Finding out which plugins a WordPress site is using can provide valuable insights for developers, designers, and marketers. A reliable WordPress plugin detector can quickly identify active plugins, helping with competitor research, troubleshooting, and planning new projects.
Many tools claim to answer the questions “What plugins is this site using?” and “What WordPress plugins does this site use?”. They are also marketed as WordPress plugins checkers, WordPress plugin scan tools, or even WordPress plugin detective solutions. However, these tools vary greatly in accuracy, speed, and reliability.
To see which ones actually deliver, we tested a selection of popular plugin detection tools on the same set of websites. The goal was to find out which detector can identify the most plugins correctly, avoid false positives, and return results in the shortest possible time. The differences in performance were clear, with some tools producing near-complete and accurate results, while others missed almost everything.
How We Tested WordPress Plugin Detector Tools
We tested fourteen different WordPress theme detection tools using five WordPress websites that we own. These theme detection tools often show the plugins used as well, which is why we conducted this research. In this test there were 4 theme detection tools that didn’t show any plugins.
Testing on our own sites made it possible to verify the results with complete accuracy, since we know exactly which plugins are active on each one. The selection of sites included both popular and niche plugins to see how well each tool could handle different setups.
The five test websites had the following number of active plugins:
- onlinesafari.tv – 11 plugins
- bolderdesign.nl – 15 plugins
- www.visserijdagen.nl – 17 plugins
- www.wpsupporters.com – 28 plugins
- eenmountainbikekopen.nl – 9 plugins
Testing focused on three core measurements. The first was speed, recorded in seconds from starting a scan to receiving results. The second was detection rate, calculated as the percentage of active plugins correctly found by the tool. The third was the accuracy by checking the number of false positives, meaning plugins reported by the tool that were not actually installed.
Using our own sites could be seen as an advantage for WPoptic. These sites were already in our database before the test began, but no changes were made to influence the outcome. Anyone can repeat the scans to confirm the results independently.
The Results: Which WordPress Plugin Detector Performs Best
The chart below compares the average speed, accuracy, and percentage of plugins found for each WordPress plugin detector we tested. It clearly shows that while some tools claim to be the fastest or most accurate, the reality is that results vary significantly.
We removed the 3 theme detector websites that didn’t show any WordPress plugin. We kept 1 in our results because they have a function that detects WordPress plugins, but it failed to find any plugin on our 5 test sites.
This visualization makes it easy to see the trade-offs between speed, detection accuracy, and coverage—three factors that matter most when choosing a WordPress plugin detection tool.
Remember that a 100% accuracy score on the plugins found is easier when a detector, for example, only find 3 plugins instead of 15 plugins.
| Tool | Avg Speed (s) | Accuracy of plugin found | Avg % Plugins Found |
| WPoptic | 2.0 | 99% | 59% |
| wpthemedetector | 5.4 | 93% | 54% |
| scanwp | 9.4 | 96% | 34% |
| wp zoom theme detector | 8.4 | 100% | 22% |
| wp detector | 12.5 | 100% | 27% |
| whatwpthemeisthat | 5.4 | 100% | 14% |
| isitwp | 16.4 | 0% | 0% |
| inspectwp | 35.5 | 92% | 22% |
| sitechecker pro | 6.4 | 100% | 25% |
| techpeeker.com | 3.6 | 100% | 13% |
| themesinfo.com | 7.0 | 96% | 36% |
Tool-by-Tool Breakdown: WordPress Plugin Scan and Detection Results
WPoptic
Delivered the highest plugin detection rate in the test, finding an average of 59 percent of active plugins across all sites with no false positives on four of the five sites. On wpsupporters.com it detected one false positive, but accuracy remained at 99 percent overall. Its scan speed averaged two seconds, making it the fastest in this research.
WPthemedetector.com
Scored an average plugin detection rate of 54 percent which is impressive. Accuracy was solid at 93 percent, with occasional false positives (4 in total). Average scan speed was 5.4 seconds, making it slower than WPoptic but still usable for quick checks.
ScanWP
Found an average of 34 percent of plugins with an accuracy rate of 96 percent. Speed was significantly slower at 9.4 seconds per scan. While accuracy is good, its low plugin coverage limits its usefulness for full plugin audits.
WP Zoom Theme Detector
Managed to find an average of 22 percent of plugins. Accuracy for detected items was 100 percent, with speeds averaging 8.4 seconds. One site returned no results, which lowers its reliability.
