PublicWWW alternatives, tested with real queries

Published June 17, 2026 · Comparison · 2 min read

Run the same query — a WordPress path, a Shopify CDN, a Meta pixel — across the tools and the split is obvious: source-code search engines (PublicWWW, SearchWebCode) find sites by any string; technology-lookup tools (BuiltWith, Wappalyzer) profile against a catalogue.

"PublicWWW alternative" covers two different jobs. Source-code search engines let you query the raw HTML/JS/CSS for any string or regex. Technology-lookup tools match a site against a catalogue of known products. They answer different questions; pick by the question you have.

Three test queries

A fair way to compare is to run identical footprints and see what comes back: wp-content (WordPress, 21,549,150 sites here), cdn.shopify.com (Shopify, 1,694,846), and fbevents.js (Meta Pixel, 2,330,473). A source-code engine returns matching domains for all three; a catalogue tool only answers if that tool is in its catalogue.

The landscape

PublicWWW — the incumbent source-code search engine. Larger index today; flat monthly subscription; returns a snippet per match.
NerdyData — source-code search wrapped in sales intelligence, and now searches headers, cookies, and JS variables too; subscription, with company/contact enrichment on paid plans.
BuiltWith — technology profiling against a catalogue, sold as lead lists and reports; subscription.
Wappalyzer — a fingerprint library and browser extension; forward "site → tech," free extension plus paid API.
SearchWebCode — source-code search with boolean AND/OR/NOT, the full matched source per result, and pay-as-you-go pricing ($0.05/search, no subscription).

How to choose

Want the biggest index and search all month? PublicWWW. Want CRM-style data bundled in? NerdyData. Want a catalogued technology report? BuiltWith. Want to search for any string, read the full source of every match, use OR, and pay only for the searches you run? That's the case SearchWebCode is built for. Full head-to-heads are on the comparisons page.

← All guides · Browse technologies

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between source-code search and technology lookup?

Source-code search (PublicWWW, SearchWebCode) finds sites by any string or regex in their source. Technology lookup (BuiltWith, Wappalyzer) matches sites against a catalogue of known tools. Use the former for arbitrary footprints, the latter for catalogued tech profiles.

Which has the largest index?

PublicWWW's index is larger today. SearchWebCode runs on ~95M domains and grows monthly; its edges are boolean OR, full-source access per result, and pay-as-you-go pricing.

Which is cheapest for occasional use?

SearchWebCode is pay-as-you-go at $0.05/search with no subscription, so it's far cheaper for periodic research than a monthly plan you'd leave mostly idle.