# Website Tech Stack Detector - BuiltWith Alternative (`zahidthani/website-tech-stack-detector`) Actor

Find the technologies behind any list of websites: CMS, e-commerce platform, frameworks, analytics, ad pixels, chat, CDN, hosting, plus email and DNS providers from public DNS. Pay only for websites analyzed.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/zahidthani/website-tech-stack-detector.md
- **Developed by:** [Zahid Thani](https://apify.com/zahidthani) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, SEO tools, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 website analyzeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Website Tech Stack Detector (BuiltWith & Wappalyzer Alternative)

**Paste a list of domains and get the technologies behind each website: CMS, Shopify and other e-commerce
platforms, JavaScript frameworks, analytics, ad pixels, live chat, CDN and hosting, plus the company's email
provider and verified SaaS tools from public DNS. $2 per 1,000 websites. Unreachable and blocked sites are free.**

### What can this tech stack detector do?

- 🔍 **176 detection rules in 40 categories**: CMS and site builders, e-commerce, payments, JS frameworks, analytics
  and session recording, ad pixels, tag managers, marketing automation, email marketing, live chat, reviews,
  cookie consent, A/B testing, error monitoring, CDN, hosting, web servers and back-end languages.
- 📬 **DNS signals that browser extensions can't see**: the email provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho...),
  email security (Mimecast, Proofpoint), transactional email (SendGrid, Amazon SES, Postmark), the DNS host, and
  SaaS tools the company has verified (Salesforce, Atlassian, Zoom, DocuSign, Stripe...).
- 🧾 **Lead-ready columns**: one value per field (`cms`, `ecommercePlatform`, `jsFramework`, `hosting`, `cdn`,
  `emailProvider`, `dnsProvider`), so you can filter a spreadsheet in seconds. Full detail is in `technologies`.
- 🔢 **Versions** where the site exposes them (WordPress, nginx, PHP, jQuery, Angular...).
- ⚡ **Bulk and fast**: thousands of domains per run, 10-50 in parallel. Paste domains, URLs or even work emails
  (only the domain is used).
- 💸 **Fair billing**: you pay only for websites actually analysed. Dead domains and error pages are free. Sites that
  block automated visits still get a DNS-only result (email provider, Shopify by IP, CDN), flagged and free.

### Who uses it

- **Sales prospecting and lead enrichment:** find every Shopify store in a list, or every company on Microsoft 365
  vs Google Workspace, HubSpot vs Salesforce, before you reach out.
- **Agencies:** qualify leads by CMS (WordPress, Webflow, Wix...) and spot outdated versions to pitch a rebuild.
- **Competitor research:** see which analytics, ad pixels, chat and A/B testing tools rivals use.
- **SaaS market sizing:** measure how common a technology is across a list of sites.
- **AI agents and CRMs:** add a tech-stack column to any lead list via API, MCP, Make, Zapier or n8n.

### How to use it

1. Click **Try for free**. The form opens with three example sites.
2. Paste your domains, URLs or work emails, one per line (or upload a list via the API).
3. Leave **Include DNS signals** on (it's what finds the email provider and SaaS tools).
4. Click **Start**. Three sites take about 5-10 seconds; 1,000 sites take a few minutes.
5. Open the **Overview** table and filter by `cms`, `ecommercePlatform` or `emailProvider`, or export CSV/Excel.

### Input example

```json
{
  "websites": ["hubspot.com", "https://vercel.com", "jane@stripe.com"],
  "includeDns": true,
  "includeEvidence": false,
  "maxConcurrency": 10
}
```

| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| `websites` | Domains, URLs or email addresses (duplicates are removed) |
| `includeDns` | Read MX, TXT, NS and A records for email provider, SaaS verifications, DNS host and Shopify-by-IP (default on) |
| `includeEvidence` | Add where each technology was found (script, header, cookie, meta, DNS) |
| `maxConcurrency` | Sites in parallel, 1-50 (default 10) |
| `proxyConfiguration` | Off by default. Turn on Apify Proxy (Residential) for sites that block automated visits |

### Output example

A real result from a run on 6 October 2026 (the `technologies` list is shortened):

```json
{
  "type": "website",
  "input": "hubspot.com",
  "domain": "hubspot.com",
  "finalUrl": "https://www.hubspot.com/",
  "statusCode": 200,
  "title": "HubSpot | Software & Tools for your Business - Homepage",
  "technologyCount": 12,
  "cms": "HubSpot CMS",
  "ecommercePlatform": null,
  "jsFramework": null,
  "hosting": null,
  "cdn": "Cloudflare",
  "emailProvider": "Google Workspace",
  "dnsProvider": "Cloudflare DNS",
  "analytics": ["Cloudflare Web Analytics"],
  "advertising": [],
  "categories": {
    "CMS": ["HubSpot CMS"],
    "CDN": ["Cloudflare"],
    "Collaboration": ["Apple Business", "Atlassian", "DocuSign", "Zoom"],
    "DNS provider": ["Cloudflare DNS"],
    "Email provider": ["Google Workspace"],
    "Marketing automation": ["HubSpot"],
    "Payments": ["Stripe (verified)"],
    "Tag manager": ["Google Tag Manager"]
  },
  "technologies": [
    { "name": "HubSpot CMS", "category": "CMS", "version": null },
    { "name": "Google Workspace", "category": "Email provider", "version": null }
  ],
  "dns": {
    "mx": ["smtp.google.com"],
    "ns": ["jerry.ns.cloudflare.com", "yolanda.ns.cloudflare.com"],
    "a": ["104.17.91.187", "104.17.92.187"],
    "spf": "v=spf1 redirect=_hspf.hubspot.com"
  }
}
```

When a site answers with a bot wall or a rate-limit page, you get a free, flagged DNS-only result instead. From
the same run:

```json
{
  "type": "website",
  "input": "allbirds.com",
  "statusCode": 429,
  "pageBlocked": true,
  "ecommercePlatform": "Shopify",
  "emailProvider": "Microsoft 365",
  "cdn": "Cloudflare",
  "note": "Homepage blocked automated access (HTTP 429); only DNS and header signals were used. Not charged. Try again with Apify Proxy (Residential) for a full scan."
}
```

Domains that don't resolve come back as `{"type": "error", "input": "...", "error": "..."}`, also free.

