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MDPI versus Elsevier
Compare	MDPI	Elsevier
Verdict	Depends	Depends
Best for	Researchers needing fast open-access publication	University libraries with big budgets
Who it's not for	Tenure-track researchers building prestige CVs	Unfunded authors paying APCs personally
Privacy	One known incident: in August 2016 manuscript submission system logs were intercepted and copied; MDPI appears in breach databases.^³	No public CVEs found, but third-party reports flag a domain hijack and leaked credentials.
Support quality	Mixed author reports; employees warn against company	Trustpilot 1.8, 'Poor'
Public sentiment	Academic forum sentiment is split: users praise the fast turnaround but heavily criticize review rigor, fees, and reputation.	Acadics vent about fees, unpaid reviewing, and clunky tools; Trustpilot sits at 1.8 'Poor'.¹³
Biggest gotcha	Many researchers report peers and hiring committees discount MDPI lines on a CV.^⁷	APCs are set per journal; check the exact fee before submitting anything¹⁶

Pick MDPI when

Researchers needing fast open-access publication
Authors with grant or institutional APC funding
Interdisciplinary work without an obvious journal home
Authors whose institutions already accept MDPI titles

When MDPI is not a fit

Tenure-track researchers building prestige CVs
Anyone whose institution discounts or flags MDPI journals
Authors who cannot pay an APC out of pocket
Fields where MDPI outlets carry stigma with peers and hiring committees

Pick Elsevier when

University libraries with big budgets
Researchers targeting top-tier journals
Clinicians needing decision support
Institutions with read-publish agreements

When Elsevier is not a fit

Unfunded authors paying APCs personally
Reviewers expecting payment
Open-access-only labs
Small teams wanting a cheap literature tool

Sources

MDPI APC Information and FAQmdpi.com
official
MDPI Editorial Processmdpi.com
official
MDPI Submission System Logs Intercepted (2016)mdpi.com
security
Have I Been Pwned: MDPI Data Breachhaveibeenpwned.com
security
Trustpilot reviews of mdpi.comtrustpilot.com
review
MDPI AG Reviews . Glassdoorglassdoor.com
review
Actual consequences of publishing in MDPI . Redditreddit.com
review
Reviewing papers for MDPI . Academia StackExchangeacademia.stackexchange.com
review
Is MDPI a predatory publisher? . Paolo Crosettopaolocrosetto.wordpress.com
review
Is MDPI Peer Reviewed or Predatory? . CASRAIcasrai.org
review
Risk of publishing with MDPI . Redditreddit.com
review
MDPI . Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
news
Trustpilot reviews of elsevier.comtrustpilot.com
review
Why do we hate Elsevier so much? (Reddit)reddit.com
review
Elsevier proofing system complaints (Reddit)reddit.com
review
Journal pricing policyelsevier.com
official