Use the WordPress Plugin Detector to find out which plugins a WordPress site is running — just paste a URL and scan in seconds, no signup required.
How It Works
A WordPress plugin detector works by scanning a site’s publicly loaded files for known plugin fingerprints — no login or backend access needed.
This tool checks three signals, in order of reliability:
- Plugin file paths. Most plugins load their scripts and stylesheets from a predictable location:
/wp-content/plugins/{plugin-slug}/. When a plugin isn’t minified or obscured, its slug shows up directly in the page’s source, which is the most reliable detection method. - Page markers. Some plugins strip their file paths out of the visible source but still leave behind CSS classes, HTML comments, or script signatures unique to that plugin — Elementor’s widget markup or WooCommerce’s product classes, for example. The detector checks for these as a fallback.
- REST API namespaces. Many plugins register their own endpoint under a site’s
/wp-json/REST API. If that namespace is publicly exposed, it’s a strong secondary confirmation of which plugin is active.
Each result shows which of these three methods flagged it, so the findings aren’t a black box.
A limitation worth being upfront about: this method can only detect what’s visible on the front end. Plugins that run entirely in the WordPress admin — security scanners, backup tools, some SEO or caching plugins configured to hide their footprint — won’t always show up. No client-side detector, including this one, can guarantee a complete list.
Use Cases
- Freelancers & agencies researching a prospect or competitor. Quickly see what a site is built with before a pitch or proposal, without asking the client directly.
- Agencies auditing a site before taking over maintenance or a rebuild. Get a fast first read on the plugin stack before diving into a full technical audit.
- Curious site owners. See what’s powering a site you admire — a page builder, a form plugin, an SEO tool — before deciding whether to use it on your own site.
FAQ
How do you know which plugin is used on a WordPress site?
You can tell which plugins a WordPress site uses by checking the site’s page source for plugin file paths (/wp-content/plugins/{slug}/), matching known CSS classes or markup patterns, and checking for exposed REST API namespaces — which is exactly what this tool automates.
Can a plugin detector find every plugin on a site?
No — a plugin detector can only find plugins that leave a visible trace on the front end. Backend-only plugins, such as some security or backup tools, don’t load anything a browser can see, so they won’t appear in the results.
Is it legal to check which plugins another website uses?
Yes — checking which plugins a site uses only reads information the site already makes publicly available to every visitor’s browser; it doesn’t access any private or restricted data.
Why did the tool say no plugins were detected on a site I know uses plugins?
This usually means the plugins in use don’t leave a visible file path, class, or REST signature in the page’s public source — some plugins (or some hosting/caching setups) strip or obscure this information intentionally.
Does this work on sites built with WooCommerce or Elementor?
Yes — WooCommerce and Elementor are both directly included in the detector’s signature checks, since their markup and classes are common enough to be reliable indicators even when the file path itself isn’t visible.