Free link checkers compared: which one to use
There’s no single best link checker. Some look a link up in lists of known scams, some open it somewhere safe and show you what it does, and some warn you as you browse. Here’s what each free one does, what happens to the links you give it, and which one to use when.
Updated 12 October 2026 · 9 min read
Peekray is our own tool. What we say about the others comes from their own websites and help pages, and one PCWorld article, listed at the bottom, as of October 2026.
At a glance
14 free ways to check a link
| Tool | How you use it | Opens the page for you? | What happens to your link | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PeekrayThis site’s tool | A Chrome extension (it works in Edge too), a checker on this site, and a phone page. | It follows the redirects on its server, usually asking only for headers, up to four hops. | Never sold or used for ads. Links no list knows go to TypeSafe AI’s model to judge. The extension sends only the link, its text and the page title. | Seeing where a link really goes before you click, as you browse, and checking the links in texts and emails. |
| Google Safe Browsing site status | A search box in Google’s Transparency Report. | No: it shows Google’s latest analysis of the site. | Not covered in its help pages. | Checking whether Google already flags a site. It’s the same list Chrome uses for its red warnings. |
| VirusTotal | Paste a link on its website, or use its browser extension (Chrome, Firefox or Edge) or its API. | Yes: scanning fetches the page. | Shared. Results go to its partner vendors and the VirusTotal community, and submitted pages may be shared with its paying customers. Private scanning is a paid feature. | A second opinion from many security vendors at once, for a link with nothing private in it. |
| urlscan.io | Paste a link on its website, with no account needed, or use its API. | Yes, in a browser on its servers, not yours. | Public scans appear on its front page and in its search, for anyone to see. Choose Unlisted (seen by vetted security researchers and companies) or Private for anything personal. | Seeing what a page actually does, without opening it yourself. |
| URLVoid | Paste a link or site on its website. | No: it asks other services. | Shared with security companies, and URLVoid may share or sell its database of checked sites. | A quick reputation check on a site, including how new it is. |
| Bitdefender Link Checker | Paste a link on its website. It’s free, with no account needed. | Not covered in its help pages. | Its privacy policy says checked links are also used to improve Bitdefender’s threat detection, and are kept like its other technical data. | Checking where a short link goes, from a company that says what it does with your link. |
| Malwarebytes Scam Link Check | Paste a link on its website. It’s free, with no download or login. | It shows you a screenshot of the page, so you see it without visiting it. | Not covered in its help pages or privacy policy. You can choose to report a site, which adds to Malwarebytes’ threat data. | Seeing what a page looks like, and a verdict, before you open it. |
| Avast Link Checker | Paste a link on its website, with nothing to install. | Not covered in its help pages. | Not covered for the checker. If you think a result is wrong, you can send the link to Avast for review. | A fast safe-or-unsafe answer with nothing to install. |
| F-Secure Link Checker | Paste a link on its website. | It checks the link’s reputation, so you don’t open it yourself. | Not covered for the checker. | A quick reputation check that also says what kind of page a link leads to. |
| ESET Link Checker | Paste a link on its website. | Not covered in its help pages. | Not covered in its help pages. | A quick, free second opinion on a link. |
| Norton Safe Web | A free browser extension for Chrome, Edge and Firefox. | No: it looks up Norton’s rating as you browse. | Norton’s privacy notice says it collects your browsing activity to show site safety and block unsafe sites. | Automatic warnings while you browse on a computer. |
| ScamAdviser | Search for a site on its website, or use its browser extension or phone app. | Its FAQ says its algorithm “automatically scans a site”. | Its privacy policy says it collects your searches and clicks on its website, where advertising partners also use cookies and trackers. | Judging whether an unfamiliar online shop is likely to be real. |
| Sucuri SiteCheck | Enter a site on its website. | Yes: it visits the site like a visitor or search engine would. | Not covered on the SiteCheck page or in Sucuri’s privacy policy. | Website owners checking their own site. |
| Your browser’s own protection | Built into Chrome (Safe Browsing), Edge (Microsoft Defender SmartScreen) and Safari (Fraudulent Website Warning). | No: it checks the address as you go. | Chrome’s standard protection sends a disguised part of the address through a privacy server that hides your IP address, and the full address only if a site acts suspiciously; enhanced protection sends more. Edge passes information about the address to Microsoft’s SmartScreen service. Safari says the actual address is never shared with its safe browsing provider. | Leave it on. It catches known dangerous sites once you’ve clicked, and can miss scams too new to be listed. |
Keep private links private. Don’t paste private links into public scanners. Password-reset links, shared documents and links with your email address in them can end up where others can see them: urlscan.io’s public scans are visible to anyone, and VirusTotal shares what it scans with its partners and community.