### How much does it cost to detect a website's tech stack?

| Event | Price | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Website analysed | $0.002 | **$2.00** |
| Run start | $0.0005 | - |

| Job | Cost |
|---|---|
| 10 websites | about $0.02 |
| 1,000 websites | about $2.00 |
| 10,000 websites | about $20.00 |

Failed, unreachable and blocked sites are never charged. Set **Maximum cost per run** and the Actor stops cleanly
at your budget.

### Use it with AI agents (MCP) and the API

Connect it to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client via
`https://mcp.apify.com?tools=zahidthani/website-tech-stack-detector` and ask, for example:

> Which of these 50 domains run Shopify, and which use Microsoft 365 for email? Return a table.

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/zahidthani~website-tech-stack-detector/run-sync-get-dataset-items" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"websites": ["stripe.com", "notion.so"]}'
```

### How it compares

| | This Actor | BuiltWith / Wappalyzer subscriptions | Wappalyzer browser extension | Other Store tech detectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost for 1,000 sites | **$2** | Monthly plans | Free, one site at a time | $0.24 to $100 |
| Bulk lists (thousands of domains) | Yes | Yes (paid tiers) | No | Yes |
| Email provider and SaaS tools from DNS | **Yes** | Partial | No | Rarely |
| Failed / blocked sites charged | **No** | n/a | n/a | Often yes |
| One-value lead columns (`cms`, `ecommercePlatform`, `emailProvider`) | Yes | Export-dependent | No | Some |
| Historical data (when a site adopted a tool) | No | **Yes** (BuiltWith) | No | Rarely |
| API, schedules, Zapier/Make/n8n, MCP | Yes | API on paid plans | No | Yes |

### Limits and tips

- Detection reads the homepage (after redirects) plus DNS. Technologies used only on inner pages or after login
  won't show. Pass a specific URL (e.g. `shop.example.com/cart`) to check a particular page.
- Some sites, including many Shopify stores, rate-limit cloud IPs. You still get the DNS-only result for free.
  Turn on Apify Proxy (Residential) for a full page scan of those sites.
- Results reflect what a site exposes publicly. Some companies hide version numbers or server headers.

### FAQ

**Is this a free Wappalyzer or BuiltWith alternative?** It's pay-as-you-go: $2 per 1,000 websites with no
subscription, and Apify's free plan credit covers your first runs. Detection uses our own rule set, plus DNS checks
that browser extensions can't do.

**How do I find all Shopify (or WordPress, HubSpot...) sites in my lead list?** Run your domain list, then filter the
`ecommercePlatform` or `cms` column in the Overview table or the CSV/Excel export.

**How do I find out which email provider a company uses?** Leave `includeDns` on. The `emailProvider` column comes
from the domain's public MX and SPF records.

**Can I monitor competitors for changes?** Yes. Save the input as a task and schedule it monthly. Compare the
`technologies` lists between runs.

**Is it legal?** The Actor reads only **public** web pages and **public** DNS records of the domains you provide,
with no login. It collects no personal data. If you paste email addresses, only the domain part is used.

**Something broke?** Open an issue on the **Issues** tab. The Actor is monitored daily and fixed quickly.

### Related Actors

- [App Store & Google Play Reviews Scraper](https://apify.com/zahidthani/app-store-google-play-reviews): what users say about any app, in both stores.
- [Google Trends Scraper](https://apify.com/zahidthani/google-trends-scraper): search demand for any keyword or brand.
- [Google Trends Trending Now Monitor](https://apify.com/zahidthani/google-trends-trending-now): every trending search per country, with alerts.

# Actor input Schema

## `websites` (type: `array`):

One per line: a domain (example.com), a URL, or even a work email address (its domain is used). Duplicates are removed.

## `includeDns` (type: `boolean`):

Read the domain's public MX, TXT, NS and A records to find the email provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365...), email security, transactional email, verified SaaS tools (Salesforce, Slack, Zoom...), the DNS host, and Shopify stores by IP. Adds no cost.

## `includeEvidence` (type: `boolean`):

Add where each technology was spotted (html, script, header, cookie, dns...).

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

How many websites to analyze in parallel. Higher is faster; lower is gentler on slow sites.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Not needed for most sites. Turn on if many of your sites block datacenter traffic.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "websites": [
    "wordpress.org",
    "vercel.com",
    "hubspot.com"
  ],
  "includeDns": true,
  "includeEvidence": false,
  "maxConcurrency": 10,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "websites": [
        "wordpress.org",
        "vercel.com",
        "hubspot.com"
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("zahidthani/website-tech-stack-detector").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "websites": [
        "wordpress.org",
        "vercel.com",
        "hubspot.com",
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("zahidthani/website-tech-stack-detector").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "websites": [
    "wordpress.org",
    "vercel.com",
    "hubspot.com"
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call zahidthani/website-tech-stack-detector --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,zahidthani/website-tech-stack-detector"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/7AocPakThZlcrhQTR/builds/qp13Edi4izyOAj82S/openapi.json