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

Is mdpi.com safe to use?

mdpi.com passed our automated security checks with a trust score of 84/100. No antivirus engines or major blacklists flagged the site at the time of the last scan.

Does mdpi.com have a valid SSL certificate?

Yes. mdpi.com presents a valid TLSv1.3 certificate issued by DigiCert Inc · DigiCert Global G3 TLS ECC SHA384 2020 CA1, expiring in 196 days. Note that SSL only encrypts the connection — it does not guarantee that the site itself is trustworthy.

How old is the mdpi.com domain?

mdpi.com is 22.5 years old, registered on 12/19/2003 through Network Solutions, LLC. Scam domains are often freshly registered — a site under 6 months old warrants extra caution.

Has mdpi.com been flagged by antivirus engines?

No. All 92 antivirus engines in our malware network report mdpi.com as clean.

Is mdpi.com on any phishing or malware blacklists?

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

Where is mdpi.com hosted?

mdpi.com resolves to an IP operated by Akamai Technologies, Inc. in US (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 mdpi.com 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 mdpi.com legit or a scam?

Name: Is mdpi.com legit or a scam?
Item: mdpi.com
Rating: 5
Author: MalwareTips

Our verdict:Safe· 84/100

SafeSuspiciousDangerous

Established Swiss academic publisher with clean security scans and 22-year domain history despite ongoing debates about journal practices.

Why we trust it

Domain registered over 22 years ago with active Swiss business registration since 1996.Zero detections across our antivirus network and browser blocklists.Hosting IP carries zero abuse reports and clean reputation data.

mdpi.comScanned 4d ago

Post Facebook

Trust score

SAFE

Heuristics 95·MT 78

Category tags

academic publisher85% MT confidence

Positive signals (5)

Antivirus clear Not on major blacklists Domain is 22 years old Encrypted connection Clean server reputation

View density

Analysis Summary

Threat Intelligence

0/92

All engines report clean

Domain Age

22 years old

Registered Dec 19, 2003

MT Intelligence

Safe

Low likelihood · 85% confidence

MT Intelligence

Advanced threat intelligence

MT Security Analyst

Low scam likelihoodengineMT · Guardiantrust78/100

MT AgentLive web researchVisual inspection

Confidence

The site is the official domain of MDPI AG, an open-access publisher founded in 1996 and registered in Switzerland. Technical scans show zero malicious detections, valid SSL, and a clean hosting IP with no abuse reports. The domain age of over 8200 days and confirmed business registration provide strong legitimacy signals. While 20 complaints appear on forums discussing email invitations and review quality, zero scam reports were located and the site itself is not a clone or credential harvester. These factors together support a safe classification for visiting the domain.

Full dossier

Analysis complete

Page Content

Official site for MDPI, a large open-access academic publisher operating hundreds of journals.

Infrastructure

Valid SSL certificate from DigiCert with 196 days remaining.
Hosting IP shows zero abuse reports and clean reputation.
No redirects or suspicious encoding detected.

Domain History

Registered for 8200 days through Network Solutions with no privacy masking; company founded 1996 in Basel, Switzerland.

Web Reputation

Zero scam reports found; mixed academic feedback on review practices noted on ResearchGate, Reddit, and independent review aggregator (2.7/5).

Risk Factors

Twenty complaints noted on academic forums regarding email invitations and review speed.
Some journals have faced downgrades or past inclusion on predatory lists (later removed).

Positive Signals

Domain registered over 22 years ago with active Swiss business registration since 1996.
Zero detections across our antivirus network and browser blocklists.
Hosting IP carries zero abuse reports and clean reputation data.
Company explicitly warns users about fraudulent clone sites impersonating them.

AI Recommendation

The site itself is safe to visit. Researchers should still evaluate individual journals carefully before submitting, as with any publisher.

Next-gen fraud intelligence

Evidence-backedCross-checked

Website Preview

LIVE RENDER

mdpi.com

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 mdpi.com, then cross-checks business-registration records and look-alike domain patterns. Everything below is pulled from what it actually found.

Domain age

22 yrs

Registered Dec 2003

Business registration

Active · Switzerland

Site traces back to an actively registered business.

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

20 complaints · 2 positive

Key findings

7 headline facts from open-web research

- Founded 1996 in Basel, Switzerland as open-access publisher; operates mdpi.com
- Wikipedia: Included on Beall's predatory list 2014, removed 2015 after appeal
- Multiple Reddit threads (r/AskAcademia, r/academia) discuss spam invitations, rapid review concerns, and predatory label debates
- Official MDPI pages warn of phishing emails and clone sites (e.g., imdpi.com) impersonating them
- Trustpilot: 2.7/5 rating from 9 reviews (as of recent crawl)
- LinkedIn/company info: Private company (Aktiengesellschaft), sole owner Shu-Kun Lin, 500+ journals
- Some journals downgraded by Finland's Publication Forum to level 0 in 2024; CAS removed from warning list by 2025

Positive reviews (2)

Quotes indicating the site is legitimate.

ResearchGateopen
"No this is not spam. I think you can trust this one. First of all the mail address is trustworthy according to the website of this journal"
ResearchGateopen
"My experiences have been very positive. The reviewers in MDPI have actually discussed about the topic instead of 'Check English, too long and boring' comments"

Business registration

Status: active · Switzerland

MDPI AG, registered at Grosspeteranlage 5, 4052 Basel, Switzerland; founded 1996

Research summary

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

No scam reports were found. Twenty complaints appear across Reddit threads and independent review aggregator discussing spam-like invitations and rapid review concerns. Two positive ResearchGate posts highlight trustworthy email practices and constructive reviewer feedback. The company is confirmed as MDPI AG, registered and active in Switzerland since 1996.

Antivirus Engines

Clean pass · verified

Clean across 92 engines

We cross-check every URL against our antivirus network of 92 malware and blacklist engines. None of them flagged this URL in the last scan.

0Malicious0Suspicious60Harmless92Engines

Clean

Kaspersky

Clean

Bitdefender

Clean

Microsoft

Not in pass

ESET-NOD32

Not in pass

Avira

Not in pass

Sophos

Clean

Fortinet

Clean

Google Safebrowsing

Clean

Emsisoft

Clean

No engine detections. The URL passed every antivirus and blacklist engine we queried in this scan. Stay vigilant — AV coverage is only one signal among many.

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

Domain History

Age22 years old

RegistrarNetwork Solutions, LLC

RegisteredDec 19, 2003

ExpiresMay 12, 2034

Owner privacyVisible

Encryption Certificate

StatusValid

ProtocolTLSv1.3

IssuerDigiCert Inc · DigiCert Global G3 TLS ECC SHA384 2020 CA1

ExpiresDec 15, 2026 (196d)

Self-signedNo

Hosting & Technology

HostingAkamai Technologies, Inc.

Server locationUS

Server Reputation

Abuse Intelligence

Confidence score0%

Reports on file0

ISPAkamai Technologies, Inc.

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 mdpi.com and not a lookalike like m-dpi.com.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 ↗

VirusTotal

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 mdpi.com. 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·mdpi.com

SAFE

MDPI is a long-established open-access academic publisher. Our analysis finds clean technical scans, a 22-year-old domain, and active Swiss business registration with no malware or phishing flags. Some academic complaints exist around review speed and invitations.

The site itself is safe to visit. Researchers should still evaluate individual journals carefully before submitting, as with any publisher.

AV engines

MT passes

Net signals

Scan another URL

Security review completemalwaretips.com/url-scan

Recently scanned

Other Safe reports

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.