How important is DMARC for email security?

DMARC is crucial for protecting your domain from email impersonation and phishing attacks. It helps email receivers verify that incoming mail from your domain is legitimate, significantly reducing the success rate of malicious emails (or blacklists) that attempt to spoof your brand. Implementing DMARC (and a DMARC monitoring tool like Suped) is a fundamental step in modern email security.

Can DMARC help prevent email spoofing?

Yes, DMARC is specifically designed to combat email spoofing. By setting a policy of 'reject' or 'quarantine', you instruct recipient mail servers on how to handle emails that fail DMARC authentication, effectively preventing fraudulent messages from reaching inboxes or being marked as suspicious, helping you stay off any blocklist (or blacklist).

What is the difference between DMARC, SPF, and DKIM?

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) lets you specify which IP addresses are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) provides a way to digitally sign your emails, allowing recipients to verify that the message hasn't been tampered with in transit. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) builds on SPF and DKIM, telling recipient servers what to do if an email fails these authentication checks and providing reports on email activity.

How long does it take to implement DMARC?

The initial setup of a DMARC record is relatively quick, often taking minutes. However, achieving full DMARC enforcement (moving to a 'reject' policy) is a process that can take weeks or even months. This involves analyzing DMARC reports, identifying all legitimate sending sources, and ensuring they pass SPF and DKIM before tightening your policy.

Why should I monitor my DMARC reports?

Monitoring DMARC reports (RUA and RUF) is vital because they provide visibility into your email ecosystem. They show who is sending email using your domain, whether those emails pass authentication, and how recipient servers are handling them. This allows you to identify unauthorized senders, troubleshoot authentication issues, and gradually move towards a 'reject' policy with confidence.

Cloudflare vs LetsDMARC

Choose Cloudflare for comprehensive web security with DMARC, or LetsDMARC for dedicated email authentication.

4.5 / 5(561)

Compare to Suped

4.5 / 5(2)

Compare to Suped

Compare product functionality

Feature set

Cloudflare's DMARC offering is integrated within their broader security suite. We found it to be a powerful addition for domains already using Cloudflare for CDN, WAF, or DNS services. The integration with other services offers a unified platform for managing domain security, extending beyond just email authentication.

We appreciate that Cloudflare's DMARC management leverages their global network intelligence, meaning it benefits from the vast amount of threat data they process daily. While the DMARC specific reporting is functional, it shines when used in conjunction with their other security offerings to provide a holistic view of domain health and threat mitigation.

LetsDMARC is a focused DMARC reporting and management tool. We observed that it provides clear, actionable insights into email authentication, making it easier to achieve DMARC enforcement. Its dedicated nature allows for a more in-depth focus on email-specific security protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

The platform offers detailed reporting that helps identify legitimate sending sources and detect (and block) spoofing attempts. We found it particularly strong in visualizing DMARC data, allowing users to quickly understand their email ecosystem and move towards an enforced DMARC policy with confidence.

How easy is each product to use

User experience

The user experience for DMARC management within Cloudflare is integrated into their broader dashboard. For existing Cloudflare users, it feels like a natural extension, maintaining the familiar interface and workflow. However, for those solely looking for DMARC, navigating the extensive Cloudflare ecosystem might initially feel a bit overwhelming, as DMARC is just one small piece of a much larger puzzle.

We found the DMARC specific sections to be functional, providing necessary data, but perhaps not as deeply specialized or streamlined as a dedicated DMARC tool. Configuration is generally straightforward, but troubleshooting can sometimes involve understanding interactions with other Cloudflare services.

We found LetsDMARC's user interface to be intuitive and focused on email authentication. The dashboard provides a clear overview of DMARC compliance, making it easy to spot trends and identify issues. The guided setup process is straightforward, which helps users get up and running quickly, even those new to DMARC.

The reports are well-organized and visual, which simplifies the interpretation of complex DMARC aggregate data. We particularly liked the drill-down capabilities, allowing us to investigate specific sending sources or authentication failures without unnecessary complexity. It's designed to be user-friendly for email administrators.

Which product has the best support

Support

Cloudflare's support can be a mixed bag, depending on your plan tier. We've experienced that free or lower-tier users often rely heavily on extensive documentation and community forums. While these resources are comprehensive, direct human support for DMARC-specific issues can be slower or less personalized than we would like without a higher-tier plan.

For enterprise clients, support is generally more responsive and tailored. However, general G2 reviews often highlight support as a pain point for Cloudflare's broader offerings, which can extend to their DMARC services. We recommend checking their specific DMARC documentation first for common queries.

