Cloudflare's DMARC offering is part of its broader security and performance suite, currently in beta. We've observed its DMARC features integrate well with existing DNS and CDN services, leveraging its vast global network for data collection and processing. This integration provides a unified approach to web and email security.
As a comprehensive platform, Cloudflare aims to consolidate various security layers, including DMARC, into a single dashboard. This means we can expect its DMARC capabilities to evolve, benefiting from Cloudflare's extensive infrastructure for data analysis and threat intelligence.
DMARC Director is purpose-built for DMARC reporting and enforcement. We've seen it provide comprehensive visibility into email flows, helping to identify legitimate senders, detect spoofing attempts, and block unauthorized ones. Its dedicated nature allows for a deep dive into DMARC-specific functionalities and policy management.
The tool focuses solely on DMARC, which means its feature set is highly specialized. We find this beneficial for organizations whose primary concern is achieving and maintaining DMARC compliance and protection. It provides the necessary insights and controls for effective email authentication.
How easy is each product to use
User experience
Cloudflare's user interface is generally clean, modern, and consistent with its other products. However, finding DMARC-specific settings within the broader platform can sometimes feel like a treasure hunt due to the extensive number of features available. It requires a bit of navigation to pinpoint the relevant sections.
We appreciate the consolidated dashboard for all security features. Still, new users might need some time to acclimate to its extensive offerings, as it's designed for a wide array of web services beyond just DMARC. Once familiar, managing settings becomes more fluid.
We found DMARC Director's dashboard to be straightforward and purpose-built for DMARC. The interface is intuitive for managing DMARC policies, viewing reports, and analyzing email authentication data without the complexity of a multi-product suite. This simplicity makes it easier to navigate for users solely focused on DMARC.
The streamlined approach means less clutter and a clearer path to achieving DMARC goals. For those who prefer a dedicated tool that doesn't overwhelm with unrelated features, DMARC Director offers a focused and efficient user experience, making policy adjustments and monitoring simple.
Which product has the best support
Support
Cloudflare's support can be a mixed bag, particularly for free or lower-tier users, where responses might be slow, relying heavily on extensive documentation and community forums. We've seen reviews indicating frustration with response times and technical depth for urgent issues, even for some paid plans.
Enterprise customers typically receive dedicated support, which is generally more responsive. However, the sheer breadth of Cloudflare's services means support staff need a wide range of expertise, which can sometimes lead to less specialized assistance for niche issues like DMARC implementation.
While specific support details for DMARC Director are not widely published, we anticipate a more direct and personalized experience given its niche focus. When dealing with specialized tools like DMARC, effective support is crucial for complex policy implementation and troubleshooting. Direct communication channels are often preferred.
Without public reviews or explicit support SLAs, it's challenging to give a definitive assessment. However, a specialized vendor often cultivates deeper expertise in their specific product area, potentially offering more targeted assistance for DMARC-related challenges than a generalist provider.
Who should use each product
Suitability
Cloudflare is highly suitable for organizations already leveraging its broader suite of web security and performance services, spanning from SMBs to large enterprises. MSPs can integrate it into their offerings, especially if they manage DNS and web infrastructure for clients.
Its DMARC solution complements an existing Cloudflare stack, making it ideal for those seeking a unified platform to manage both web and email security. For enterprises, the integrated approach can simplify vendor management and provide a cohesive security posture.
DMARC Director is well-suited for organizations, including SMBs, enterprises, and MSPs, that require a focused and robust DMARC solution without needing a broader web security platform. Its dedicated nature appeals to those prioritizing email authentication above all else.
MSPs can find it valuable for clients needing specialized DMARC management, allowing them to offer targeted email security services. For enterprises and SMBs, its best-of-breed approach means a tool designed specifically for DMARC, which can be advantageous for achieving stringent email authentication goals.
How does Cloudflare compare with DMARC Director?
DMARC report analysis
Aggregating and interpreting DMARC data from various sources.
Source detection
Identifying all sending sources for a domain.
Forward detection
Identifying emails forwarded through intermediaries.
Spoof detection
Detecting unauthorized use of a domain in email.
Notifications and alerts
Automated alerts for policy breaches or suspicious activity.
Reporting
Generating comprehensive reports on DMARC compliance.
API
Programmatic access for integration and automation.
G2 reviews mention Terraform support for policy integration, indicating API capabilities.
No public information about API access.
Multi-tenancy
Managing multiple client domains from a single account.
Common for enterprise and MSP-focused platforms.
Beneficial for service providers managing multiple clients.
SPF flattening
Reducing SPF DNS lookup count.
Hosted DMARC
Managing DMARC records and policies.
BIMI
Support for Brand Indicators for Message Identification.
MTA-STS/TLS-RPT
Support for email transport security protocols.
Part of a comprehensive email security suite.
Often included with dedicated DMARC solutions.
Blocklists and reputation
Monitoring email sending IPs against blocklists.
Integrated into Cloudflare's broader security features like WAF and bot protection.
Less focus on external blocklists beyond DMARC alignment.
AI copilot
AI-powered assistance for DMARC management.
No public information.
No public information.
DNS monitoring
Monitoring domain DNS records for changes and health.
A core offering of Cloudflare as a DNS provider.
Essential for DMARC record health and deployment.
Self hostable
Option to host the DMARC solution on private infrastructure.
Cloudflare is a SaaS platform.
DMARC Director is a SaaS platform.
Free trial/free tier
Availability of a free version or trial period.
DMARC Management is in free Beta, plus general free plans.
Offers a 30-day free trial.
