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Posted on • Originally published at prateeksha.com

How to Find Which Shopify Apps a Store Is Using

Quick hook

Curious which Shopify apps power a store’s features — product reviews, popups, analytics, or loyalty programs? You can often identify many of the public-facing apps with a few quick inspections and tools, which is great for competitive research, inspiration, or debugging integrations.

Context: what’s possible (and what isn’t)

Shopify does not publish an installed-app list for stores. Apps that inject scripts, widgets, or assets into the storefront are detectable, but backend-only apps (shipping, accounting, some inventory systems) leave no visible trace. Expect partial visibility: you’ll find the front-end tools, not everything in the merchant’s admin.

If you want a longer walk-through I’ve written a detailed guide at https://prateeksha.com/blog/how-to-find-shopify-apps-used-by-a-store, and you can browse other related posts at https://prateeksha.com/blog or my site https://prateeksha.com for more examples.

The practical approach — step-by-step

Here’s a sequence that developers and technical founders use to identify storefront apps reliably.

  1. Manual source inspection
  2. Open the store, right-click and choose “View Page Source” (or press Ctrl+U / Cmd+Option+U).
  3. Search (Ctrl/Cmd+F) for keywords: cdn.shopify.com, shopify, or app vendor names like klaviyo, loox, judge.me, yotpo.

  4. Look for script src, link tags, HTML comments, or "Powered by" badges.

  5. Use the browser DevTools

  6. Open DevTools (F12 or Inspect) and check the Network tab while reloading the page.

  7. Filter by JS, XHR, or simply search network requests for vendor domains (klaviyo.com, loox.io, hotjar.com, etc.).

  8. Inspect the Elements panel for injected widgets, data attributes, or inline scripts that reference plugins.

  9. Quick app-detection tools

  10. Install extensions such as Koala Inspector or Shopify App Detector for a fast scan. They aggregate known patterns and vendor domains.

  11. Online scanners like Wappalyzer or Koala Inspector’s web tool can give a summary without installing anything.

  12. Spot visible widgets and badges

  13. Reviews, popups, chat boxes, and referral banners often carry vendor names or links (“Powered by Judge.me”).

  14. Click into widgets — some open a control panel or vendor page showing the product.

Checklist: what to search for

  • Domains: klaviyo.com, loox.io, judge.me, yotpo.com, hotjar.com, segment.com, google-analytics.com.
  • File patterns: script src with vendor subdomains or query strings like ?shop= or app_id.
  • Cookies and localStorage entries named after vendors.
  • HTML badges or comments left by apps.

Implementation tips and best practices

  • Filter network requests by domain: DevTools lets you quickly isolate third-party hosts to see what’s loaded and when.
  • Search the JS source for obvious vendor strings; minified files still commonly include vendor names or API keys.
  • Remember caching: hard-refresh (Ctrl+F5 / Cmd+Shift+R) to force third-party scripts to load anew.
  • Respect robots and rate limits: don’t crawl aggressively or scrape. Use only non-intrusive techniques and public information.
  • Keep a lookup sheet of common vendor domains and recognizable patterns — it speeds future scans.

Limitations and privacy/legal notes

Detection is inherently imperfect. Some apps run purely server-side or route scripts through the store’s domain, making them invisible. Others deliberately obfuscate or inline code, which increases difficulty.

Using browser tools and public information is legal in most jurisdictions, but avoid breaking terms of service, scraping aggressively, or accessing private admin endpoints. If in doubt, ask the store owner — direct outreach is often the fastest route.

When detection fails

If you can’t find an app but see a feature you want to replicate:

  • Contact the store owner and ask which app they use — many merchants are happy to share.
  • Search the Shopify App Store for similar features and demos.
  • Recreate the functionality with your own implementation if it’s core to your product.

Quick reference: tools and resources

  • Browser DevTools (Network, Elements).
  • Chrome extensions: Koala Inspector, Shopify App Detector.
  • Online tech scanners: Wappalyzer, Koala Inspector’s web scanner.
  • Shopify App Store for alternatives and screenshots.

Conclusion

Finding which Shopify apps a store uses is a mix of detective work and tooling. With source inspection, DevTools network analysis, and a couple of browser extensions you’ll uncover the majority of publicly exposed apps. For a full step-by-step walkthrough and examples, see https://prateeksha.com/blog/how-to-find-shopify-apps-used-by-a-store. For more posts on investigating and building modern stores, visit https://prateeksha.com/blog or my homepage at https://prateeksha.com.

If you want, share a store URL and I can walk through the detection steps and point out likely vendors and quick implementation ideas.

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