How to See What Shopify Apps a Store Is Using Quickly & Easily

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Ever found yourself on a competitor’s Shopify store and thought, "Wow, how are they doing that?" The answer often lies in the apps they've installed. Figuring out how to see what Shopify apps a store is using isn't just about satisfying your curiosity; it's smart competitive research. It’s your chance to see their playbook for marketing, boosting conversions, and handling customer service.

The good news? You don't need to be a coding wizard to start your detective work.

Uncovering a Store’s Secret Shopify App Stack

Peeking behind the curtain of a successful Shopify store can feel like finding a hidden treasure map. The apps a store uses are the engine driving its strategy—from how they get people to sign up for their newsletter to the way they create a seamless post-purchase experience. By identifying their app stack, you're not just getting a list of tools; you're gaining a direct line of sight into what works for them.

This guide will walk you through three reliable methods for discovering which apps any Shopify store has installed. Each one has its pros and cons, so you can pick the approach that fits you best.

The Three Main Ways to Detect Apps

There are really three core ways to get this information:

Manual Code Inspection: This is the hands-on, DIY approach. You'll be diving into the store's public source code to look for clues. It's free but requires a bit of patience.

Automated Detector Tools: These are websites or platforms built specifically for this. You just plug in a store's URL, and they do the heavy lifting for you.

Browser Extensions: Think of these as your handy sidekicks. They're add-ons for your web browser that can give you instant insights as you browse a competitor's site.

For those who don't mind getting their hands a little dirty, manually inspecting the code is a great starting point. Most Shopify apps have to inject their own scripts or HTML elements onto the storefront to function. These digital footprints are often visible right in the page's source code if you know where to look. By using your browser's developer tools, you can often spot file names or code comments that point directly to a specific app.

For example, maybe you notice a competitor has really compelling testimonials and social proof pop-ups. This might inspire you to look into the best social proof tools for your own store to see if you can achieve a similar lift in trust and conversions. The method you use to uncover this simply depends on how much time you have and your comfort level with the tech.

Key Takeaway: The real goal here isn't to blindly copy a competitor's app list. It's about understanding the strategy behind their choices. Why did they pick that particular review app or that specific upsell tool? Answering that question is how you find the perfect apps for your business.

To help you decide which path to take, here’s a quick breakdown of the methods.

App Detection Methods at a Glance

Method	Difficulty	Cost	Best For
Manual Code Inspection	Medium	Free	Tech-savvy users who want a deep, unfiltered look without spending money.
Automated Detector Tools	Easy	Free / Paid	Quickly getting a comprehensive list of apps with minimal effort.
Browser Extensions	Easy	Free / Freemium	On-the-fly analysis while browsing and researching multiple stores.

Ultimately, combining these methods often yields the best results. You might use an automated tool for a quick overview and then manually inspect the code to confirm a specific app or understand how it's implemented.

Manually Inspecting a Store's Website Code

If you're willing to roll up your sleeves a bit, you can play detective right in your web browser. This method is all about peeking at a store's public-facing code—the same stuff your browser reads to show you the website. You don't need to be a developer to do this; just think of it as a digital treasure hunt.

The quickest way to get started is to right-click anywhere on a store's webpage and choose "View Page Source." This will pop open a new tab that looks like a wall of code. Don't be intimidated! You're only hunting for specific clues.

This screenshot gives you a glimpse of the "Network" tab in Chrome's Developer Tools, which is a more advanced version of this same concept. Both manual peeking and automated tools are essentially doing the same thing: scanning for the unique digital fingerprints that apps leave behind.

Finding App Clues in the Source Code

With the source code open, your best friend is the "find" function—that's Ctrl+F on a Windows machine or Cmd+F on a Mac. This lets you search for keywords that give away which apps are running.

Here are a few things I always search for first:

/apps/ - This is a dead giveaway. Shopify apps often load their files from a directory with this name, so searching for it can point you directly to the app's name within a URL.

.js - This finds all the JavaScript files. From there, you can scan for filenames that hint at a function, like reviews.js, or a specific brand, like klaviyo.js.

/public/ - This is another common folder path that third-party apps use to serve their assets on the storefront.

Let's say you search for /apps/ and stumble upon a line of code like //cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0123/4567/t/89/assets/judgeme.js. Boom. You've just confirmed the store uses the popular review app, Judge.me.

My Personal Tip: The sheer amount of code can be overwhelming at first. Stick to the find function. Systematically searching for these key terms is the most efficient way to cut through the noise and spot the app-related code snippets.

A Deeper Dive with Browser Developer Tools

For a more powerful analysis, you can fire up your browser's built-in developer tools. Just right-click on the page and hit "Inspect" (or simply press the F12 key). Once it's open, click over to the "Network" tab. This panel shows you every single file and resource the website loads to run.

Inside the Network tab, you can filter the results by type. For instance, clicking on "JS" will show you only the JavaScript files. More importantly, it shows you the domains where these files are coming from.