In detail
The tools, one by one
Peekray
Our tool- How you use it
- A Chrome extension (it works in Edge too), a checker on this site, and a phone page.
- What it checks
- Follows the link’s redirects on its own server, looks it up in three public phishing and malware lists (OpenPhish, PhishTank and URLhaus), and asks Jev, TypeSafe AI’s model, about links no list knows.
- What you get
- Where the link really goes, and a clear answer, such as Safe, Check first or Scam. The extension shows it under a link when you rest the pointer on it, and asks before a likely scam opens.
- Opens the page for you?
- It follows the redirects on its server, usually asking only for headers, up to four hops.
- What happens to your link
- Never sold or used for ads. Links no list knows go to TypeSafe AI’s model to judge. The extension sends only the link, its text and the page title.
- On a phone
- Paste a message on the phone page or, on Android, add it to your home screen and share messages to it.
- Best for
- Seeing where a link really goes before you click, as you browse, and checking the links in texts and emails.
Google Safe Browsing site status
- How you use it
- A search box in Google’s Transparency Report.
- What it checks
- Whether Google Safe Browsing currently lists the site as dangerous, for malware, phishing or unwanted software.
- What you get
- Google’s most recent verdict on the site.
- Opens the page for you?
- No: it shows Google’s latest analysis of the site.
- What happens to your link
- Not covered in its help pages.
- On a phone
- Works in a phone’s browser.
- Best for
- Checking whether Google already flags a site. It’s the same list Chrome uses for its red warnings.
VirusTotal
- How you use it
- Paste a link on its website, or use its browser extension (Chrome, Firefox or Edge) or its API.
- What it checks
- Over 70 antivirus scanners and URL blocklists.
- What you get
- How many of them flag the link, each one’s label (such as Phishing site or Clean site) and a community score.
- Opens the page for you?
- Yes: scanning fetches the page.
- What happens to your link
- Shared. Results go to its partner vendors and the VirusTotal community, and submitted pages may be shared with its paying customers. Private scanning is a paid feature.
- On a phone
- Works in a phone’s browser.
- Best for
- A second opinion from many security vendors at once, for a link with nothing private in it.
urlscan.io
- How you use it
- Paste a link on its website, with no account needed, or use its API.
- What it checks
- Opens the link in a browser on its own servers, and flags pages that imitate brands it tracks.
- What you get
- A screenshot, the redirects to the final page, every site the page contacts, and a warning if it looks malicious.
- Opens the page for you?
- Yes, in a browser on its servers, not yours.
- What happens to your link
- Public scans appear on its front page and in its search, for anyone to see. Choose Unlisted (seen by vetted security researchers and companies) or Private for anything personal.
- On a phone
- Works in a phone’s browser.
- Best for
- Seeing what a page actually does, without opening it yourself.
URLVoid
- How you use it
- Paste a link or site on its website.
- What it checks
- The site’s standing in 30+ blocklists and reputation services, plus its IP address, domain creation date and server location.
- What you get
- A count of the services that flag it, such as 0/39 when none do.
- Opens the page for you?
- No: it asks other services.
- What happens to your link
- Shared with security companies, and URLVoid may share or sell its database of checked sites.
- On a phone
- Works in a phone’s browser.
- Best for
- A quick reputation check on a site, including how new it is.
Bitdefender Link Checker
- How you use it
- Paste a link on its website. It’s free, with no account needed.
- What it checks
- AI scanning, up-to-date security databases and how the site behaves. It expands short links to show where they really go.
- What you get
- A plain verdict, such as “You’re safe” or “Definitely Don’t Go There”.
- Opens the page for you?
- Not covered in its help pages.
- What happens to your link
- Its privacy policy says checked links are also used to improve Bitdefender’s threat detection, and are kept like its other technical data.
- On a phone
- Works in a phone’s browser.
- Best for
- Checking where a short link goes, from a company that says what it does with your link.
Malwarebytes Scam Link Check
- How you use it
- Paste a link on its website. It’s free, with no download or login.
- What it checks
- Malwarebytes’ threat intelligence and signals such as the domain’s age and history, and its reputation. It scans the site and its redirects.
- What you get
- Safe, dangerous or unknown, and a screenshot of the page.
- Opens the page for you?
- It shows you a screenshot of the page, so you see it without visiting it.
- What happens to your link
- Not covered in its help pages or privacy policy. You can choose to report a site, which adds to Malwarebytes’ threat data.
