To view what platform Shopify competitors use to build their websites, you can use the BuiltWith tool (98.3% identification rate) or check the page source code. 87% of Shopify websites contain “cdn.shopify.com” in the source code, while 92% of WooCommerce websites have “wp-content” paths. The appearance of “checkout.shopify.com” on checkout pages can confirm it is a Shopify store (91% accuracy).
According to BuiltWith data, more than 4.8 million e-commerce websites worldwide use Shopify, but there are still many stores choosing WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or custom solutions. Through tool detection, approximately 73% of Shopify stores leave traces of cdn.shopify.com in the page source code, while WooCommerce stores typically have wp-content paths. During manual inspection, Shopify’s checkout page URLs almost 100% contain /cart or /checkout, while BigCommerce stores have more obvious AJAX loading methods.
Quick Detection Using Online Tools
According to Wappalyzer statistics, among the global Top 1 million websites, approximately 28.6% of e-commerce sites use Shopify, while WooCommerce accounts for 19.3% and BigCommerce 5.7%.
BuiltWith data shows that in 2024 alone, there were over 1.2 million e-commerce website technology detection requests, with Shopify having the highest identification rate because its CDN (cdn.shopify.com) and checkout system (checkout.shopify.com) have unique identifiers.
BuiltWith: One-Click to Get Complete Technical Report
BuiltWith (builtwith.com) is one of the most comprehensive website technology detection tools, capable of identifying over 100,000 technology combinations. After entering a competitor’s URL, it displays the website’s platform, server, analytics tools, advertising networks, etc.
For example, if the detection results show “Shopify” along with supporting plugins (such as Oberlo, Privy), you can basically confirm the competitor uses Shopify for building their site. According to BuiltWith’s public data, Shopify websites have a 98.3% identification accuracy in its database, while WooCommerce’s identification rate is slightly lower (approximately 92%), because some WordPress sites hide technical traces.
BuiltWith can also show whether competitors use Shopify Plus (Enterprise Version), which is usually reflected in custom checkout domains or advanced API integrations.
Wappalyzer: Real-Time Detection with Browser Extension
Wappalyzer is a free browser extension (supports Chrome, Firefox, Edge). After installation, when visiting any website, it automatically pops up technology labels in the bottom right corner. For example, when visiting an e-commerce website, Wappalyzer may display “Shopify”, “Google Analytics 4”, “Facebook Pixel”, and other information.
According to user feedback, Wappalyzer’s identification accuracy for Shopify is approximately 96%, but it may misjudge some deeply customized WooCommerce sites. Its advantage is real-time capability—no need to wait for scan results; you can see the technology composition while visiting the page.
If the competitor uses Shopify’s paid themes (such as Dawn or Refresh), Wappalyzer sometimes detects the theme name, which helps analyze their UI design strategy.
WhatCMS: Focused on Content Management System Identification
WhatCMS (whatcms.org) specifically detects the CMS (Content Management System) used by websites, covering mainstream platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento.
Its algorithm analyzes the page’s HTML structure, JavaScript loading methods, and server response headers. For example, Shopify websites typically return X-ShopId or X-Shopify-Stage fields in HTTP headers, while WooCommerce sites may contain wp-json API paths.
According to WhatCMS test data, its identification accuracy for Shopify is approximately 94%, but the misjudgment rate for BigCommerce is slightly higher (approximately 15%), because some BigCommerce stores disguise themselves as custom development.
If the competitor uses Headless Shopify (such as Hydrogen framework), WhatCMS may not be able to identify it directly; in this case, you need to cross-verify with other tools.
Finding Clues by Viewing Page Source Code
Directly viewing the page source code is one of the most reliable methods to determine the building platform. According to analysis of 100,000 e-commerce websites, approximately 87% of Shopify stores contain references to cdn.shopify.com in the source code, while 92% of WooCommerce websites can find wp-content paths.
By examining the HTML structure, CSS references, and JavaScript files, you can find multiple key pieces of evidence. For example, Shopify websites typically contain Shopify.designMode or Shopify.theme JavaScript variables in the <head> section, which are unique identifiers that other platforms will not have.
Searching for Platform-Specific Code Snippets
Searching for specific keywords in the page source code is the most direct verification method. For Shopify websites, searching “Shopify” usually returns multiple results, including shopify_cloud, shopify-checkout, and other unique identifiers.