If you spot requests going out to a domain like static.klaviyo.com, that's a rock-solid sign the store is using Klaviyo for its email marketing. I find this method is far better for catching apps that a simple source code search might miss.

While this manual technique is free and gives you instant results, it does have limitations. You'll mainly uncover customer-facing apps—the ones that add visible elements like pop-ups, chat widgets, or review sections. You typically won't find backend apps used for things like inventory management, accounting, or shipping, since they don't leave a footprint on the live storefront.

Not interested in digging through a store's source code? I don't blame you. That's where automated Shopify app detectors come in—they do the heavy lifting for you.

These tools are designed to scan a website and cross-reference what they find against a huge database of known apps and technologies. They’re much faster and more efficient than trying to pick things apart by hand.

Let the Tools Do the Work

Some of the most popular and reliable platforms for this are BuiltWith, Wappalyzer, and the e-commerce-focused Koala Inspector. You just pop a store's URL into their search bar, and they'll spit out a detailed report in seconds. It's a game-changer for competitor research, especially when you consider that the Shopify ecosystem hosted 2.65 million active stores in Q2 2025. You can analyze a dozen stores in the time it would take you to manually inspect one.

What’s great is that these tools often show you more than just the apps. You can see a store’s entire tech stack—from their analytics providers to payment gateways and even the content delivery network they use.

Take a look at this screenshot from BuiltWith. It clearly identifies "Klaviyo" and "Stamped.io" under a "Shopify Apps" category, giving you a clean, organized list of the tools a store is using to drive its business.

Which App Detector Is Right for You?

While these tools do similar things, they aren't all created equal. They vary in their accuracy, cost, and the level of detail they provide.

BuiltWith: This is one of my go-to's. It's incredibly thorough and respected in the industry for providing a complete technology profile of a site. You get a few free lookups, but you'll need a paid plan for heavy use.

Wappalyzer: Very similar to BuiltWith, and its browser extension is handy for quick checks while you're browsing. It's great for spotting the big-name apps but can sometimes miss ones that are less common or heavily modified.

Koala Inspector: This one is built with Shopify store owners in mind. It's a browser extension that zeroes in on e-commerce data, showing you apps, themes, and sometimes even a peek at product sourcing and traffic.

The real magic happens when you start spotting patterns. If you analyze ten of your biggest competitors and notice eight of them are using the same loyalty app, that’s not a coincidence. It's a powerful clue that the app delivers real results in your niche.

Once you’ve identified a few apps that look promising, the work isn't over. Choosing the right tool is just the first step. You still need to make sure it performs well on your own store. For a guide on what to do next, check out our post on Shopify app testing to optimize your app's performance. After all, finding the app is only half the battle—making it work for you is what truly matters.

Using Browser Extensions for a Quick Peek

If you'd rather not get your hands dirty digging through a store's code, a browser extension is your best friend. These little tools live right in your browser and can give you a surprisingly detailed look at a Shopify store's setup with just a single click.

Think about it: you land on a competitor's site and are immediately impressed by their slick loyalty program or the way their wishlist works. Instead of guessing, you just click the extension's icon. A neat little window pops up, listing out the apps it found, the theme they're using, and sometimes even a few other juicy details. It’s about as convenient as it gets for on-the-spot research.

Finding the Right Extension for the Job

So, which extension should you use? A quick search on the Chrome Web Store or other browser marketplaces will show you plenty of options. Tools like the Shopify App Detector by Fera.ai and Koala Inspector are two of the most popular for a reason—they're built specifically for this kind of e-commerce detective work.

Just searching for "Shopify app detector" is usually all it takes to find a few top-rated choices.

Of course, no tool is perfect. While they're fantastic for spotting apps that affect the storefront (the front end), they can't see what's happening behind the scenes. Apps for accounting, shipping, or internal team management will remain hidden.

My Personal Tip: Don't rely on just one. I always have at least two different app detectors installed. It's amazing how often one tool will spot an app the other completely missed. By comparing the results, you get a much fuller picture.

This method is perfect for quick analysis. For instance, if you notice a competitor is driving traffic to pre-filled carts, an extension can instantly tell you if they're using a public app for that. Once you know the app, you can learn how to create and use Shopify checkout links yourself and add a powerful new tactic to your own marketing.

Popular App Detector Extensions Compared

To help you decide, here’s a quick comparison of some of the leading Shopify app detector extensions. Each has its own strengths, so the "best" one really depends on what you're looking for.

Extension Name	Key Features	Pricing Model	Browser Support
Koala Inspector	Detects apps, themes, product stats, and ad campaigns.	Free plan with limited features; Paid plans for advanced data.	Chrome
Shopify App Detector by Fera.ai	Simple, one-click app and theme detection.	Completely Free	Chrome
Shopify Spy	App detection, theme identification, and best-selling product analysis.	Free with limitations; Pro version unlocks more features.	Chrome, Firefox
BuiltWith	Comprehensive technology profiler (not just Shopify).	Free lookups are limited; Paid plans for deep analysis.	Chrome, Firefox, Edge

Ultimately, trying out a couple of the free options is a great, no-risk way to see which one fits your workflow best. They are invaluable for staying on top of what's working for other stores in your niche.

