Is archive.is a scam?

Our automated security review found no threat indicators on archive.is. The site appears legitimate based on the signals we checked, but always stay alert for phishing emails that spoof real domains.

Is archive.is safe to use?

archive.is passed our automated security checks with a trust score of 83/100. No antivirus engines or major blacklists flagged the site at the time of the last scan.

Does archive.is have a valid SSL certificate?

Yes. archive.is presents a valid TLSv1.2 certificate issued by Let's Encrypt · E7, expiring in 30 days. Note that SSL only encrypts the connection — it does not guarantee that the site itself is trustworthy.

Is archive.is on any phishing or malware blacklists?

No. archive.is is not currently listed on the major browser blocklist feeds that modern browsers use.

Where is archive.is hosted?

archive.is resolves to an IP operated by Skhron OU in SE (usage type: Data Center/Web Hosting/Transit). Hosting location alone doesn't make a site good or bad, but unusual geography for a brand's claimed country is one of many signals we weigh.

How often is the archive.is report updated?

We cache results for 24 hours. Signed-in MalwareTips members can trigger a manual rescan at any time using the "Rescan" button on the report page, which re-runs every check from scratch and refreshes this page.

SAFE

No threats detected

All checks passed. This site appears legitimate — but always stay alert for phishing even on trusted domains.

Security Review

Is archive.is legit or a scam?

Name: Is archive.is legit or a scam?
Item: archive.is
Rating: 5
Author: MalwareTips

Our verdict:Safe· 83/100

SafeSuspiciousDangerous

Long-running web archiving service active since 2012 with clean blocklist status and positive trust ratings from review aggregators.

Why we trust it

Operating continuously since 2012 as a public archiving platform Browser blocklists returned completely clean Hosting IP shows zero abuse reports

archive.isScanned 10h ago

Post Facebook

Trust score

SAFE

Heuristics 95·MT 75

Category tags

archiving service80% MT confidence

Positive signals (3)

Not on major blacklists Encrypted connection Clean server reputation

View density

Analysis Summary

Threat Intelligence

—

Data unavailable

Domain Age

—

Registration date unknown

MT Intelligence

Safe

Low likelihood · 80% confidence

MT Intelligence

Advanced threat intelligence

MT Security Analyst

Low scam likelihoodengineMT · Guardiantrust75/100

MT AgentLive web researchVisual inspection

Confidence

The domain runs a known archiving platform that began in 2012 under archive.today branding. Browser blocklists returned clean and the hosting IP carries zero abuse reports. Independent review sites explicitly call the service legitimate and safe for users. Ownership is hidden behind an alias with no formal business registration located. Past controversies include an FBI subpoena and regional blocks, yet no malware or scam activity appears in current scans.

Full dossier

Analysis complete

Page Content

The site functions as a public web archiving tool that captures and stores snapshots of other pages.

Infrastructure

Valid SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt with one clean redirect hop and an IP showing zero abuse history.

Domain History

Registered and active since May 2012 with multiple mirrors; owner listed under a suspected alias in Czechia.

Web Reputation

Review aggregators rate it as legitimate; one positive assessment found with no consumer complaints recorded.

Risk Factors

Owner identity hidden behind alias with no verifiable business registration
FBI subpoena issued to registrar in 2025 as part of an undisclosed investigation
Service has faced blocks or scrutiny in China, Russia, and from French advocacy groups over content handling

Positive Signals

Operating continuously since 2012 as a public archiving platform
Browser blocklists returned completely clean
Hosting IP shows zero abuse reports
Independent review sites explicitly label the service legitimate and safe

AI Recommendation

The service is safe for archiving web pages. Avoid entering sensitive personal data on any archiving site as a general precaution.

Next-gen fraud intelligence

Evidence-backedCross-checked

Website Preview

LIVE RENDER

archive.is

Automated page render — captured in a safe sandbox. What an ordinary visitor would see when loading the site.

Web Research Findings

Our live research agent queries scam-report databases, consumer-review sites, news coverage, and general web search for archive.is, then cross-checks business-registration records and look-alike domain patterns. Everything below is pulled from what it actually found.

Business registration

No public record found

Could not match the site to a registered company — common for small sites.

Clone check

Not a clone

No well-known site's layout or branding detected here.

