A free VirusTotal alternative for checking links
VirusTotal is a deep, analyst-grade scanner. For the everyday question - "is this link safe?" - Cactus gives a clear, plain-language answer, free and bilingual.
What VirusTotal is good at
VirusTotal is a powerful, analyst-grade service. It scans files and URLs against 70+ antivirus engines and URL/domain blocklists, analyzes file behaviour, and exposes a rich API and historical data. For malware analysts and security teams investigating a suspicious file or domain, it's an essential tool.
What Cactus does
Cactus answers the everyday question - "is this link safe?" - in plain language. The Link Checker inspects a URL for phishing signs, look-alike domains, risky redirects, domain age, and threat-intelligence matches, then gives a clear safety verdict and what to do next. The IP reputation checker shows who owns an IP and whether it's on abuse blacklists. Free, no signup, bilingual.
How they compare
| VirusTotal | Cactus | |
|---|---|---|
| Check a URL / domain | Yes (many engines) | Yes, with a plain-language verdict |
| IP reputation | Yes | Yes |
| Scan uploaded files | Yes | No |
| Multi-engine antivirus aggregation | Yes | No |
| Built for non-experts | Technical | Yes |
| Cost / signup | Free tier; signup for more | Free, no signup |
| Bilingual (EN/FR) | No | Yes |
Which should you use?
If you need to scan a file, aggregate dozens of antivirus engines, or dig into history with an API, VirusTotal is the right tool. If you just want to know whether a link looks safe before you click - explained simply, in English or French - Cactus gives you a clear answer in seconds.