools available for analyzing your competitors' tech stack. Whether you are just starting out or have a large budget to invest, there is a tool out there that can provide valuable data. It's important not to overlook this step in your competitor analysis process, as it can give you a significant advantage when building new features and scaling your business. Remember that finding the tools is just the first step in conducting an analysis of your competitor. We’ll be going into more detail on how to evaluate a tech stack in a separate article - so stay tuned.

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