Paste any website URL into the tool above and find out what CMS it’s running in seconds. The CMS detector checks for patterns in the site’s HTML, scripts, cookies, and metadata to identify the platform — no browser extension or plugin needed.
Not all websites use a CMS. Some run on custom code or frameworks like React, Vue, or Next.js, in which case the tool will report what it finds — the underlying technology, framework, or server information.
For a step-by-step guide on identifying the platform manually (or knowing what to look for when a detector returns “unknown”), see our walk-through on how to tell what platform a website is built on.
This CMS checker can identify a wide range of content management systems and website platforms, including:
If you already know which platform you want to investigate further, use one of the dedicated detector tools below for more detail:
CMS detection works by analyzing publicly visible signals in a website’s source code. Different platforms leave distinct fingerprints: specific meta tags, CSS class naming patterns, JavaScript file paths, cookie names, and HTTP response headers.
For example:
/wp-content/ in their page sourcecdn.shopify.com for assets and include Shopify-specific meta tagsstatic.wixstatic.comGenerator meta tag identifying SquarespaceThis detection happens entirely through publicly accessible data, the same information available to any browser. No login credentials or special access are required.
There are a lot of legitimate reasons to want to know what CMS a website is running:
Some websites are deliberately hardened to remove CMS fingerprints, often for security reasons. Enterprise sites, government websites, and large media companies sometimes strip or obfuscate the platform signatures that detection tools rely on.
In those cases, the tool will report whatever it can find, which might be the server technology (Nginx, Apache, Cloudflare), the programming language, or a framework rather than a specific CMS. That’s still useful information, even if it’s not the exact platform name.
Sites behind aggressive CDNs like Cloudflare may also return limited results, since the CDN sits between the scanner and the origin server and can mask server-side details.
WordPress dominates the CMS market by a wide margin. Based on current web technology surveys, here is how the major platforms break down by market share across all websites:
The remaining websites run on a long tail of smaller CMS platforms, custom-built systems, or no CMS at all. This is why a good CMS identifier needs to cover dozens of platforms, not just the top five. When you check a site with this tool, it scans against a broad library of known fingerprints, so even less common platforms have a good chance of being recognised.
If you want to run a manual CMS check on any site, there are a few methods that work without any special software. These techniques are useful as a backup when a CMS detector returns “unknown,” or when you want to verify a result.
Right-click any webpage and select “View Page Source” (or press Ctrl+U / Cmd+U). Search for platform-specific strings:
wp-content or wp-includes points to WordPresscdn.shopify.com confirms Shopifystatic.wixstatic.com confirms Wixstatic1.squarespace.com confirms SquarespaceMany CMS platforms add a generator tag in the HTML head. In the page source, search for <meta name="generator". If present, it often names the CMS directly, for example: <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 6.5">.
URL patterns can reveal the platform. WordPress sites often have /wp-admin/ accessible at the root. Shopify stores always have a /collections/ and /products/ URL structure. Joomla sites frequently use index.php?option=com_ style URLs.
Visit example.com/robots.txt for any site. CMS platforms often write distinctive entries here. WordPress typically blocks /wp-admin/ and /wp-includes/. Shopify robots.txt files reference Shopify-specific paths like /checkouts/ and /cart.
For a deeper look at all the manual and automated methods available, see how to find what theme a website is using, which covers both CMS detection and theme identification in one place.
A CMS detector is a tool that scans a website's publicly visible code, including its HTML source, JavaScript files, cookies, and HTTP headers, to identify which content management system (CMS) the site is built on. It works by matching known platform fingerprints against what the site's server returns. You do not need to log in to the site or install any software to use one.
WordPress is by far the most widely used CMS, powering around 43% of all websites. After WordPress, Shopify holds about 4% of the web, followed by Wix at 2.8%, Squarespace at 1.8%, Joomla at 1.7%, and Drupal at 1.4%. The rest of the web runs on a wide variety of smaller platforms, custom builds, or static site generators.
Yes. A CMS detector online (like this one) fetches and analyzes the site on your behalf, so you do not need to open the website in your browser. You just paste the URL into the tool and it handles the request, checking the site's source code and HTTP headers to identify the platform.
An unknown result usually means the site has removed or hidden its platform fingerprints, which is common on enterprise and government websites for security reasons. In this case, try checking the site's robots.txt file or viewing the page source manually to look for CMS-specific paths. Sites behind a CDN like Cloudflare can also obscure results, since the CDN intercepts requests before they reach the origin server.
Yes. CMS detection reads only publicly available information, the same data that loads in any web browser when you visit a page. There is no hacking, login bypass, or access to private systems involved. It is the same as viewing a site's page source manually. A single CMS check on any site is entirely legal and widely accepted for competitive research, sales prospecting, and developer due diligence.
