The Best Wappalyzer Alternatives for Technology Lookup

Why Look for Wappalyzer Alternatives?

Wappalyzer is a solid tool for identifying the technologies behind any website. It detects CMS platforms, e-commerce systems, analytics tools, marketing software, and more. For sales teams, this kind of technographic data is gold—it helps you tailor your outreach and identify companies that might need your product.

But Wappalyzer has limitations that push many users to explore alternatives. The free tier caps you at 50 lookups per month, which disappears fast if you're doing any serious prospecting. After that, you're looking at $250/month for 5,000 lookups. For small teams or individual sales reps, that adds up quickly.

The other issue is completeness. While Wappalyzer excels at detecting frontend technologies, it's less reliable for backend systems. If you need to know whether a company uses a specific CRM or backend framework, you might get incomplete data.

Let's break down the best alternatives across different use cases and budgets.

Free Wappalyzer Alternatives

WhatRuns

WhatRuns is the go-to free alternative for quick tech lookups. It's a browser extension available for Chrome and Firefox that instantly shows you what technologies power any website you visit.

The extension detects frameworks, analytics tools, WordPress plugins, fonts, CDNs, and more. WhatRuns also lets you "follow" websites—when they add or remove technologies, you get notified. This is useful for tracking competitors or monitoring prospects.

The catch? WhatRuns is purely a detection tool. There's no database to search, no lead lists to export, and no contact data. It's excellent for one-off lookups when you're researching a specific company, but it won't help you build prospect lists at scale.

Best for: Developers, designers, and sales reps who need quick tech identification while browsing.

Galadon Tech Stack Scraper

If you need free technology detection with the ability to find companies using specific technologies, our Tech Stack Scraper fills that gap. You can identify the technologies behind any website and search for companies using particular tools—without the per-lookup limits that eat through Wappalyzer's free tier.

The tool is designed for sales and marketing teams who need actionable data, not just passive browsing insights. Once you identify target companies, you can use our Email Finder to locate decision-maker contacts at those companies.

Best for: Sales teams and marketers who need free tech lookup with lead generation capabilities.

Hunter TechLookup

Hunter, the popular email finder, offers a free TechLookup tool. You can search for companies using specific technologies and export basic lists. The interface is clean and straightforward.

The limitation is that Hunter's technology detection is less comprehensive than dedicated tools. It works well for major platforms but may miss niche or custom technologies. The real value is the integration with Hunter's email-finding capabilities.

Best for: Users already in Hunter's ecosystem who want basic tech filtering for their prospecting.

Mid-Tier Alternatives ($100-$300/month)

Stackcrawler

Stackcrawler offers paid plans starting at $9/month, making it one of the most affordable options for teams that need more than free tools provide. The platform detects trending frameworks and technologies and includes specialized detectors for Shopify themes, WordPress plugins, and WooCommerce.

The Chrome extension works similarly to WhatRuns but with API access for bulk lookups at higher tiers. For small teams running targeted campaigns, this hits a nice balance between capability and cost.

Best for: Budget-conscious teams who need reliable tech detection with some export capabilities.

Wappalyzer Pro

For those who want to stick with Wappalyzer but need more capacity, the Pro plan starts at $250/month and includes 5,000 website lookups. You get API access, integrations with tools like Salesforce and HubSpot, and website monitoring alerts.

Wappalyzer's strength is data freshness—they update tracked sites at least once monthly, compared to competitors who may update quarterly. The browser extension user base (over 2 million daily users) provides traffic indicators you won't find elsewhere.

Best for: Teams committed to Wappalyzer's ecosystem who need higher volumes and integrations.

Enterprise-Level Alternatives ($295+/month)

BuiltWith

BuiltWith is the original technology profiler and remains the most comprehensive option for enterprise users. It tracks over 109,000 technologies and maintains data on hundreds of millions of websites.

The Basic plan starts at $295/month and gives you access to two technology categories. The Pro plan at $495/month unlocks unlimited technologies. For teams, the $995/month plan adds multiple logins and enhanced features.

BuiltWith shines for large-scale market research and competitive analysis. The historical data goes back years, letting you track technology adoption trends over time. The trade-off is complexity—the CSV exports are large and often require cleanup before use.

Best for: Enterprise teams doing market research, competitive intelligence, or large-scale lead generation.

SimilarTech

SimilarTech (part of the Similarweb family) combines technology detection with market intelligence. Plans start around $199/month and include features like market share reports, trend analysis, and competitor tracking.

A unique feature is version tracking—you can see recent technology changes on any website in a timeline format. The platform scans approximately 30 billion pages monthly, giving it broad coverage.

Best for: Market analysts and enterprise sales teams who need technology data combined with traffic and market insights.

How to Choose the Right Alternative

Your choice depends on three factors: budget, scale, and integration needs.

For occasional lookups: Start with WhatRuns or our free Tech Stack Scraper. These handle quick research without monthly fees.

For regular prospecting: If you're doing 50-200 lookups per week, tools like Stackcrawler or the Wappalyzer free tier (with strategic usage) work well. Combine with our Mobile Number Finder to complete your contact data.

For team-wide deployment: At scale, the math changes. BuiltWith or Wappalyzer Pro become cost-effective when split across a team doing thousands of lookups monthly.

Combining Tech Lookup with Lead Generation

Tech stack data alone doesn't close deals. The real power comes from combining technology insights with contact discovery and outreach.

Here's a practical workflow:

1. Identify technology signals: Use your tech lookup tool to find companies using technologies that indicate fit (or pain points you solve)
2. Build your list: Export companies matching your criteria
3. Find contacts: Use an email finder to locate decision-makers at target companies
4. Personalize outreach: Reference their tech stack in your messaging—showing you understand their environment immediately differentiates you

For example, if you sell a Shopify app, finding all Shopify stores in your target market is step one. But the real work is finding the right person to contact and crafting a message that resonates.

Tools like Clay can help automate this workflow by combining data enrichment with outreach sequencing. If you're running cold email campaigns, platforms like Instantly or Smartlead integrate well with technology data for targeted sequences.

The Bottom Line

Wappalyzer is a capable tool, but it's not the only option—and depending on your needs, it might not be the best fit. Free tools like WhatRuns and Galadon's Tech Stack Scraper handle basic lookups without eating into your budget. Mid-tier options like Stackcrawler offer good value for growing teams. And enterprise tools like BuiltWith and SimilarTech provide the depth needed for serious market intelligence.

The key is matching the tool to your actual workflow. Don't pay for enterprise features if you're doing 20 lookups a week. And don't struggle with free tool limitations if technology prospecting is central to your sales motion.

Start with a free tool, understand your real usage patterns, then upgrade when the math makes sense.