What You Can (And Can’t) Uncover

While playing detective on a competitor's Shopify store is a fantastic way to gather intel, it's crucial to understand the limits of what you can see. The truth is, no method is foolproof, and some of a store’s most critical apps will always be completely hidden from view.

This happens because many powerful apps run entirely on the "backend." They do their work behind the scenes and never add a single line of code or visual element to the live website that a customer—or an app detector—can spot.

The Hidden World of Backend Apps

Think about all the operational heavy lifting a successful store has to do. Many of these tasks are powered by apps that are invisible on the front end.

These often include apps for:

Inventory Management: Tools that sync stock levels between a warehouse and the online store.

Shipping and Fulfillment: Apps that calculate shipping rates, connect to carriers, and print labels.

Accounting and Reporting: Integrations that push sales data to software like QuickBooks or Xero.

Fraud Prevention: Systems that analyze orders for risk factors before they are fulfilled.

Because these apps don't change the customer experience on the website itself, they leave no digital breadcrumbs for you to follow. They are absolutely vital to the business, but they're not part of the public-facing store. If you're curious about the technical side of automated detection, this article on how AI detectors work offers a good high-level overview of the principles involved.

The Challenge of Custom and Private Apps

Another blind spot you'll run into is custom-coded solutions. A well-established brand might pay a developer to build a bespoke loyalty program or a unique product bundle feature from the ground up.

This functionality might look and feel exactly like a public app, but because it's private, proprietary code, no app detector will ever recognize it. It's simply not in their database. This is a common practice for larger stores looking for a unique competitive edge.

Key Takeaway: Don't get discouraged if you can't identify every single tool. The real gold is in analyzing the customer-facing apps you can see. These are the apps that directly shape the user experience, drive marketing, and boost conversions—and that's where you'll find the most actionable insights for your own store.

Of course. Here is the rewritten section, crafted to sound like it was written by an experienced human expert.

Quick Answers to Common Questions

As you start peeking behind the curtain of other Shopify stores, you're bound to have a few questions. It's only natural. Let's tackle some of the most common ones I hear from entrepreneurs doing this kind of research.

Question	Answer
Is it legal to check another store's apps?	Yes, it's 100% legal. You are only viewing publicly accessible information that the website sends to every visitor's browser. It’s no different than admiring their logo or reading their product descriptions.
Why can't I find apps on some stores?	This usually means they are using backend-only apps (for inventory, fulfillment, etc.) or they've paid for custom-coded features. Custom development won't show up as a known app.
Can a store hide its apps from me?	It's technically possible but extremely rare and difficult. Hiding the app's code usually breaks its functionality on the live site, which is a risk most merchants won't take.
Are app detectors always accurate?	They are highly accurate but not foolproof. A detector might miss a brand-new app or misidentify a custom feature. Always use your judgment and cross-reference with other methods if needed.

Hopefully, those quick answers clear things up. Now, let's dig a little deeper into the nuances of each point.

Is It Really Okay to Spy on Another Store's Apps?

Absolutely. Let's be clear: this isn't "spying" in a malicious sense. The detection methods we've covered simply analyze the public code that a website broadcasts to every single visitor's browser.

You're not hacking into their backend or accessing any private data. It's the digital equivalent of walking into a retail store and noticing the brand of their cash register or the security tags they use.

My Takeaway: Think of it like this—if you can see a feature on the live website, like a pop-up for a loyalty program or a fancy reviews widget, the code that makes it work is public. Looking at that code is just smart competitive research.

What if I Can't Find Any Apps on a Store?

Running a scan and coming up with zero apps can feel confusing, but there's usually a simple explanation. I've found it typically boils down to one of two things.

First, the store might lean heavily on backend or "headless" apps. These are powerful tools for things like accounting, shipping logistics, or inventory management. Since they don't add any visual elements or code to the storefront, they are completely invisible to public-facing detectors.

The second, and more common, scenario is that the store has invested in custom-coded features. Instead of grabbing a product bundling app off the shelf, they might have hired a developer to build a unique solution from the ground up. This custom code is proprietary and won't be recognized by any automated tool looking for known app signatures.

Can a Store Owner Block Me From Seeing Their Apps?

Theoretically, a savvy developer could try to obfuscate or hide the scripts that their apps use. In practice, however, this almost never happens.

Why? Because it's a great way to break your own website. For an app to work correctly, its code has to load properly in the visitor's browser. Messing with that process often causes the app to fail, leading to a poor customer experience and lost sales. For all practical purposes, the detection methods in this guide will work on the vast majority of Shopify stores you come across.

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