isMalicious leads on 9 of 12 compared capabilities
2 shared — full breakdown in the table below
Quick verdict
Choose isMalicious for API-first threat intelligence with multi-source correlation, CVE data, and ransomware tracking. Choose urlscan.io for manual investigation of suspicious urls via browser sandbox.
isMalicious
Real-time threat intelligence API with multi-source correlation, CVE intelligence, ransomware tracking, and dark web monitoring.
Best for: Automated threat intelligence at scale
urlscan.io
urlscan.io is a free web scanning service that visits URLs in a sandboxed browser, captures screenshots, DOM content, network requests, and resource hashes, and returns a verdict. It excels at inspecting individual suspicious URLs but is not designed for bulk or real-time API use.
Best for: Manual investigation of suspicious URLs via browser sandbox
Feature Comparison
| Feature | isMalicious | urlscan.io |
|---|---|---|
| URL scanning | ||
| Screenshot / visual inspection | ||
| IP reputation | ||
| Domain reputation | ||
| Bulk API (1K+ indicators) | ||
| Streaming threat feed | ||
| Ransomware tracking | ||
| CVE intelligence | ||
| Dark web monitoring | ||
| STIX/TAXII export | ||
| NRD feed | ||
| Free tier available |
Every row above is backed by live data — see it on your own indicators.
Run a free reporturlscan.io — Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- Screenshot capture
- DOM and network inspection
- Free public scan database
- Visual phishing detection
Limitations
- Manual-first, not API-first
- Rate-limited free tier (100 searches/day)
- No IP or domain reputation scoring
- No bulk indicator API
- No streaming feed
- No ransomware or CVE intelligence
- No dark web monitoring
Pricing
urlscan.io
Free (limited public scans), Pro from $50/month
Frequently Asked Questions
Is isMalicious better than urlscan.io?
urlscan.io is excellent for deep, visual inspection of a single suspicious URL — seeing screenshots, network calls, and DOM content. isMalicious is better for high-volume automated URL reputation checks at scale, providing a verdict and confidence score via API without the overhead of a full browser render.
Does isMalicious use urlscan.io data?
urlscan.io is one of the public sources that feeds into isMalicious's URL reputation engine alongside Google Safe Browsing, SURBL, URLhaus, PhishTank, and other feeds.
Can isMalicious replace urlscan.io for phishing detection?
For automated, API-driven phishing URL screening at scale, isMalicious is the better fit. For manual analyst investigation where visual evidence matters (screenshots, rendered DOM, network calls), urlscan.io remains uniquely useful and the two tools complement each other well.
Other Comparisons
Decide with your own data
Don't take our word over urlscan.io's. Check something real.
Paste any IP, domain, or URL and get a full multi-source report — reputation, WHOIS, DNS, ransomware signals, and an AI verdict. Free, no signup.
- 30 free API calls/month
- No credit card required
- API key in under 2 minutes