How-to · 6 min read
How to tell if a site is built on Shopify or WordPress
Shopify and WordPress are two of the most common ways to build a website, but they're built for different jobs — Shopify for selling products, WordPress for content and flexibility. If you're trying to figure out which one a site uses (to research it, or to decide what to build yourself), here's how to tell them apart quickly.
The fastest way: just check
Paste the site's URL into the platform detector and it'll tell you what the site runs on — Shopify, WordPress, or something else entirely — by reading the fingerprints each platform leaves in the page. This takes a few seconds and removes all guesswork. If you just want the answer, that's the whole method.
Check any site's platform
Shopify, WordPress, or something else — in seconds.
Signs a site is Shopify
If you want to spot it by hand, Shopify leaves clear traces. In the page source (right-click, "View page source," then Ctrl+F) you'll often find references to cdn.shopify.com or /cdn/shop/ — Shopify's content network. The checkout is a big tell too: Shopify stores route to a checkout on Shopify's secure system. And the URL structure often uses /products/ and /collections/ paths, which is Shopify's standard. Any one of these strongly suggests Shopify.
Signs a site is WordPress
WordPress has its own fingerprints. In the source, look for wp-content, wp-includes, or /wp-json/ — these paths are WordPress giveaways and appear on the vast majority of WordPress sites. The presence of wp-content/plugins/ also tells you which plugins the site runs. If a site is an online store on WordPress, you'll often also see woocommerce in the code, since WooCommerce is the standard way to sell on WordPress.
The quick mental model
A simple way to think about it: if it's primarily a store with a smooth, standardised checkout, it's more likely Shopify. If it's content-heavy — a blog, a magazine, a brochure site — or a store with more custom, varied design, it's more likely WordPress. This isn't foolproof (WordPress can run shops, Shopify can host content), but it's a useful first instinct before you confirm.
Shopify optimises for selling; WordPress optimises for flexibility. The platform a site chose usually reflects which of those mattered more to its owner.
Why it matters
Knowing the platform tells you a lot about a site. If you're researching a competitor, it frames everything else — a Shopify store and a WooCommerce store operate differently. If you're deciding what to build yourself, seeing what sites you admire use is genuinely helpful input. And if you're a shopper checking a store's legitimacy, confirming it runs on a known platform with a secure checkout is reassuring. In all these cases, the platform is the foundation everything else sits on.
The bottom line
You can spot Shopify by its CDN and checkout, and WordPress by its wp- paths — or you can skip the hunt and scan the site for an instant answer. Either way, identifying the platform takes under a minute and tells you which rules the rest of the site plays by.
Keep reading: Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce fingerprints, or what platform any website is built on.