VirusTotal Pricing 2026: Plans, Costs & Free Options
Last Updated: May 2026
Multi-engine file and URL scanning with 70+ AV engines. AI-powered Code Insight analysis. Owned by Google and Mandiant. This page breaks down VirusTotal's Freemium pricing model, what it includes, and how it compares to free alternatives in the Threat Intelligence category.
Pricing Overview
Pricing Model
Freemium
This means the tool is free to use and typically open-source — you self-host it, customize it, and pay nothing for the software itself.
Is VirusTotal Free?
Yes, VirusTotal is completely free and open-source. You can download, use, and modify it without paying any license fees.
Is VirusTotal Worth It?
VirusTotal is rated 4.7/5 in our Threat Intelligence directory and is completely free, which makes it an easy recommendation for any team that can self-host and manage their own deployment. You get full functionality without licensing costs, though you trade vendor support for community forums and documentation. For Threat Intelligence workflows, VirusTotal delivers strong value, especially for individuals, students, and budget-conscious teams. The main consideration is operational overhead — you own the install, updates, and tuning. If your team has the technical capacity, VirusTotal is well worth adopting.
Cheaper Alternatives
If VirusTotal's pricing is out of budget, these Threat Intelligence tools offer free or freemium options:
-
Censys Search
Freemium
Internet-wide scanning and search engine for discovering and monitoring exposed assets and services.
-
MISP Platform
Free/OSS
Open-source threat intelligence sharing platform for collaborative analysis and IOC exchange.
-
Filigran OpenCTI Cloud
Freemium
Managed threat intelligence platform built on OpenCTI providing structured knowledge management for security teams
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does VirusTotal cost?
VirusTotal uses a Freemium pricing model. This means the tool is free to use and typically open-source — you self-host it, customize it, and pay nothing for the software itself. For exact current pricing, visit the VirusTotal website directly — vendors update tiers and quotas regularly.
Is there a free version of VirusTotal?
Yes, VirusTotal is completely free and open-source. You can download, use, and modify it without paying any license fees.
What are cheaper alternatives to VirusTotal?
In the Threat Intelligence category, the most popular free or freemium alternatives are Censys Search, MISP Platform, Filigran OpenCTI Cloud. Each offers a comparable feature set at lower or zero cost — see our /alternatives page for full breakdowns.