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Is softwareadvice.com a Scam? Security Check Results - Software Advice Reviews

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Is softwareadvice.com Safe? Security Analysis for Software Advice

Check if softwareadvice.com is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

TechnologyN/alarge
ReactNext.jsVercel AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle Analytics+4 more
Analyzed 9/5/2025Completed 4:07:55 AM
71
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

Software Advice is a well-established technology company specializing in providing independent, objective software buying advice and reviews. The platform serves over 1 million businesses and offers personalized one-on-one consultations to help clients find suitable software solutions quickly. The website demonstrates a strong market position as a trusted advisor in the software industry, supported by millions of verified user reviews and a broad industry coverage of 150 sectors. The business model revolves around advisory services and software comparison, likely monetized through vendor partnerships and lead generation. Technically, the website is built on modern frameworks such as React and Next.js, hosted on Vercel, and integrates advanced analytics and customer engagement tools like Google Analytics, FullStory, and Intercom. The site is optimized for performance, mobile responsiveness, and SEO, reflecting a mature digital infrastructure. Security best practices are observed with HTTPS enforcement and security headers, although explicit security policies and incident response details are not publicly disclosed. The security posture is strong with no evident vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. Privacy compliance is well addressed with comprehensive privacy and cookie policies and consent mechanisms, aligning with GDPR requirements. However, the absence of direct contact emails and WHOIS data transparency slightly impacts business credibility from a domain registration perspective. Overall, Software Advice presents a professional, trustworthy, and user-friendly platform with a solid technical foundation and good privacy practices. Strategic improvements in transparency around security policies, incident response, and domain registration details would further enhance trust and compliance.

Detected Technologies

ReactNext.jsVercel AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsIntercomFullStoryTrustpilot WidgetCloudflare

🧠AI Business Intelligence

Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Software Advice operates as a leading software advisory and review platform, targeting businesses seeking software solutions across multiple industries. Its competitive advantage lies in personalized advisor consultations, extensive verified reviews, and a broad software category coverage. The business model likely includes lead generation and vendor partnerships. The company is part of Gartner, Inc., a major player in technology research and advisory. Growth indicators include a large user base and extensive industry reach. The partnership ecosystem includes related regional domains and integration with major analytics and customer engagement platforms. Operationally, the company emphasizes user experience, trust, and comprehensive software guidance.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and multiple security headers implemented. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the HTML content. Privacy policies and cookie consent mechanisms indicate compliance with GDPR. However, the absence of a published security policy, incident response plan, or vulnerability disclosure program limits transparency. No security contact emails or security.txt files were found, which could hinder incident reporting and response. The use of third-party scripts requires ongoing monitoring to mitigate supply chain risks. Overall, the security maturity is good but could benefit from enhanced transparency and formalized security communication channels.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response plan on the website.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Software Advice

Description:

We help companies find the right software—for free and in as little as 15 minutes.

Key Services:
personalized software recommendationssoftware reviewssoftware comparisons1-on-1 advisor consultations
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
ReactNext.jsVercel AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsIntercomFullStoryTrustpilot WidgetCloudflare
Frameworks:
Next.jsReact
Platforms:
Vercel
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
90/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of security headers
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure forms with input validation

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerFullStoryVercel Analytics
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
FullStoryIntercom
Marketing Tools:
IntercomTrustpilot Widget
Transparency Level:good

Website Quality Assessment

Design Quality:excellent
User Experience:excellent
Content Relevance:excellent
Navigation Clarity:excellent
Professionalism:excellent
Trustworthiness:high

Key Observations

1

Website is fully accessible with rich content and professional design.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

35/100
Score

Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

HIGH

Forces HTTPS connections

Missing X-Content-Type-Options header

MEDIUM

Prevents MIME type sniffing

Missing Content-Security-Policy header

HIGH

Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

Missing X-XSS-Protection header

MEDIUM

Legacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)

Weak Referrer-Policy configuration

LOW

Current value: "same-origin"

Missing Permissions-Policy header

MEDIUM

Controls browser features and APIs

👤GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment under GDPR regulations.

GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment

85/100
Score

No Cookie Consent Banner found

HIGH

GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

GDPR Compliance Analysis

Privacy Policy85% confidence
Cookie Policy85% confidence
Contact Information Found90% confidence
phone

🛡️NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.

NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive

35/100
Score

No information security framework found

HIGH

NIS2 requires documented cybersecurity and information security measures

No security policy documentation found

HIGH

NIS2 requires documented cybersecurity governance and risk management

No incident response procedures found

HIGH

NIS2 requires documented incident response and business continuity plans

No business continuity planning found

MEDIUM

NIS2 emphasizes operational resilience and business continuity

No security contact information

HIGH

NIS2 requires clear incident reporting channels

No NIS2 reference found

LOW

Consider explicitly mentioning NIS2 compliance efforts

📧Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

85/100
Score

No BIMI Record

LOW

BIMI displays brand logos in email clients

No MTA-STS Policy

MEDIUM

MTA-STS enforces TLS for email delivery

No TLS-RPT Record

LOW

TLS-RPT provides reporting for email TLS issues

SPF
Sender Policy Framework
DKIM
DomainKeys Identified Mail
DMARC
Domain-based Message Authentication
MX Records
Mail Exchange Records
BIMI
Brand Indicators
MTA-STS
Mail Transfer Agent Security
TLS-RPT
TLS Reporting
DNSSEC
DNS Security
SPF Details
Record:
v=spf1 include:spf1.softwareadvice.com include:spf2.softwareadvice.com ~all
DNS Lookups:2/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:google(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:s1(1416-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Aggregate Reports:dmarc_rua@emaildefense.proofpoint.com
Forensic Reports:dmarc_ruf@emaildefense.proofpoint.com

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

57/100
Score

Weak Protocols Supported

HIGH

Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

Certificate Transparency Not Implemented

LOW

Certificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 41 days

Weak SSL Key Length

HIGH

SSL certificate uses 256-bit key, which is considered weak

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 3 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Protocol Support

TLSv1.3TLSv1.2TLSv1.1

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Enabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

85/100
Score

DNSSEC Not Enabled

MEDIUM

DNSSEC is not configured for this domain

Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled

LOW

Domain can be deleted without additional verification

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
20 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
none(625 days)
Protection Level
basicDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:104.16.136.228, 104.16.137.228
Name Servers:
evan.ns.cloudflare.com
raphaela.ns.cloudflare.com
MX Records:
1: aspmx.l.google.com
10: ALT3.aspmx.l.google.com
10: ALT4.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
SOA:Serial: 2380687337, TTL: 1800s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:81ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:spf1.softwareadvice.com include:spf2.softwareadvice.com ~all

Network Security

Port scanning and network exposure analysis.

Network Security

Port scanning and network exposure analysis

100/100
Score

Good Network Security Posture

LOW

No unnecessary services detected on common risky ports

🔧Technical Analysis

Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.

Technical Analysis

Comprehensive security assessment findings

Additional Findings

The website leverages a modern technology stack including React and Next.js, hosted on Vercel, ensuring fast performance and scalability. Integration with analytics and customer engagement tools like Google Analytics, FullStory, and Intercom supports data-driven decision-making and user support. The site is well-optimized for mobile devices and SEO, with proper meta tags and structured data. No CMS was explicitly detected, suggesting a custom or headless architecture. The technical implementation reflects a high level of digital maturity with good accessibility and performance metrics. Opportunities exist to further enhance security transparency and domain registration clarity.
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