When you see a website you like, maybe a competitor or a potential partner, you might wonder: What CMS are they using? Knowing the Content Management system (CMS) behind a site can help you understand its flexibility, maintenance needs, security posture and how easily you could replicate or compete with it.
In this blog, you’ll learn how to check which CMS a site is using. I’ll explain both automatic tools and manual checks. You can apply these steps to any site.
Why Knowing the CMS is Important?
Let’s see why knowing the CMS matters:
- If you’re building a site (or planning to redo one), knowing what CMS your competitors use helps you compare features.
- It tells you how easy it is to update content, add new features or integrate with third-party services (e.g, payment gateways, booking tools, CRM).
- It gives clues about security: some CMS have regular updates/plugin ecosystems.
- It helps you choose whether you want a hosted solution, open source CMS or a custom system.
So, checking CMS is part of your fact finding before you choose a platform or engage a web agency.
Automatic Tools to Detect CMS
The easiest way is to use specialized online tools. Here are some you can try:
| Tool | What it Does |
|---|---|
| WhatCMS.org | Let's you type a domain, then detect a wide range of CMS and web technologies. |
| CMSDetect.com | Similar tool; checks common CMS and frameworks. |
| SE Ranking CMS Detector | Let’s you enter a domain and detect the CMS and related technologies. |
| Sitechecker / Sitechecker.pro | Offers a “what CMS” checker among other website audit features. |
| Stackcrawler CMS Detector | Checks many CMS and frameworks, including less common ones. |
How to Use These Tools
Once you’ve chosen a CMS detection tool, the process is simple and only takes a few seconds. Here is how you can use these tools to find out which CMS a website is built on:
- Visit one of the tools above.
- Type the website’s URL.
- Click “Detect CMS” or equivalent.
- Review the result: it might say WordPress, Drupal, Custom CMS, or unknown / no match.
- Sometimes you also get extra details (theme name, plugin or framework information).
These tools work by scanning the website’s HTML source, headers, file paths, and known files (e.g., /wp-content/ ), metadata tags, server responses, etc. They match these against a database of known signatures.
Pros
- Very fast and easy.
- You don’t need technical skills.
- Many tools are free.
Cons
- If the site uses a custom CMS (built in-house), the tools might report unknown or misidentify it.
- If the site has hidden or removed standard identifiers (e.g., removes “generator” meta tags), detection is harder.
- Some sites use hybrid systems or headless CMS, making detection less reliable.
Manual Methods to Check Which CMS a Site Is Using
Automatic tools are great for a first guess. But you may want to check manually, either to verify or in cases where tools give “unknown”. Here are manual techniques:
1. View Source / Inspect HTML
Start by checking the website’s source code, it often gives the first clear clue about which CMS is being used.
- Open the website in your browser.
- Right click – View Page Source or Inspect Element.
- Search for keywords like wp-content, wp-wordpress, drupal, joomla, etc.
Search for <meta name=”generator”…> tags. Sometimes sites leave metadata indicating the CMS version.
2. Check Admin / Login URL
Many CMS have conventional admin-URLs:
| CMS | Common Login / Admin Path |
|---|---|
| WordPress | /wp-admin/ |
| Joomla | /administrator/ |
| Drupal | /user/login or admin paths |
| OpenCart / other eCommerce CMS | Might have /admin/ or custom path |
If you navigate to yourdomain.no/wp-admin/ and see a WordPress login screen, you’ve found strong evidence of WordPress. Be careful, some sites rename or hide that URL. But it’s a good starting point.
3. Inspect the URL Structure / Links
Sometimes URL patterns hint at CMS:
- WordPress often uses “year/month/post-name” for blog posts, or query strings like ?p=123 (if pretty permalinks are not used).
- Joomla sometimes uses URL parameters with “index.php?option=…”.
- Drupal may use node=123 or “/user/…” patterns depending on configuration.
Also, check for file extensions or query parameters that are common for that CMS.
4. Read the Footer / Credits
Some web templates leave credit lines in the footer, like “Powered by WordPress”, “Designed with Joomla”, or a link to “CMS by…”. Check the bottom of the pages.
However, many designers remove or edit that, so don’t rely on it solely.
5. Check robots.txt or Sitemap and Other Standard Files
- Open yourdomain.no/robots.txt. Sometimes there are comments or paths that reveal plugin directories or CMS specific files.
Also, try yourdomain.no/sitemap.xml or other standard files, sometimes the generator tag or comment is inside.
6. Use Developer Tools / Network and Headers
- Open browser dev tools – Network / Headers. Sometimes HTTP response headers include server, X-Powered-By, or other metadata revealing framework or CMS.
- You might see cookies with names typical for certain CMS or plugin (e.g. wordpress_logged_in_…).
7. Search for CMS Related Files
Try to access or check whether some commonly named files exist. For example:
- /wp-content/plugins/
- /administrator/login.php
- /sites/default/ (Drupal)
- Or any other path known for popular CMSs.
If these return 200 OK (or partial info), that’s a hint.
What to Do Once You Discover the CMS?
Once you identify what CMS a site uses, you can use that information to:
- Compare feature set, plugins, add-ons, and how easy customization is.
- Estimate the cost and effort if you want something similar.
- Assess maintenance needs, updates, security patches, and backup procedures.
- Decide whether to use that CMS yourself or choose an alternative with more flexibility or better local integrations.
- Talk with a web agency showing them sites using that CMS and asking what works / what doesn’t.
If you find a site built in a CMS you don’t know well, you can test it: try logging in (if you have access), inspect how content is managed, or contact the owner/developer to ask what their experience is.
Find Out What’s Behind Your Competitor’s Website
If you want to know which CMS your competitors are using, or which one suits your business best. Our Nettsidedesign.no team can help. We help you choose the CMS that fits your goals, design needs, and budget.
Whether you want a simple WordPress website, a custom CMS, or a complete e-commerce system, we build solutions that are easy to manage, fast and secure. Contact us and let’s get started.
Key Takeaways
- CMS means Content Management System, the software behind a website.
- Knowing the CMS helps you understand how a site works and performs.
- Tools like WhatCMS, CMSDetect and Sitechecker can identify most websites.
- You can also manually check by viewing the page source or admin URLs.
- Common CMS options include WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and custom built systems.
- Checking the CMS helps you plan your own website’s features and performance.
- CMS detection tools work by scanning code patterns and file paths.
- Manual inspection is useful when tools show “unknown.”
- Knowing what CMS others use helps you make smarter web design decisions.
FAQs
Is it safe to reveal which CMS my site uses?
It’s fine, but some developers hide CMS details for better security against automated attacks.
Can I change my website’s CMS later?
Yes, you can migrate your website to another CMS, but it requires careful planning to keep your design, content and SEO intact.
What if the tool says “unknown CMS”?
That usually means the website uses a custom built CMS or the developer has hidden its details. In that case, you can check manually through the page source or admin URLs.
Are CMS detection tools safe to use?
Yes, most of them are safe. You just enter a website URL and the tool scans public data, it doesn’t access private information.
What is the difference between CMS detection and website audit tools?
CMS detection tools only identify the platform used, while website audit tools check performance, SEO and security details as well.
