About SafeToHop
SafeToHop is a free link checker. Paste a link from an email, text or message and it tells you, in plain language, whether it looks safe to open and what to do next.
Why we built it
Most scams start with a link. Phishing pages copy banks, delivery companies and app stores so well that the page itself gives nothing away. The address almost always does, but reading one carefully takes knowledge most people don't have time to learn. SafeToHop does that reading for you in a second.
How the safety score works
Every link starts at 100%. SafeToHop then checks 16 warning signs, and each one it finds lowers the score:
- Whether the connection is encrypted
- Whether an
@sign hides the real destination - Raw or disguised IP addresses
- Look-alike characters from other alphabets
- Well-known brand names on a domain that isn't theirs, including misspellings
- Domain endings often used for spam
- Whether the site is one of the large, widely used ones
- Link shorteners that hide the destination
- Redirects that forward you to another site
- Long chains of subdomains
- Throwaway-looking domain names
- Pressure words such as "verify", "suspended" or "prize"
- Downloads of programs or risky file types
- Unusual network ports
- Very long or heavily scrambled addresses
- Free page-hosting services often used for scam pages
Scores of 80% and above look safe, 50–79% deserve a second look, and anything under 50% is best left alone. Every result comes with a short summary of what to do.
What SafeToHop can't do
SafeToHop never opens the links you check. That keeps you safe, but it means we can't follow a short link to its final page or look at the page's content. A high score means the address shows no known warning signs. It isn't a guarantee that a site is safe, so always combine it with common sense.
Your privacy
Links are checked inside your own browser. They're never sent to us or stored on our servers. Your recent scans are saved only on your device, and you can clear them at any time. Read the full privacy policy.
How SafeToHop is funded
The site is free and supported by advertising. Ads never change a link's score.
Get in touch
Found a link we scored wrongly, or have an idea? Contact us.