Best Shopify App Detectors in 2026 (Updated)
TL;DR
Vitals Shopify App Detector ranks first because it identifies every app a Shopify store is using, estimates the monthly cost of each one, and recommends cheaper alternatives that provide the same functionality. It's completely free to use and requires no signup.
Introduction
A competitor's store converts well, and the theme only explains the layout. The apps running underneath it, the reviews, the upsells, the pop-ups, the urgency timers, are what turn browsers into buyers.
A Shopify app detector (also called a Shopify plugin detector) reads the same public code every visitor's browser already loads and returns that store's full app list in seconds. Naming the apps is the easy part. The harder, more useful question is what those apps cost and whether running them separately makes sense against a single flat-rate alternative. This roundup covers both.
How I selected the best Shopify app detectors
I scored every tool against four fixed criteria:
- Detection depth. Does it return just app names, or does it categorize them, so you understand what each one does?
- Pricing intelligence. Does the tool show what each detected app costs, or leave you to look that up yourself?
- Cost comparison. Does it calculate what you'd save consolidating those apps into a single alternative, or stop at a plain list?
- Cost and gating. What does the tool ask for in return? Some run instantly with no barrier; others route through a signup or a browser extension install first.
Online app detector or Chrome extension?
App detectors come in two forms, and the right one depends on how often you check stores.
- Online detectors run in your browser tab: paste a store URL and get the app list. Nothing to install, and they work the same on any computer or phone. Best if you check a store now and then, or want extra data like app prices. Vitals, LetsMetrix and Sell The Trend work this way.
- Chrome extensions sit in your toolbar and scan the store you're already on with one click. Best if you browse a lot of competitor stores in a day. They need an install and access to the sites you visit, and they only work in Chrome on desktop. ECSPY is a Chrome extension, and DevLuxx offers one alongside its web tool. Koala Inspector and Shopify Theme Detector: Theme & App Finder are two popular free options.
| Tool | How it works | Signup | Prices each app | Names the theme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitals | Online | No | Yes | Yes |
| LetsMetrix | Online | No | No | — |
| ECSPY | Chrome extension | — | No | — |
| DevLuxx | Online + Chrome extension | No | No | Yes |
| Sell The Trend | Online | No | No | — |
| Koala Inspector | Chrome extension | No for detection | No | Yes |
| Shopify Theme Detector: Theme & App Finder | Chrome extension | No | No | Yes |
Whichever you choose, remember what a detector can and can't see. It reads the code a store loads on its pages, so it finds apps that show something to shoppers (reviews, pop-ups, upsells, chat). Apps that work only in the store's admin, like inventory, shipping labels or accounting, leave no trace on the storefront and won't appear.
Read: Best All in One Apps for Shopify in 2026
The best Shopify app detectors in 2026
1. Vitals - Shopify App Detector
Vitals free Shopify App Detector tool scans a store's public code and returns every app it's running, tagged by category, with each app's typical monthly price and a live calculator showing what you'd save running the same setup through Vitals.
With Vitals, you paste a store URL and get back more than a list.
Paste a store URL and the scan lists every app it finds, flags the ones Vitals can replace, and totals what those paid apps cost each month against Vitals' $29.99/month, with no manual research.
Key features
- Detects every app a store runs, organized under category tabs like Email Marketing, Reviews, and Heatmaps & Session Replay.
- Shows each detected app's typical monthly Shopify App Store price next to its name.
- Tags each app "Keep this one" or "Replace with Vitals," so you see at a glance which pieces Vitals covers.
- A savings calculator totaling the store's paid, Vitals-replaceable apps against Vitals' flat $29.99/month.
- Names the store's theme in the same scan.
- No signup, email, or extension required.
Pricing
The Shopify App Detector is completely free and requires no signup.
Pros and cons
Pros: prices every detected app instead of just naming it; calculates real savings automatically; also names the theme; nothing gated behind a form.
Cons: the savings figure only counts apps Vitals directly replaces, so a store running several apps outside Vitals' scope, subscriptions, SMS, page builders, will show a lower total software cost than what it pays each month.
Why do Shopify brands choose Vitals' Shopify App Detector?
Shopify brands choose the Vitals App Detector because it turns a list of unfamiliar app names into an actual decision. Most detectors stop at identification, leaving you to search each app's pricing page yourself before you can compare anything. Vitals prices every detected app in the same scan and calculates the savings against its own $29.99/month automatically, so the tool answers "is this worth switching" instead of just "what's running here." It's built by the team behind the all-in-one Shopify app trusted by 30,000+ merchants.
Read: Best Shopify Apps to Increase Sales [2026]
2. LetsMetrix
LetsMetrix is a Shopify analytics platform. Its App Detector scans a store's public code and returns the apps it's running as one tool inside a broader suite.
You paste a store's URL and click "Detect Apps" to get a list of detected apps with categories.
Key features
- A four-step scan: enter a URL, detect, view the app list, then explore deeper analytics.
- Apps returned with categories attached.
- No signup required for the basic detector scan.
Pricing
The Shopify App Detector itself is free. LetsMetrix's broader analytics platform pricing isn't listed on the detector page; check letsmetrix.com for current plans.
3. ECSPY
ECSPY is a Shopify and WooCommerce app-detection tool distributed mainly as a Chrome extension.
Key features
- Claims detection across 50+ app categories, from marketing to shipping to security.
- Returns app names, categories, ratings, and install links, per the site.
- Distributed as a Chrome extension rather than a paste-and-scan web page.
