Is startpage.com legit?

79
/ 100
Mostly Safe
Industry: Software & Downloads

startpage.com appears to be a mostly safe website, benefiting from a long-standing domain, robust security, and good email authentication. However, the presence of significant hidden content and a lack of clear contact information on the homepage warrant caution regarding transparency.

Software & Downloads average: 80/100 · based on 75 sites

Checked: April 29, 2026 at 8:25 AM UTC

Is startpage.com a scam? Here's what we found.

Security 95/100

The security configuration is strong, featuring TLS 1.3, an HSTS header, and a Content Security Policy. No threats were detected by Google Web Risk, indicating a clean and protected browsing experience.

Identity 90/100

With a domain age of nearly 29 years, the site demonstrates significant longevity and stability. The WHOIS information is public and complete, instilling confidence in the entity behind the domain.

Reputation 85/100

The website holds a very high Tranco rank, indicating a well-established and high-traffic presence. Furthermore, it is not present on any DNS blacklists, reinforcing its good standing.

Transparency 60/100

Transparency is a concern due to a notable amount of hidden content and the absence of readily available contact information on the homepage. While legal pages are present, these other factors detract from user trust and communication.

Compliance 90/100

The site provides both a privacy policy and terms of service, demonstrating adherence to key legal compliance elements. Links to multiple social media platforms also offer additional avenues for engagement.

Infrastructure 80/100

The infrastructure is generally solid, with proper DNSSEC, robust DNS resolution to a single IP, and strong email authentication via SPF and DMARC. The only minor flaw is a misconfigured sitemap.

Signals Detected

[+]
Tranco Rank: Rank #5622

This is a well-known, high-traffic website

[?]
Structured Data: None found

No structured data markup found

[?]
Trustpilot: No Trustpilot profile

This business has no Trustpilot presence — not unusual for smaller or newer companies

[~]
Hidden Content: 40 hidden elements

Excessive hidden content found — may indicate cloaking or deceptive content

[+]
Domain Age: 28 years, 11 months

Domain created 1997-10-11T04:00:00Z (28 years, 11 months ago)

[?]
Registrar: eNom, LLC

Registered through eNom, LLC

[+]
Domain Expiry: 2028-10-10T04:00:00Z

Expires in 894 days

[+]
DNSSEC: signedDelegation

DNSSEC status from WHOIS

[+]
SSL Certificate: Valid

Valid certificate, expires in 195 days

[?]
Certificate Issuer: GoGetSSL

Certificate issued by GoGetSSL

[+]
TLS Version: TLS 1.3

Connection uses TLS 1.3

[+]
DNS Resolution: 1 IP(s)

Resolves to: 67.63.59.231

[+]
Email (MX Records): 5 record(s)

Mail servers: aspmx.l.google.com., alt1.aspmx.l.google.com., alt2.aspmx.l.google.com., alt4.aspmx.l.google.com., alt3.aspmx.l.google.com.

[+]
SPF Record: Present

Domain has SPF email authentication configured

[+]
DMARC Record: Present

Domain has DMARC email authentication configured

[?]
Name Servers: 4 server(s)

DNS providers: dns1.p01.nsone.net., dns2.p01.nsone.net., dns3.p01.nsone.net., dns4.p01.nsone.net.

[+]
robots.txt: Present

robots.txt has 11 directives

[?]
Branding: Basic

Site has a favicon but no social sharing metadata

[+]
HSTS Header: Present

Site enforces HTTPS via HSTS

[+]
Content Security Policy: Present

Site has Content Security Policy configured

[+]
Clickjacking Protection: Present

X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN

[?]
Server: nginx

Web server: nginx

[+]
Google Web Risk: Clean

No threats detected by Google Web Risk

[?]
Sitemap: Misconfigured

Sitemap URL returns non-XML content

[+]
Website Status: Online

Website is live and responding

[~]
Contact Info: Not found

No obvious contact information found on homepage

[+]
Legal Pages: Privacy & Terms found

Website has both privacy policy and terms of service pages

[+]
Social Media Presence: 3 platforms

Website links to multiple social media platforms

[?]
Certificate Transparency: Unable to check

crt.sh returned status 502

[?]
Web Archive: Unable to check

Could not query Wayback Machine

[+]
DNS Blacklists: Clean

Not found on any DNS blacklists

[+]
Page Load Time: 287ms

Fast page load

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Stay Safe Online

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Use a password manager

Never reuse passwords across sites.

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When evaluating a privacy-focused search engine like Startpage.com, it’s essential to look beyond the surface and understand its operational trustworthiness. Most legitimate services in this space emphasize strong technical security measures and clear policies to protect user data. Startpage.com demonstrates a commendable commitment to security with its use of modern TLS 1.3 encryption and robust email authentication protocols. This technical foundation suggests a mature and well-maintained service, which aligns with what one would expect from a privacy-centric platform. Its nearly three-decade domain age further reinforces this, indicating a long-term presence and commitment. However, potential users should note the finding of numerous hidden elements. While this doesn't automatically mean malicious intent, in the context of a privacy-focused service, any form of obfuscation warrants scrutiny. A truly transparent service should minimize such practices. Additionally, the lack of easily accessible contact information, while not a dealbreaker for all users, can be a point of friction if support or direct communication is ever needed. For a company handling sensitive search queries, providing clear channels for communication is a best practice. Overall, Startpage.com appears to be a robust and mostly safe option for privacy-conscious individuals, but maintaining vigilance regarding its transparency practices is always wise.