WP Detector
Detected 27 percent of plugins on average with 100 percent accuracy. Several sites returned no results, which affects reliability. Average scan speed was 12.5 seconds, so it’s neither fast nor thorough.
WhatWPThemeIsThat
Achieved an average plugin detection rate of 14 percent. Accuracy for detected plugins 100 percent, but with only 14% found it means it’s not very useful.
IsItWP
Detected zero plugins across all test sites which is bad because they have a function to detect plugins. But it looks like it is not functioning anymore or they stopped to support it.
InspectWP
Found an average of 22 percent of plugins with a 92% accuracy. The test failed on 3 of the 5 websites which was dissapointing. Average scan time was extremely slow at 35.5 seconds, the slowest in the test, but when you got results you got way more information than only the theme and plugins found. Making it a usefull tool for indepth scans.
Sitechecker Pro
Detected an average of 25 percent of plugins with 100 percent accuracy for the ones it did find. Speed averaged 6.4 seconds. Reliable, but coverage is too low for deep plugin analysis.
TechPeeker
Had an average plugin detection rate of just 13 percent, despite detecting with 100 percent accuracy on those it found. Speed was good at 3.6 seconds, but coverage is too low to be practical.
ThemesInfo.com
Detected an average of 36 percent of plugins with an accuracy rate of 96 percent. Average speed was 7 seconds. Reliable results but it could improve it’s results.
Key Insights: How to Choose the Right WordPress Plugin Detector
1. Speed is not a guarantee of coverage
Tools like WPoptic proved that high speed and high accuracy can go hand in hand, but other fast tools (such as TechPeeker.com) scored low on the percentage of plugins found. A fast scan is convenient during client calls or competitor research, but without complete data, the results can be misleading.
2. Many tools miss critical plugins
Even with a perfect accuracy score (no false positives), overall detection rates can be low. For example, WhatWPThemeIsThat achieved 100% accuracy but detected only about 14% of all active plugins. For developers and agencies, this level of coverage is too low to rely on.
3. False positives remain a trust issue
Some detectors, including WPoptic (1) and Wpthemedetector (4), returned plugins that weren’t actually installed. While a small number of false positives might be acceptable, they can damage trust in the results. A good lesson for our own tool to keep improving our detections.
4. Consistency matters as much as peak performance
A tool that works perfectly on one site but fails or errors out on others (such as WP Detector and InspectWP) is frustrating in real-world use. Professionals need consistent, repeatable results across different site setups.
Conclusion: What WordPress Plugins Does This Site Use in 2025
In 2025, identifying the plugins running on a WordPress website is easier than ever, but only if you use the right tool. Our testing showed that while many theme detectors claim to also detect plugins, the reality is that only a small number deliver both speed and accuracy at a professional standard.
The best tools not only identify what plugins a site is using, but also avoid false positives, handle both popular and niche plugins, and work consistently across different environments. Tools like WPoptic stand out by offering near-perfect accuracy, high detection rates, and the fastest scan speeds in our research. This makes them a reliable choice for developers, agencies, and SEO specialists who need trustworthy plugin insights.
It’s important to note that the percentage of detected plugins in this research is measured only on the five test websites. This number should not be taken as a benchmark for the total WordPress ecosystem. Currently, WPoptic detects around 17,000 unique plugins, but with an estimated 100,000+ plugins available (60 thousand in the WordPress directory and 40 thousand paid plugins) we estimate our real-world coverage is roughly 20%.
That said, we already detect most of the popular plugins with thousands of active installs, meaning our detection rate is significantly higher when it comes to plugins you’re most likely to encounter in client or competitor sites.
The test also revealed that many well-known names either returned incomplete results, produced errors, or failed entirely in plugin detection. If plugin discovery is critical for your workflow, whether for competitor analysis, site audits, or troubleshooting, relying on outdated or theme-only detectors is no longer enough.
Bottom line: In 2025, “What WordPress plugins does this site use?” is a question that can be answered in seconds, but only with the right technology. Choosing a tool with proven accuracy and reliability will save time, avoid guesswork, and ensure you get the complete picture every time.
This is what Michelle Frechette from poststatus.com thinks about WPoptic:
“Making sure that we eliminate all false positives is high on our list. This research reminded us how important this is, and we will do our best to improve our detections.”
Remco, founder of WPoptic