Typosquat check

No look-alike match

The domain doesn't resemble any well-known brand's spelling.

Web mentions

1 scam report · 1 positive

Key findings

7 headline facts from open-web research

Launched May 2012 as web archiving service; originally branded archive.today, primary mirror archive.is from 2015
WHOIS for archive.is lists registrant 'Denis Petrov' of Czechia (suspected alias; investigations point to possible Russia base)
FBI subpoenaed Tucows (domain registrar) on Oct 30, 2025 to identify owner as part of undisclosed criminal investigation
Banned or scrutinized in China, Russia; faced pressure from French group WAAD in 2025 over alleged CSAM handling
Privately funded with no ads or public fundraising; estimated monthly costs $3500-4000 per owner statements
Wikipedia blacklisted links in 2013 (overturned 2016) citing botnets and linkspamming concerns; second-largest archiving service on Wikimedia projects
No Trustpilot/Sitejabber reviews found specifically for archive.is; Scamadviser rates as legit

Scam reports (1)

Direct quotes from public scam databases, forums, and news.

Scamadviseropen
"In summary, we think archive.is is legit and safe for consumers to access . given a high ranking by Tranco. scammers sometimes buy existing websites"

Positive reviews (1)

Quotes indicating the site is legitimate.

Scamadviseropen
"In summary, we think archive.is is legit and safe for consumers to access"

Research summary

Narrative write-up from our AI analyst, grounded on the facts above

Review aggregators examined archive.is and stated it appears legitimate and safe to use, citing its high traffic ranking. One source noted that scammers occasionally purchase established domains but found no evidence of misuse here. No consumer complaints or scam reports were located beyond that single assessment.

Security Scans

Blacklist Check

Not flagged on major threat lists

Checked against the major public blocklists used by browsers and security tools — no hits.

Domain & Encryption

Encryption Certificate

StatusValid

ProtocolTLSv1.2

IssuerLet's Encrypt · E7

ExpiresJul 5, 2026 (30d)

Self-signedNo

Hosting & Technology

HostingSkhron OU

Server locationSE

Redirect Chain

Hops

Cross-domain

Lookalike

Punycode

1302http://archive.is/
2429https://archive.is/

Server Reputation

Abuse Intelligence

Confidence score0%

Reports on file0

ISPSkhron OU

Usage typeData Center/Web Hosting/Transit

Still, stay alert

No major threat indicators — but a clean scan does not guarantee every page is safe, and phishing emails routinely spoof real domains.

Double-check the exact URL in your address bar
Confirm you are actually on archive.is and not a lookalike like a-rchive.is.com or an IDN homoglyph.
Use a password manager
Password managers only auto-fill on the exact domain they were saved for — they refuse to fill lookalike domains, which is the single best phishing defence.
Discuss this site on the forum
If you have first-hand experience with this site — good or bad — share it with the MalwareTips community.
Open

Reputation Sources

How this domain rates across independent threat-intelligence and blocklist providers.

Google Safe Browsing

Not listedCheck ↗

AbuseIPDB

Not listedCheck ↗

Also verify:Spamhaus ↗DNSBL / SURBL ↗PhishTank ↗

Safety FAQ

Common questions about this site, answered from the scan data on this page. These are auto-generated — not hand-written — so they always match the underlying report.

Our automated security review found no threat indicators on archive.is. The site appears legitimate based on the signals we checked, but always stay alert for phishing emails that spoof real domains.

Final Verdict

Trust / 100

Final Verdict·archive.is

SAFE

Archive.is is a web archiving service that has operated since 2012. It shows clean security scans, zero abuse reports on its IP, and independent review sites rate it as legitimate despite anonymous ownership and past legal scrutiny.

The service is safe for archiving web pages. Avoid entering sensitive personal data on any archiving site as a general precaution.

AV engines

—

MT passes

Net signals

Scan another URL

Security review completemalwaretips.com/url-scan

Recently scanned

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Community review

User reviews & comments(0)

Share your experience — "Lost $200 on a fake checkout" is more useful than "Scam". Your review helps others avoid traps.

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This report is generated automatically by combining threat intelligence, domain signals, and an AI security analyst. It is informational, not legal advice. Always use your own judgement before sharing personal information or money online.