About four in ten websites run on WordPress, and most of them leave clear signs of their theme and plugins in their public pages. Whether you want the same design, are checking out a competitor or are taking over a client's site, you can usually find both in a minute.

The Quick Way: Use a Free Detector

  • The WordPress Theme Detector shows the theme's name, author and version, the parent theme behind any child theme, and a link to download it.
  • The WordPress Plugin Detector lists the plugins visible on the home page, with version hints and WordPress.org links.

Both run the same check, so each result also shows the other's findings and where the site is hosted.

Find the Theme by Hand

  1. Open the site and choose View Page Source (Ctrl+U, or Cmd+Option+U on a Mac).
  2. Search (Ctrl+F / Cmd+F) for /wp-content/themes/.
  3. The word after it is the theme's folder name, for example /wp-content/themes/astra/.
  4. Open https://the-site.com/wp-content/themes/FOLDER/style.css, replacing FOLDER with that name. The comment at the top lists the theme's name, author and version:
/*
Theme Name: Astra Child
Template: astra
Version: 1.0.0
*/

If there's a Template: line, you're looking at a child theme, and the Template value is the parent theme's folder name. Open the parent's style.css the same way to get its details.

Child Themes: Why There Are Two

Developers change a theme through a child theme, so updates to the original don't overwrite their work. The parent is the theme you'd install; the child holds that site's own tweaks. If you want the same starting point, get the parent theme.

Find the Plugins by Hand

Search the page source for /wp-content/plugins/. Each match shows a plugin's folder name, such as /wp-content/plugins/contact-form-7/. To get its full name, open https://wordpress.org/plugins/FOLDER/.

Version numbers often appear at the end of file links, like ?ver=5.9.3.

Why Some Plugins Stay Hidden

No tool can see every plugin, because many leave no trace on public pages:

  • Admin-only plugins, such as backups, security, redirects and many SEO settings, run only in the dashboard.
  • Page-specific plugins, such as a booking form on one page, may not load on the home page.
  • Optimisation plugins can merge many files into one, hiding their paths.

So read any plugin list as "at least these", not "only these".

When the Theme Can't Be Found

The theme can be hidden when:

  • the theme folder has been renamed to something meaningless;
  • a caching or optimisation service combines and renames the CSS files;
  • the site is headless, using WordPress only to store content behind a separate front end built with something like Next.js.

The detectors say when they found WordPress but couldn't see the theme, rather than guessing.

Can You Get the Same Look?

  • Free themes from WordPress.org can be installed from your dashboard under Appearance > Themes > Add New.
  • Premium themes are sold on their makers' websites.
  • Custom themes built for one company can't be bought.

Even with the same theme, expect work: most sites change colours, fonts and layouts, and many add a page builder such as Elementor.

Summary

  • Use the WordPress Theme Detector and WordPress Plugin Detector for quick answers.
  • By hand, search the page source for /wp-content/themes/ and /wp-content/plugins/, then read the theme's style.css.
  • A Template: line means a child theme; the parent is the one to install.
  • Many plugins can't be seen from outside, so a list is never complete.