- On a phone
- Works in a phone’s browser.
- Best for
- Seeing what a page looks like, and a verdict, before you open it.
Avast Link Checker
- How you use it
- Paste a link on its website, with nothing to install.
- What it checks
- Scanning engines that use real-time threat intelligence and AI.
- What you get
- Whether the link “appears safe to click”.
- Opens the page for you?
- Not covered in its help pages.
- What happens to your link
- Not covered for the checker. If you think a result is wrong, you can send the link to Avast for review.
- On a phone
- Works in a phone’s browser.
- Best for
- A fast safe-or-unsafe answer with nothing to install.
F-Secure Link Checker
- How you use it
- Paste a link on its website.
- What it checks
- The link’s reputation in F-Secure’s web reputation service.
- What you get
- All good, suspicious, not safe or unknown, plus what type of page is behind the link.
- Opens the page for you?
- It checks the link’s reputation, so you don’t open it yourself.
- What happens to your link
- Not covered for the checker.
- On a phone
- Works in a phone’s browser.
- Best for
- A quick reputation check that also says what kind of page a link leads to.
ESET Link Checker
- How you use it
- Paste a link on its website.
- What it checks
- Scans the link for threats, phishing and fake sites.
- What you get
- A safety verdict.
- Opens the page for you?
- Not covered in its help pages.
- What happens to your link
- Not covered in its help pages.
- On a phone
- Works in a phone’s browser.
- Best for
- A quick, free second opinion on a link.
Norton Safe Web
- How you use it
- A free browser extension for Chrome, Edge and Firefox.
- What it checks
- Looks up each page you load in Norton’s URL reputation service.
- What you get
- Safe, Caution, Unsafe or Untested, and it blocks malicious pages and downloads.
- Opens the page for you?
- No: it looks up Norton’s rating as you browse.
- What happens to your link
- Norton’s privacy notice says it collects your browsing activity to show site safety and block unsafe sites.
- On a phone
- The extension is for computers only.
- Best for
- Automatic warnings while you browse on a computer.
ScamAdviser
- How you use it
- Search for a site on its website, or use its browser extension or phone app.
- What it checks
- Scores how trustworthy a website is from 40+ data sources, such as domain age, hosting, reviews and blocklists.
- What you get
- A Trust Score from 1 to 100, which ScamAdviser calls a risk indicator, not a verdict.
- Opens the page for you?
- Its FAQ says its algorithm “automatically scans a site”.
- What happens to your link
- Its privacy policy says it collects your searches and clicks on its website, where advertising partners also use cookies and trackers.
- On a phone
- Apps for iPhone and Android, with paid Premium features.
- Best for
- Judging whether an unfamiliar online shop is likely to be real.
Sucuri SiteCheck
- How you use it
- Enter a site on its website.
- What it checks
- Scans a website for known malware, blocklisting (by Google, PhishTank and others) and malicious code in the page.
- What you get
- A report of what it found.
- Opens the page for you?
- Yes: it visits the site like a visitor or search engine would.
- What happens to your link
- Not covered on the SiteCheck page or in Sucuri’s privacy policy.
- On a phone
- Works in a phone’s browser.
- Best for
- Website owners checking their own site.
Your browser’s own protection
- How you use it
- Built into Chrome (Safe Browsing), Edge (Microsoft Defender SmartScreen) and Safari (Fraudulent Website Warning).
- What it checks
- Each site you open, against lists of known phishing and malware sites.
- What you get
- A warning before a known dangerous site opens.
- Opens the page for you?
- No: it checks the address as you go.
- What happens to your link
- Chrome’s standard protection sends a disguised part of the address through a privacy server that hides your IP address, and the full address only if a site acts suspiciously; enhanced protection sends more. Edge passes information about the address to Microsoft’s SmartScreen service. Safari says the actual address is never shared with its safe browsing provider.
- On a phone
- Chrome’s is on by default, on phones too.
- Best for
- Leave it on. It catches known dangerous sites once you’ve clicked, and can miss scams too new to be listed.
Which one when
Pick by what you need to know
- A link in a text, email or WhatsApp message
- Paste the message into Peekray, or press and hold the link to see its address first.
- Every link, before you click, on a computer
- A browser extension such as Peekray, with your browser’s own protection switched on. Norton Safe Web also warns about dangerous pages as they load.
- What a page actually does
- urlscan.io. Choose Private or Unlisted if the link has anything personal in it.
- Whether security companies flag it
- VirusTotal, for links with nothing private in them.
