Wappalyzer for Chrome: The Complete Guide to Technology Detection

What Is Wappalyzer for Chrome?

Wappalyzer for Chrome is a browser extension that reveals the technologies powering any website you visit. With over 3 million users and a 4.6-star rating in the Chrome Web Store, it's become the go-to tool for sales professionals, marketers, and developers who need to understand a company's tech stack quickly.

The extension detects content management systems, eCommerce platforms, JavaScript frameworks, analytics tools, payment processors, CRM systems, CDN providers, and much more—over a thousand different technologies across dozens of categories. When you land on any website, simply click the Wappalyzer icon in your browser toolbar to see exactly what's running under the hood.

Why Tech Stack Detection Matters for B2B Professionals

Understanding a prospect's technology stack isn't just trivia—it's actionable sales intelligence that can dramatically improve your outreach and conversion rates. Here's why this matters:

For Sales Development Reps

Knowing that a prospect uses Salesforce, HubSpot, or a specific eCommerce platform lets you tailor your pitch. If you're selling a tool that integrates with Shopify and you know your prospect runs Shopify, that's an instant hook. If they're using a competitor's analytics platform, you know exactly which pain points to address.

For Marketers

Tech stack data reveals how sophisticated a company's marketing operation is. A company running Google Tag Manager, multiple analytics platforms, and A/B testing tools is likely more mature and has bigger budgets than one running just basic WordPress with no add-ons.

For Agencies and Consultants

Before any sales call, you can audit a prospect's current setup and come prepared with specific recommendations. This positions you as an expert from the first conversation rather than someone fishing for information.

How to Install and Use Wappalyzer for Chrome

Getting started with Wappalyzer takes less than two minutes:

1. Visit the Chrome Web Store and search for "Wappalyzer" or navigate directly to the extension page
2. Click "Add to Chrome" and confirm the installation
3. Navigate to any website you want to analyze
4. Click the Wappalyzer icon in your browser toolbar (usually in the top right)
5. Review the technology list organized by category (CMS, Analytics, JavaScript, etc.)

The free version shows you the technologies detected on any site you're actively viewing. For deeper data like company information and contact details, you'll need a paid plan—which brings us to an important consideration.

Wappalyzer Pricing: The Catch with "Free"

While the Wappalyzer Chrome extension is free to install and use for basic technology lookups, the pricing becomes significant when you need more:

• Free tier: 50 website lookups per month
• Paid plans: Start around $250/month for 5,000 lookups
• API access: Uses a credit-based system where credits expire after 60-365 days depending on your plan

For many users—especially individual sales reps or small teams—this pricing model quickly becomes prohibitive. If you're prospecting at any reasonable volume, you'll burn through 50 free lookups in a single day of outreach.

Wappalyzer Limitations to Consider

Based on actual user feedback, here are the most common issues people encounter:

• Data accuracy: The detection isn't always reliable. Users report that some technologies are missed entirely or reported incorrectly
• Limited free usage: 50 lookups per month disappears fast when you're actively prospecting
• No bulk processing: The Chrome extension only works one site at a time—there's no way to analyze a list of URLs at once
• Expensive scaling: If you need technology data for lead generation at scale, costs add up quickly

Alternative: Bulk Tech Stack Scraping

For many B2B use cases, the website-by-website approach of browser extensions is fundamentally inefficient. If you have a list of 500 target companies, clicking through each one manually isn't realistic.

This is where bulk tech stack tools become essential. Galadon's free Tech Stack Scraper lets you analyze multiple websites at once, identifying the technologies they use without the per-lookup fees that make tools like Wappalyzer expensive at scale.

When to Use a Chrome Extension vs. Bulk Tools

Use the Wappalyzer Chrome extension when:

• You're on a discovery call and need instant intel on the company you're speaking with
• You're browsing competitor websites and want to see their stack
• You're doing one-off research on a specific company

Use a bulk scraper when:

• You're building a prospecting list and need tech data for dozens or hundreds of companies
• You want to find all companies using a specific technology (like all Shopify stores in your market)
• You're doing competitive analysis across an entire market segment

BuiltWith: The Enterprise Alternative

For enterprise users with bigger budgets, BuiltWith is Wappalyzer's main competitor. Their platform tracks over 109,000 technologies across hundreds of millions of websites and offers sophisticated filtering and lead generation features.

However, BuiltWith's pricing reflects its enterprise focus—plans start at $295/month for basic access and scale up to $995/month for unlimited features. For most individual sales reps and small teams, this is overkill both in features and cost.

Practical Tech Stack Intelligence Strategies

Now that you understand the tools, here's how to actually use tech stack data to close more deals:

Strategy 1: The Competitor Displacement Play

If you sell software, identify which competing solutions your prospects currently use. Then craft messaging that speaks to specific pain points of that competitor. This works especially well for categories like:

• CRM systems (Salesforce vs. HubSpot vs. Pipedrive)
• Email marketing (Mailchimp vs. Klaviyo vs. ActiveCampaign)
• eCommerce platforms (Shopify vs. WooCommerce vs. BigCommerce)

Strategy 2: The Integration Angle

If your product integrates with specific tools, use tech stack data to find companies already using those tools. A prospect who already has Slack, Notion, and Zapier is much more likely to adopt another tool that plays nicely with their existing stack.

Strategy 3: The Sophistication Filter

Tech stack complexity often correlates with company sophistication and budget. A company running enterprise analytics, A/B testing, personalization tools, and multiple marketing platforms likely has:

• A dedicated marketing team
• Budget for tools
• Technical resources to implement your solution

This helps you prioritize prospects who are actually ready to buy.

Strategy 4: Timing Your Outreach

Some tech stack tools can show you when a company recently added or removed a technology. A company that just adopted a new CRM is in implementation mode—bad time to sell them another tool. But a company that recently dropped a competitor of yours? Perfect timing.

Combining Tech Stack Data with Contact Information

Technology intelligence is only valuable if you can actually reach the decision-makers at those companies. This is where combining multiple data sources becomes powerful.

Once you've identified companies using technologies that make them good prospects, you need to find the right people to contact. Galadon's Email Finder helps you locate professional email addresses when you have a name and company, while the Mobile Number Finder can surface direct phone numbers for more aggressive outreach strategies.

Building Your Tech Stack Prospecting Workflow

Here's a practical workflow that combines multiple tools for effective tech-based prospecting:

1. Define your ideal tech stack: What technologies indicate a good prospect? Write down 5-10 specific tools your best customers typically use
2. Build your target list: Use bulk tech stack tools to find companies matching your criteria
3. Enrich with contact data: Find email addresses and phone numbers for relevant decision-makers
4. Personalize your outreach: Reference specific technologies in your messaging to demonstrate you've done your homework
5. Track and iterate: Monitor which tech stack profiles convert best and refine your targeting

Final Thoughts: Getting the Most from Technology Detection

Wappalyzer for Chrome is a solid tool for quick, on-the-fly technology lookups while you're browsing. The free tier works well for casual use, and the Chrome extension itself is fast and reliable.

However, if you're doing any kind of volume prospecting, you'll quickly hit the free tier limits and face a decision: pay significant monthly fees or find alternative tools that don't charge per lookup.

For most B2B sales professionals, the sweet spot is combining a free browser extension for real-time lookups with a bulk scraping tool for building prospect lists. This gives you both the instant intel you need during calls and the ability to build technology-targeted campaigns without breaking your budget.

Whatever tools you choose, the key is actually using the data. Tech stack intelligence sitting in a spreadsheet helps no one. The real value comes from translating that data into personalized, relevant outreach that demonstrates you understand your prospect's world.