How-to · 6 min read
How to tell if a store runs Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce
When you're researching stores, one of the first useful facts is which platform they're built on. Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce are three of the most common, and each leaves recognisable traces in a site's public code. Knowing which is which tells you a lot about how a store operates — and which tools you could use to build something similar.
The fastest way: scan it
The quickest route is to let a detector do the work. Our tool identifies Shopify stores directly, and for non-Shopify sites the platform detector names the CMS or e-commerce platform — WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, and more. But it's worth knowing the signals yourself, so here they are.
Check any store's platform
Scan it — if it's not Shopify, detect the platform instead.
Shopify fingerprints
Shopify stores reliably reference Shopify's CDN (addresses containing cdn.shopify.com or a /cdn/shop/ path), often include a Shopify object in the page source, and may carry a Shopify-specific server header. If you see these, it's Shopify. We cover this in depth in how to tell if a site is built on Shopify.
WooCommerce (WordPress) fingerprints
WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress, so it carries both sets of traces. Look for references to wp-content and wp-includes (WordPress), plus woocommerce in class names, script paths, or plugin folders. If you see WordPress markers alongside WooCommerce ones, you've found a self-hosted store — which usually means the owner wanted more control and flexibility than a hosted platform gives.
BigCommerce fingerprints
BigCommerce stores typically load assets from its CDN (addresses referencing bigcommerce.com) and include platform-specific markup. It's less common than the other two but popular with larger catalogues.
Why the platform matters for your research
- It signals the store's priorities. A hosted platform like Shopify or BigCommerce points to a store that values simplicity and speed of setup. Self-hosted WooCommerce points to one that wanted flexibility and is comfortable managing more themselves.
- It tells you which tools apply. If you admire a WooCommerce store's features, you'd look for WordPress plugins; for a Shopify store, you'd look at Shopify apps.
- It sets expectations for what you can detect. Shopify exposes theme names cleanly; other platforms reveal different details.
When you can't tell
Some sites — especially large custom or headless builds — deliberately hide these signals, so a scan may come back "platform unknown." That's not a failure; it's usually a sign of a sophisticated, well-resourced store that built its front end custom. Treat "unknown" as information in itself.
Once you know the platform, the rest of your competitor audit falls into place — you know which themes, apps, or plugins to look at next.