This idea didn’t come from a big vision or a business plan. It came from two small moments that happened in my life, parallel, almost identical, and somehow connected.
When I first started working inside the Shopify ecosystem, I had one simple need: Check if a website is built on Shopify or not.
But it was never straightforward.
I had to open the console, inspect scripts, check network calls, or rely on random third-party sites that were slow, full of ads, or just not friendly. Every time I needed a quick answer, I found myself frustrated. And yes, even I typed the exact Google search:
“is shopify or not”
That moment stayed with me, so I wrote it down in my notes and moved on.
A few days later, I was casually talking to a friend. Out of nowhere, the same topic came up. He said their team was struggling with the same thing, quickly checking whether a lead’s website is on Shopify.
And then he told me something that made me smile:
His founder, Arjun Paul (Zoko’s founder), had searched the exact same phrase:
“Is shopify or not”
It was the same search I did. The same frustration. The same tiny problem we both felt at different times.
That’s when it clicked.
We looked at each other and said: “Let’s just build it… a small, clean micro-tool. A weekend project. Nothing big. Just fun.”
So that’s what this is, a tool born from two parallel stories, two founders’ tiny pain points, and one very relatable Google search.
If this helps even one person save a few seconds, I’m happy. That’s the whole intention.
Sometimes, the smallest tools are built from the simplest human frustrations.
- Team ShopifyOrNot