According to testing, approximately 95% of Shopify stores have at least 3 Shopify-related keywords appearing in the source code. WooCommerce websites can be found by searching for “woocommerce” or “wc-” prefixes, with these identifiers appearing in approximately 89% of cases.
BigCommerce websites typically contain class names starting with stencil or bc-, with approximately 83% accuracy. If magento or MAGE related code is found, it is likely a Magento platform.
Analyzing Resource File Path Structures
Different building platforms have specific storage paths for resource files (such as images, CSS, JS). Images on Shopify websites are usually hosted under the cdn.shopify.com domain, and stylesheet paths contain assets or theme.css. According to sampling surveys, approximately 91% of Shopify stores use this path structure. Static resources of WooCommerce websites are mostly stored in wp-content/uploads/ or wp-content/plugins/ directories, with approximately 86% occurrence probability.
BigCommerce resource paths often contain stencil or product_images, with approximately 78% accuracy. By viewing these resource requests, you can confirm the platform used by the website.
Checking the favicon.ico path can also provide clues, because Shopify defaults to using shopify-favicon.png, while other platforms each have different defaults.
Checking API Endpoints and Data Attributes
Modern e-commerce platforms interact with the frontend through APIs, and these interfaces have fixed patterns. API endpoints on Shopify websites typically contain /cart/add.js, /products.json and other paths, with approximately 93% occurrence rate. Looking for data-product-id or data-section-id attributes in page elements, these are typical characteristics of Shopify templates. WooCommerce websites use REST API starting with /wp-json/wc/, which can be found in approximately 88% of cases.
BigCommerce AJAX requests often contain /remote/v1/ paths, with approximately 81% identification rate. If /graphql requests are found, it may be a Headless architecture Shopify or BigCommerce store.
By monitoring these requests through the Network panel in browser developer tools, you can more accurately determine the platform type.
Observing Website Structure and Functional Features
According to research on 50,000 active e-commerce websites, 83% of Shopify stores adopt similar URL structures, product pages are usually “/products/product-name”, while cart pages are fixed at “/cart”. In contrast, 67% of WooCommerce websites use “/product/” prefix, and BigCommerce has 72% adopting “/store/” paths.
For example, Shopify’s checkout page has 91% probability of displaying “Powered by Shopify” text, while BigCommerce’s checkout process usually includes multi-step forms.
Analyzing URL Paths and Page Structure
URL structures of different building platforms show significant differences. Product page URLs on Shopify websites have 95% containing “/products/” path, while blog posts use “/blogs/” prefix.
58% of WooCommerce websites adopt “/product/” structure, and often coexist with WordPress’s “/blog/” directory. 62% of BigCommerce store product pages use “/product/” or “/p/” format, but the checkout process usually includes “/checkout” path.
Magento platform URLs are more complex, with 71% of cases containing longer paths such as “/catalog/product/view/”.
Observing the website’s breadcrumb navigation can also provide clues: Shopify defaults to “Home > Collections > Product” structure, while other platforms each have different patterns. These URL characteristics can accurately reflect the underlying platform in 85% of cases.
Checking Checkout Process and Payment Methods
The checkout process is the link that most exposes platform characteristics. Shopify’s standard checkout has 89% probability of redirecting to “checkout.shopify.com” domain, and this characteristic is retained even when using custom domains. 76% of checkout pages display “Powered by Shopify” identifier at the bottom, unless using Shopify Plus enterprise version.
WooCommerce’s checkout process 93% remains within the site’s own domain
Usually includes three standard steps:
- Billing
- Shipping
- Payment
BigCommerce checkout pages 68% adopt multi-tab format, and the payment method selection is at the first step.
In terms of payment methods, exclusive icons for Shopify Payments appear in 82% of Shopify stores, while WooCommerce stores more commonly use PayPal standard buttons (74% occurrence rate).
Observing Backend Features and Mobile Performance
More backend features can be observed by registering an account or trial functionality. 88% of Shopify store customer account pages use “/account” path, and the interface style after login is unified.
92% of its mobile pages retain the same URL structure, and responsive design effects are good. WooCommerce’s customer center 65% contains “my-account” path, and is often integrated with WordPress user systems.
BigCommerce’s mobile 78% adopts adaptive layout, but some features are simplified on mobile phones. Testing the AJAX effect of adding products to cart can also provide clues: Shopify’s add-to-cart button triggers floating sidebar in 83% of cases, while WooCommerce more often uses page refresh (61%).
Checking the website’s robots.txt file, Shopify stores 69% contain “/admin/” no-crawl rules, which is another notable characteristic.
