Keeping track of what your competitors are doing is crucial for staying competitive. Whether you want to see how their website has changed over time, what ads they’re running, or which technologies they use, there are tools that can help. This guide breaks down the most useful competitor monitoring tools and shows you how to use them.
History Snapshots
Wayback Machine
What it does: Shows archived versions of websites from the past.
How to use it: Enter your competitor’s URL in the search box. You’ll see a calendar showing which dates have saved snapshots. Click on any date to see what their website looked like at that time. This helps you track design changes, messaging shifts, and removed content.
Visual Change Monitors
VisualPing
What it does: Monitors web pages and alerts you when something changes.
How to use it: Sign up and enter the URL you want to monitor. Choose how often you want it checked (hourly, daily, etc.). When the page changes, you’ll get an email notification with screenshots showing what changed.
Hexowatch
What it does: Tracks visual, content, and technical changes on websites.
How to use it: Create a monitor by entering a competitor’s URL. Select what type of changes you want to track (visual, keywords, technology, etc.). Set your monitoring frequency. The tool will alert you to changes and provide comparison views.
ChangeTower
What it does: Monitors competitor websites for updates and changes.
How to use it: Add the websites you want to monitor. Choose specific areas to watch (pricing pages, product pages, etc.). Set up email alerts. You’ll receive notifications with side-by-side comparisons when changes occur.
Tech Stack and App Intel
BuiltWith
What it does: Reveals what technologies and software a website uses.
How to use it: Enter a competitor’s domain in the search bar. You’ll see a detailed breakdown of their analytics tools, advertising networks, content management system, hosting provider, and more. This shows you their marketing and development stack.
Wappalyzer
What it does: Identifies technologies used on websites.
How to use it: Install the browser extension or use their website. Visit your competitor’s site or enter their URL. The tool displays icons showing their tech stack, including frameworks, CMS, e-commerce platforms, and marketing tools.
Commerce Inspector
What it does: Provides intelligence on e-commerce stores.
How to use it: Enter an e-commerce site URL. The tool reveals their platform, installed apps, theme details, and technology stack. It works across multiple e-commerce platforms.
Ad Libraries
Meta Ads Library
What it does: Shows all active ads running on Facebook and Instagram.
How to use it: Search for your competitor’s business name or page. You’ll see all their currently running ads, including images, videos, and ad copy. Filter by country and platform to see targeted campaigns.
TikTok Creative Center
What it does: Displays trending ads and creative insights on TikTok.
How to use it: Browse the “Top Ads” section or search by keyword or advertiser. You can filter by industry, region, and objective. This shows you what creative approaches are working in your space.
Google Ads Transparency Center
What it does: Shows ads running across Google platforms, including YouTube.
How to use it: Search for an advertiser name. You’ll see their verified ads across Google services, including video ads on YouTube. Filter by format, region, and date range.
Email Libraries
Milled
What it does: Archives marketing emails from brands.
How to use it: Search for your competitor’s brand name. Browse their email history to see subject lines, designs, promotional strategies, and sending frequency. You can also subscribe to get their emails forwarded to you.
MailCharts
What it does: Tracks and analyzes email marketing campaigns.
How to use it: Search for competitors in their database. View their email frequency, subject line strategies, and campaign examples. The platform provides analytics on email performance trends in your industry.
Really Good Emails
What it does: Curates examples of well-designed marketing emails.
How to use it: Browse by category or search for specific brands. While not focused on competitor tracking, it’s useful for seeing email design trends and finding inspiration from successful campaigns.
SEO (Traffic and Keywords)
Ahrefs
What it does: Provides comprehensive SEO analysis and competitor research.
How to use it: Enter a competitor’s domain in the Site Explorer. You’ll see their organic search traffic, backlinks, top-performing pages, and keywords they rank for. Use this to find content gaps and link-building opportunities.
Semrush
What it does: Offers SEO, content, and competitive research tools.
How to use it: Start a domain overview of your competitor. You’ll see their organic and paid search positions, traffic estimates, keyword rankings, and advertising strategies. Compare multiple domains side-by-side to benchmark performance.
Performance
PageSpeed Insights
What it does: Analyzes website loading speed and performance.
How to use it: Enter any URL to get a performance score for mobile and desktop. The tool provides specific recommendations for improvement. Use this to benchmark your site against competitors.
Lighthouse
What it does: Audits web page performance, accessibility, and SEO.
How to use it: Open Chrome DevTools (right-click > Inspect) on any website. Go to the Lighthouse tab and click “Generate report.” You’ll get scores for performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO with detailed improvement suggestions.
WebPageTest
What it does: Tests website speed from multiple locations and browsers.
How to use it: Enter a URL and choose a test location and browser. The tool runs multiple tests and provides detailed performance metrics including load time, time to first byte, and visual comparisons. This shows real-world performance data.
Conclusion
Competitor research doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Many of these tools offer free tiers or trials that provide valuable insights. Start with one or two tools in each category based on what matters most to your business—whether that’s tracking website changes, analyzing their tech stack, or monitoring their advertising strategies.
Note: We’ll keep adding more cool tools to this article. So save it somewhrere and comeback later.
