Knowing what your competitors are doing is not optional, it is a competitive advantage. The right spy tools tell you which apps they use, what themes power their store, which ads are running, and which keywords they rank for. Here are the best tools to spy on Shopify competitors in 2026, starting with a free one.
Quick comparison
| Tool | What it detects | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Reputon Shopify Spy | Apps, theme | Free |
| Koala Inspector | Apps, theme, products, traffic | Free / Paid |
| BuiltWith | Tech stack, apps, theme | From $295/mo |
| Ahrefs | SEO, backlinks, keywords | From $129/mo |
| BigSpy | Ads (Facebook, TikTok, Google) | From $9/mo |
| Minea | Winning products, ads | From $49/mo |
1. Reputon Shopify App & Theme Detector (free)
The fastest way to find out what apps and theme a Shopify store is running. Paste any store URL and get the full list in seconds, no account needed, no install, completely free.
Useful for reverse-engineering a competitor's tech stack: if their store converts well, the apps they use are a big part of why. One quick check tells you whether they're running a review widget, an upsell tool, a loyalty app, or a specific theme.
What it detects: installed Shopify apps, active theme, theme price and rating.
Price: free, no signup required.
2. Koala Inspector
A Chrome extension that lets you spy on any Shopify store. Beyond apps and themes, it shows which products are trending, estimated traffic, and pricing strategy. One of the most comprehensive free-tier tools available for Shopify competitor research.
What it detects: apps, theme, bestselling products, traffic estimates, pricing.
Price: free plan available. Paid plans from around $7/month.
3. BuiltWith
Scans any website and returns a detailed breakdown of the entire technology stack: hosting, analytics, payment processors, CDN, marketing tools, and every app or plugin detected. For Shopify stores specifically, it shows the theme and all detected apps.
More powerful than most free tools but comes with a steep price tag. Worth it for agencies or large stores doing serious competitive research.
What it detects: full tech stack, apps, theme, marketing tools.
Price: from $295/month for 2 users. Enterprise plans at $995/month.
4. Ahrefs
The leading SEO tool for competitive research. Enter any competitor's domain and see every keyword they rank for, their backlink profile, top-performing pages, and traffic estimates. If a competitor consistently ranks above you, Ahrefs tells you exactly why and what it would take to compete.
What it detects: organic keywords, backlinks, traffic, top pages, content gaps.
Price: from $129/month. No free plan, limited free audit via Ahrefs Webmaster Tools.
5. BigSpy
An ad intelligence tool that shows you exactly which ads your competitors are running on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Google. You can filter by country, platform, ad type, and engagement metrics. Useful for understanding which creatives and offers are working in your niche before spending on your own ads.
What it detects: competitor ads across Facebook, TikTok, Google, YouTube, and more.
Price: from $9/month for basic access. Unlimited plan at $99/month.
6. Minea
A product research and ad spy tool built specifically for ecommerce. It tracks winning products across TikTok, Facebook, and Pinterest ads and shows you what's selling, which stores are selling it, and what their ad strategy looks like. More focused on product discovery than Ahrefs or BuiltWith.
What it detects: trending products, competitor ads, store analysis.
Price: from $49/month. Free trial available.
Which tool should you use?
Start with the free option. Shopify App & Theme Detector takes 30 seconds and costs nothing. If you spot a competitor store that converts well, find out what apps and theme they use before spending on anything else.
Add Koala Inspector if you want product-level data. Add Ahrefs if SEO is your growth channel. Add BigSpy or Minea if you run paid ads and want to see what creatives are working in your niche. BuiltWith is for agencies or stores doing systematic competitive analysis at scale.