Is envato.com legit or a scam?
Established creative marketplace with legitimate business registration, but multiple complaints about unexpected charges, no-refund policies, and product quality issues.
These checks passed — but they don't clear the site. A clean antivirus result, valid SSL, and a calm server only mean it isn't hosting malware; they say nothing about whether the business is real. This verdict is based on the site's conduct and content, not a malware detection.
Analysis Summary
Warning signs detected
Several risk indicators suggest caution. This site might be legitimate — but treat it as unverified until you can independently confirm.
Website Preview
Automated page render — captured in a safe sandbox. What an ordinary visitor would see when loading the site.
MT Intelligence
Envato.com is a genuine, long-established business — registered in 2006, actively owned by Shutterstock since 2024, and verified as Envato Pty Ltd in Australia's business registry. Our antivirus network and browser blocklists show no malware or phishing flags, and the domain infrastructure is clean. However, the evidence package contains six scam reports and five complaints concentrated on billing practices and refund denial. Users report being charged $880 instead of the advertised $16.95 monthly rate, receiving non-working themes with missing files, and facing refusal to refund. While positive reviews praise the asset library's size and organization, the negative feedback consistently targets the company's subscription model, product quality control, and customer-service responsiveness. The complaints do not suggest envato.com itself is a phishing or malware operation — rather, they reflect frustration with marketplace policies and third-party seller accountability. This pattern is typical of legitimate but controversial subscription services with aggressive billing and restrictive refund terms.
Web Research Findings
Our live research agent queries scam-report databases, consumer-review sites, news coverage, and general web search for envato.com, then cross-checks business-registration records and look-alike domain patterns. Everything below is pulled from what it actually found.
- Domain registered July 2006 (over 19 years old); currently owned by Shutterstock, Inc. following 2024 acquisition of Envato Pty Ltd for $245 million.
- Legitimate Australian company (Envato Pty Ltd ABN 11 119 159 741, active since 2006, based in Melbourne).
- Operates major creative marketplace (ThemeForest, Elements) with millions of assets; official help pages warn users about phishing emails and fake login sites mimicking envato.com.
- Significant user complaints on ProductReview.com.au, Reddit, PissedConsumer, and blogs about non-working themes, no refunds, unexpected charges, poor support, and copyright claims on Elements music.
- Mixed reviews: positive for asset library size/organization (TechRadar, G2); negative for product quality, refund policy, and customer service (Trustpilot mentions negative product experiences; some call it "scam" for marketplace issues).
- No evidence of envato.com itself being a phishing or malware site; complaints target marketplace practices and third-party seller quality rather than the platform being fraudulent.
- Whois shows registrant as Shutterstock, Inc.; status includes client delete/transfer prohibited.
- ProductReview.com.auopen
"Envato is a scammer company don't waste your money, They claim unlimited downloads, but copyright claims often arise."
- ProductReview.com.auopen
"This website is a scam. It said $16.95 month and they took out a whole $880 they said it’s for the year. ... Wouldn’t refund me."
- ProductReview.com.auopen
"Envato market also known as theme forest is Total SCAM website Purchased a theme and it’s not working and missing files , when asked for refund the reply is rude and never refunded."
- Redditopen
"Taking money, not delivering the promised goods/services and not giving the money back isn't a legitimate business model. It's scam."
- devsmint.comopen
"While Envato isn't an outright scam, it functions like one. ... No refunds, even for broken products."
- StockPhotoSecretsopen
"Envato Market is a legitimate online marketplace for digital assets such as website themes, templates, graphics, and plugins. ... Envato's reputation in the digital marketplace is undeniably legitimate and safe."
- TechRadaropen
"Envato Elements offers a wide selection of media, all well-organized with very well implemented filters. ... Still, it’s well worth checking out."
- KripeshAdwani.comopen
"after buying it twice and using it for more than a year I can say that it is DEFINITELY worth every penny!"
Envato Pty Ltd (ABN 11 119 159 741), registered since 6 Apr 2006 in VIC. Acquired by Shutterstock in 2024 for $245M; also Envato Elements Pty Ltd (ACN 613 824 258) registered 2016.
ProductReview.com.au, Reddit, and independent blogs report recurring complaints: unexpected billing charges (users charged $880 instead of advertised $16.95/month), refusal to refund non-working products, missing theme files, poor customer support, and copyright claims on Elements music. One user stated 'Taking money, not delivering the promised goods/services and not giving the money back isn't a legitimate business model. It's scam.' However, positive reviews from TechRadar and StockPhotoSecrets confirm Envato's legitimacy as an established marketplace and praise the breadth and organization of its asset library. The evidence does not suggest envato.com itself is a phishing or malware operation; complaints target the company's subscription billing practices, refund policy, and third-party seller accountability rather than the platform being fraudulent.
Antivirus Engines
Security Scans
Checked against the major public blocklists used by browsers and security tools — no hits.
Domain & Encryption
Redirect Chain
- 1301http://envato.com/
- 2301https://envato.com/
- 3403https://elements.envato.com/cross-domain
Server Reputation
Proceed with caution
Our automated review flagged enough risk that you should treat this site as unverified.
- Treat envato.com as unverified
Do not enter credentials or send money until you have independently verified the business.
- Verify the business through independent channels
Check the company's social profiles, registry records, and search for recent news or reviews that are not hosted on the site itself.
- Never use irreversible payment methods
Crypto, gift cards, wire transfers, and cash apps offer zero buyer protection. Use a credit card or PayPal if you must pay.
- OpenShare your experience
If you have additional context, drop a comment below or post on the MalwareTips forum.
Reputation Sources
How this domain rates across independent threat-intelligence and blocklist providers.
Safety FAQ
Common questions about this site, answered directly from the scan data above — so the answers always reflect the latest verdict on this page.
- Our automated security review marked envato.com as suspicious. Several warning signs were detected; it may still turn out legitimate, but you should verify it through independent channels before trusting it with money or credentials.
- envato.com currently scores 55/100 on our trust scale. We found enough warning signals to recommend caution. Verify the site through independent channels before entering credentials or money.
- Yes. envato.com presents a valid TLSv1.3 certificate issued by Google Trust Services · WE1, expiring in 71 days. Note that SSL only encrypts the connection — it does not guarantee that the site itself is trustworthy.
- envato.com is 19.9 years old, registered on 7/26/2006 through MarkMonitor Inc.. Scam domains are often freshly registered — a site under 6 months old warrants extra caution.
- No. All 92 antivirus engines in our malware network report envato.com as clean.
- No. envato.com is not currently listed on the major browser blocklist feeds that modern browsers use.
- envato.com resolves to an IP operated by Cloudflare, Inc. in US (usage type: Content Delivery Network). 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.
- Yes. envato.com sits in the global top-100k on Cloudflare Radar, which means it has substantial real-world traffic. That does not automatically make it safe, but established brands almost always rank here and throwaway scam domains almost never do.
User reviews & comments(0)
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