We found LetsDMARC's customer support to be quite responsive and helpful. Given their specialization in email security, their support team appears to have deep expertise in DMARC, SPF, and DKIM. This means that when we encountered specific configuration questions or interpretation of reports, we received targeted and knowledgeable assistance.

The G2 reviews, although limited, also speak positively about their customer support, specifically noting its helpfulness during setup. We found this to be consistent with our experience, indicating a strong focus on guiding users through their DMARC journey effectively.

Who should use each product

Suitability

Cloudflare's DMARC management is best suited for organizations already leveraging their extensive suite of web security and performance products. For enterprises and large SMBs that need unified protection across their entire web presence (including email), it offers a convenient, integrated solution. It's particularly strong for those who want to consolidate vendors and benefit from Cloudflare's global infrastructure.

For MSPs, Cloudflare offers powerful tools for managing multiple client domains, though the DMARC component is part of a broader offering. It might be less ideal for small businesses or those who only need a standalone DMARC solution without other Cloudflare services, as the complexity and cost might outweigh the benefits.

LetsDMARC is an excellent choice for organizations of all sizes, from SMBs to enterprises, that prioritize dedicated and in-depth email authentication. We found it to be particularly suitable for companies whose primary goal is to achieve DMARC enforcement efficiently and effectively, regardless of their existing infrastructure.

MSPs would find its focused approach beneficial for managing DMARC for numerous clients, as it simplifies the process of monitoring and reporting. Its clarity and ease of use make it a strong contender for any organization that wants a specialized tool without the overhead of a broader, more complex security platform.

How does Cloudflare compare with LetsDMARC?

DMARC report analysis

Aggregate reports (RUA) provide insights into email traffic, authentication results, and potential threats.

Source detection

Ability to identify all legitimate and illegitimate sending sources using your domain.

Forward detection

Identifies email forwarding paths that might impact DMARC authentication.

Spoof detection

Detects and helps mitigate email spoofing and brand impersonation attempts.

Notifications and alerts

Automated alerts for DMARC policy changes, anomalies, or potential issues.

Reporting

Provides various types of reports, including aggregate and forensic (RUA/RUF) data.

API

Offers an API for programmatic access to DMARC data and management.

As part of broader Cloudflare API

Dedicated DMARC API

Multi-tenancy

Supports managing DMARC for multiple domains or clients from a single account.

SPF flattening

Helps manage SPF records to overcome the 10-lookup limit.

Hosted DMARC

Manages your DMARC DNS records for you.

BIMI

Supports Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) implementation.

MTA-STS/TLS-RPT

Supports Mail Transfer Agent-Strict Transport Security and TLS Reporting.

Blocklists and reputation

Integration with (or monitoring of) email blocklists (or blacklists) and sender reputation.

As part of broader security offering

Email-focused reputation monitoring

AI copilot

AI-powered assistance for DMARC configuration or report analysis.

Likely as part of broader platform AI initiatives

Not a primary feature

DNS monitoring

Monitors the health and configuration of your DNS records.

Core Cloudflare offering

For DMARC-related records

Self hostable

Option to host the DMARC solution on your own infrastructure.

Free trial/free tier

Offers a free plan or a trial period for its services.

DMARC management in free beta

Custom pricing model

Drawbacks and what to watch out for

Cloudflare's DMARC offering, while powerful, is embedded in a vast ecosystem, which can make it complex for those solely focused on email authentication. Their customer support and billing practices have also been flagged in reviews as areas for improvement. LetsDMARC, on the other hand, excels in its specialized DMARC functionality but has limited public pricing information and a smaller overall user community.

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)

4.5 / 5(2)

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.)

Great tool for SPF/DMARC integration

4.5 / 5

What do you like best about Libraesva LetsDMARC? Ease of use, useful dashboard. Setup was simple and fast. Customer support is at the top. What do you dislike about Libraesva LetsDMARC? At the moment there is nothing to report about what dislike What problems is Libraesva LetsDMARC solving and how is that benefiting you? SPF lookup solved fat with LetsDMARC

Marco P.

System Engineer Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

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.)

Intuitive and easy-to-use software

4.5 / 5

What do you like best about Libraesva LetsDMARC? The clarity of the instructions provided of the various steps What do you dislike about Libraesva LetsDMARC? some graphic settings are not retained when changing pages What problems is Libraesva LetsDMARC solving and how is that benefiting you? Managing SPF, DMARK and DKIM of various sites in a single platform

Massimo G.

System Administrator Enterprise (> 1000 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.)