Drawbacks and what to watch out for
For Cloudflare, we've identified recurring themes around customer support responsiveness, especially for non-enterprise tiers, and a perception that some “side features” can be half-baked compared to its core offerings. Billing issues and complexity in advanced configurations have also been noted. The DMARC Management tool is also still in beta, meaning its full capabilities are still developing.The primary drawback for DMARC Director is the lack of transparent pricing and public user reviews. This makes it difficult to assess its real-world performance, user satisfaction, and overall value proposition without direct engagement. Its more specialized focus might also mean missing broader email security features that a more comprehensive platform could offer.We have pulled the average ratings from G2 for each product, and also included the most recent negative reviews for each product in full. Positive reviews tend to have less detail and have a higher chance of being fraudulent, so negative reviews are a better signal for your decision.
4.5 / 5(561)
0 / 5(0)
Horrible Support and Billing - They run with your money and don't care to get billing correct
0.0 / 5
What do you like best about Cloudflare Application Security and Performance?
Ease of deployment, dashboard and configurations for the WAF, Cache, and other features are top tier with ease, settings, and logging. Just don't have an issue with them or you're on your own. Also, don't keep a credit card on file or they'll bill you for their mistakes.
What do you dislike about Cloudflare Application Security and Performance?
Customer support and billing. Their support does not read what you have to say but rather comes in with their own interpretation of what has happened and forces their views on your issue rather than trying to understand exactly what is happening. On two occassions in the last few months I have had this happen when I encountered an issue with the core product and their billing.
The billing should be detailed further as it is sketchy business practices. Back in April they changed their billing software and charged me incorrectly for a month as it included the previous month as well (which I already paid). I brought this to their attention and the billing support assured me that it was not a problem. Come last week, they limited my account as I "had unpaid biling" so I contacted them again and brought attention to this wrong invoice that they never corrected. Come yesterday, they just charged my credit card on file without my authorization or explanination of what is going on. I've replied to the open ticket and created a new ticket and no one is answering.
I don't want to be a drama case but this is ridiculous to have been charged something from months ago and not be given an explanation.
What problems is Cloudflare Application Security and Performance solving and how is that benefiting you?
Improve the security and performance of our websites/applications. Their configurable/customizable WAF, CDN/Caching, bot mitigation, and DDoS protection accomplish this for our websites/applications.
Jim M.
Owner Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
No G2 reviews
G2 is the most popular review platform for DMARC products, so this is a strong signal that this product is not popular.
Support very unresponsive. Not understanding P1 urgency. Delayed project 3 whole days.
0.0 / 5
What do you like best about Cloudflare Application Security and Performance?
The website is intuitive, implementation steps are straightforward. It has numerous features, and they are indeed needed by a web app.
What do you dislike about Cloudflare Application Security and Performance?
If your implementation goes well, it's fine. However, if you are in trouble, the support doc is useless. You pay for the pro plan to try to get some technician support. No one cares about your business or service, even if you identify it as a P1 urgency. My project was down and could not get anyone to help me when I identified it as a high-impact ticket.
What problems is Cloudflare Application Security and Performance solving and how is that benefiting you?
The ticket support system is horrible. No technicians provide you with timely manner answers and support. Not worth the price.
Andrew Z.
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
WAF is good, but so many half baked side features
2.5 / 5
What do you like best about Cloudflare Application Security and Performance?
The WAF is pretty industry standard. Its not too slow, gets regular updates, easy to deploy and cheap
What do you dislike about Cloudflare Application Security and Performance?
The side features are just trash. Its clear they have been shipped and dropped.
Cloudflare Bot Detection should not exist. Its not even funny how easy it is to bypass.
Page Shield is a joke, their API security is a joke.
What problems is Cloudflare Application Security and Performance solving and how is that benefiting you?
OWASP top 10
Verified User in Computer Software
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Love the product- support could use some work
2.5 / 5
What do you like best about Cloudflare Application Security and Performance?
Super easy to use. Very developer friendly. Tons of value for price. Undoubtedly #1 in WAF.
What do you dislike about Cloudflare Application Security and Performance?
Could use some better support. No direct channels for tech questions.
What problems is Cloudflare Application Security and Performance solving and how is that benefiting you?
It's providing great security for our web app.
Verified User in Computer Software
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
Don't Pay for Support
2.5 / 5
What do you like best about Cloudflare Application Security and Performance?
In general, cloudflare is really easy to navigate, especially for simple DNS and domain management. Unless you have a complicated setup, I find it easy enough to move a domain or simply manage DNS for most sites.
What do you dislike about Cloudflare Application Security and Performance?
Their support is terrible. Had an issue with a client's DNS and the person I was talking to clearly didn't have a clue what they were talking about. They took so long between answers, it seemed like they were just asking someone else. Ultimately, they were of no help and we were out the money we paid to have live support.
What problems is Cloudflare Application Security and Performance solving and how is that benefiting you?
Makes DNS and Security easy for most websites and domains.
Verified User in Marketing and Advertising
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Pricing
Cloudflare offers a free beta for its DMARC Management, aligning with its general free plans, whereas DMARC Director operates on a "contact for pricing" model, though it does offer a 30-day free trial.
Small
Up to 10k emails / month
Free Beta
Contact for pricing
Medium
Up to 100k emails / month
Contact for pricing
Contact for pricing
Large
Up to 1 million emails / month
Contact for pricing
Contact for pricing
Enterprise
Over 1 million emails / month
Contact for pricing
Contact for pricing
Suped hard sell incoming!
Still not satisfied with Cloudflare or DMARC Director?
4.5 / 5(561)
