Compare IsThisAScam vs VirusTotal. See why a consumer-friendly 6-layer AI approach outperforms raw multi-engine scanning for everyday scam detection.
VirusTotal, owned by Google (Alphabet), aggregates results from 70+ antivirus engines and URL scanners. It's a powerful security tool used extensively by cybersecurity professionals to check files, URLs, and IP addresses for malware and threats.
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6-layer AI analysis. Instant verdict. No signup required.
No signup · 6 detection layers · Results in seconds · Cmd+Enter
Not supported (file analysis only)
Full email content + header analysis with authentication checks
70+ engines scan URLs for known threats
Google Web Risk + VirusTotal (yes, we use VT) + domain intelligence
Not supported
AI analysis of manipulation patterns in text messages
Industry-leading: 70+ antivirus engines
Not a primary focus — we detect the scam before you download
Technical interface designed for security professionals
Consumer-friendly with clear verdicts and explanations
AI-powered file analysis for malware classification
Claude Sonnet AI analyzing social engineering and manipulation patterns
Raw scan results from each engine — requires expertise to interpret
Plain-language explanation of red flags and risk level
All submissions are shared with the security community
Privacy-first — no email content stored after analysis
VT4Browsers extension
Chrome extension with Gmail integration
Free basic, Premium from $unk/year (enterprise pricing)
Free tier, Pro $2.99/mo, API $19.99/mo
Security professionals who need to analyze suspicious files, malware samples, and URLs using multiple scanning engines and need detailed technical analysis.
Everyone else — regular people who receive a suspicious email, text, or message and need a quick, clear answer: is this a scam or not?
VirusTotal is an exceptional tool for cybersecurity professionals analyzing malware. But it was never designed for the person who just got a suspicious email from "their bank." IsThisAScam is built specifically for that person — analyzing the email's content, headers, and authentication to deliver a clear, actionable verdict without requiring security expertise.
Paste any suspicious email, text, or URL and get an instant 6-layer AI analysis. No signup required.
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