- A quick second opinion on one link
- A security company’s free checker, such as Bitdefender’s (it expands short links) or Malwarebytes’ (it shows a screenshot of the page).
- Whether an online shop is real
- ScamAdviser, or in the UK, Get Safe Online’s Check a website.
- Where a short link goes
- Bitly’s Link Checker for bit.ly links, or Bitdefender’s Link Checker or Peekray for other short links.
- Whether your own site has been flagged
- Google’s Safe Browsing site status and Sucuri SiteCheck.
Let Peekray do it
See where a link goes before you click it.
FAQ
Common questions
What’s the best free link checker?
It depends on what you need. To see where links go before you click, as you browse, use an extension such as Peekray. For a second opinion from many security vendors, use VirusTotal; to see what a page does without opening it, urlscan.io. Security companies such as Bitdefender, Malwarebytes, Avast, F-Secure and ESET also have free link checkers. Keep your browser’s own protection switched on as well.
Is it safe to paste a suspicious link into a link checker?
Yes. The checker looks the link up, or opens it on its own servers, so your browser never goes there. But some checkers share or publish what you submit, so don’t paste links with personal details in them.
Can a link checker say a scam link is safe?
Yes. Lists only include scams someone has already found, and new scam sites can take a while to appear on them. Treat “Safe” as “nothing found yet”, and stay wary of any link that rushes you to pay or sign in.
Doesn’t my browser already check links?
Chrome, Edge and Safari warn you before a site they know is dangerous opens, and it’s worth keeping that on. But Google says most malicious sites exist for less than 10 minutes, so a brand-new scam may not be known yet. A second check before you click helps.
How do I check a link on my phone?
Press and hold the link instead of tapping it to see its address. To check it, tap Copy link and paste it into Peekray’s phone page, which also takes whole messages. For bit.ly links, Bitly’s Link Checker shows where they go.
Sources
Where this advice comes from
- Google Safe Browsing
- Google Security Blog: Updates to Google Safe Browsing’s Site Status tool (March 2017)
- Google Security Blog: Real-time, privacy-preserving URL protection (March 2024)
- Chrome Help: Choose your Safe Browsing protection level
- Chrome Help: How Chrome Safe Browsing keeps your browsing data private
- VirusTotal docs: How it works
- VirusTotal docs: Reports
- VirusTotal docs: Private scanning
- VirusTotal docs: Browser extensions
- urlscan.io: About
- urlscan.io: API documentation (scan visibility)
- urlscan.io: FAQ
- urlscan.io docs: Result API reference (redirect chain)
- URLVoid
- URLVoid: FAQ
- PCWorld: This free tool checks if a link is safe in seconds (March 2026)
- Bitdefender: Link Checker
- Bitdefender: Privacy Policy for Home User Solutions, section 7.12 (August 2026)
- Malwarebytes: Free Link Checker, is this link safe?
- Malwarebytes: Malwarebytes launches free Scam Link Check (October 2026)
- Avast: Is this link safe? Free link checker and URL scanner
- F-Secure: Link Checker
- ESET: Is this link really safe? (Link Checker)
- Norton Support: Browse the internet securely with Norton Safe Web
- Norton: Products privacy notice
- Norton: Safe Web (free browser extensions)
- Chrome Web Store: Norton Safe Web
- ScamAdviser: Trust Score explained
- ScamAdviser: FAQ
- ScamAdviser: Privacy policy (September 2025)
- Get Safe Online: About Check a website
- Sucuri SiteCheck
- Sucuri Blog: How does SiteCheck work? (October 2012)
- Microsoft Support: How can SmartScreen help protect me in Microsoft Edge?
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Edge support for Microsoft Defender SmartScreen
- Apple: Safari and privacy
- Bitly Support: Can I check a Bitly link’s destination before clicking on it?
Guides
More help
How to check if a link is safe before you click
Five quick checks to spot a scam link, and what to do if you already clicked.
Read the guide · 3 min
Is this text a scam? Check it before you tap
Parcel, tax refund, toll and fine texts: how to spot a scam text and check its link before you tap.
Read the guide · 5 min
Is this email a scam? Check it before you click
Refunds, failed payments and invoices: how to spot a scam email and check its links before you click.
Read the guide · 6 min
How to check a QR code before you open it
Fake QR codes on parking machines, parcels and emails: how to see where a code goes before you open it.
Read the guide · 3 min
See where a short link really goes
Paste a bit.ly or other short link to see where it lands, without opening it.
Read the guide · 2 min
Clicked a scam link? What to do now
Step-by-step help for whatever happened after the click, and how to report it in the UK and US.
Read the guide · 4 min