Pricing: Free
4. DevLuxx
DevLuxx App Detector scans a store's public code against a stated database of over 2,000 apps and also identifies the store's theme in the same scan.
You paste a store's URL and hit analyze for instant results. Alongside the app list, DevLuxx states its tool provides a link to the detected theme.
Key features
- Simple URL-paste analysis with instant results.
- A stated database of 2,000+ apps.
- Available as a Chrome extension in addition to the web tool.
Pricing
Free, with no pricing stated for either the web tool or the Chrome extension.
5. Sell The Trend
Sell The Trend is a dropshipping and product-research platform. Its free Shopify App Detector is one tool inside that broader paid suite, positioned around finding conversion-rate-optimization apps specifically.
Key features
- Categorizes detected apps specifically by CRO function: scarcity, upsells, social proof, and trust.
- States coverage of 10,000+ app signatures, updated every 24 hours.
- No signup required for the basic app-detector scan itself.
Pricing
The app detector is free to use without signup. Sell The Trend's core dropshipping platform runs on a paid trial; check sellthetrend.com for current plans.
6. Koala Inspector
Koala Inspector is a Chrome extension for researching Shopify stores, used by 200,000+ sellers according to its Chrome Web Store listing. It sits in your toolbar, and one click on any Shopify store shows its theme and every app it runs, alongside an estimate of the store's revenue, traffic and best sellers.
App and theme detection are free, which makes it the pick if you browse a lot of competitor stores and want more than the app list. The revenue and traffic estimates use tokens, and the free plan includes 15 a month.
Key features
- Free theme and app detection on any Shopify store, with a link to install the same apps.
- Store overview, best sellers and product browsing on the free plan.
- Estimated revenue, traffic and ads, paid for with tokens (15 free each month).
- Premium tracks up to 50 stores and alerts you when one adds an app, switches theme, launches a product or changes a price.
- 4.6 stars from 770 ratings on the Chrome Web Store.
Pricing
App and theme detection are free. Premium is $22/month (220 tokens and tracking for up to 50 stores), and token packs start at $3.99.
7. Shopify Theme Detector: Theme & App Finder
Shopify Theme Detector: Theme & App Finder, by OK Digital, is a free Chrome extension with 20,000 users. One click on a Shopify store returns its theme (name, version, price and developer) and its full app stack, grouped by what each app does.
It goes deeper on the theme than most detectors here, with how many Shopify stores use the theme and a mobile speed score. It doesn't price the apps it finds.
Key features
- Full app stack, grouped by function.
- Theme name, version, price and developer, with a verdict on custom or heavily modified themes.
- Theme popularity ("used by X% of Shopify stores") and a mobile speed score.
- Free, no signup, unlimited stores.
Pricing
Free.
Read: Best Shopify Apps to Increase AOV [2026]
Final thoughts
Every tool here returns a list of apps. What separates them is what you can do with that list afterward.
Vitals ranks first because it's the only one here that prices every detected app and calculates real savings in the same scan, so you leave with a decision, not just a list to research further.
LetsMetrix and DevLuxx are solid, free, no-signup picks if a plain app list with categories is all you need. Sell The Trend's CRO-specific categorization is worth a look if you're specifically hunting for scarcity, upsell, or social-proof apps, and ECSPY covers the widest claimed category range if you're comfortable installing a Chrome extension to get there.
If you'd rather scan from your toolbar, Koala Inspector is the most popular free extension, and Shopify Theme Detector: Theme & App Finder adds deeper theme details.
As a next step, run your store through Vitals Shopify App Detector tool to see every app you're using, what each one typically costs, and whether consolidating them into Vitals could lower your monthly app spend.
Frequently asked questions
1. What is a Shopify app detector?
A Shopify app detector is a free tool that scans a Shopify store's public code and returns the list of third-party apps it's running. It reads the same data every visitor's browser already loads, so no access to the store's admin is required.
2. Which is the best Shopify app detector?
Vitals ranks first because it prices every detected app and calculates what you'd save consolidating them into a single subscription, in the same scan that names the apps. Most detectors stop at the app list and leave the cost research to you.
3. How do Shopify app detectors work?
They scan a store's public-facing code for script tags, CSS files, and other signals specific apps leave behind, then match those signals against a database of known apps. None of the tools in this roundup need access to a store's admin or backend.
4. Are Shopify app detectors free?
The basic scan is free across every tool in this roundup. Some ask for nothing beyond a URL, while others route through a Chrome extension install or sit inside a broader paid platform for deeper features.
5. Can an app detector show me what a competitor's apps cost, not just their names?
Only some do. Vitals prices every detected app and totals what switching to a single subscription would save. The other tools in this roundup return app names and categories without attaching a cost to them.
6. Is it legal to check what apps a competitor's store is using?
Yes. App detection reads publicly available data that every visitor's browser already loads. It doesn't access the store's admin, backend, or any private information.
7. Is there a Chrome extension for detecting Shopify apps?
Yes. ECSPY is a Chrome extension, and DevLuxx offers one alongside its web tool. Koala Inspector and Shopify Theme Detector: Theme & App Finder are two popular free options. If you'd rather not install anything, online detectors like Vitals, LetsMetrix and Sell The Trend only need a store URL.
8. Why doesn't an app detector find every app a store uses?
Detectors read the code a store loads on its pages, so they only find apps that show something on the storefront. Admin-only apps, such as inventory, shipping or accounting tools, don't load any code for shoppers, so no detector can see them.
