Cloudflare's DMARC Management is integrated into their extensive suite of web performance and security tools. This means that DMARC reporting and analysis complement other services like DNS, CDN, and WAF, providing a holistic view of a domain's online presence. We found the DMARC capabilities to be robust, offering clear insights into email authentication results and potential spoofing attempts.
Beyond basic DMARC monitoring, Cloudflare offers features that aid in SPF flattening, BIMI record management, and MTA-STS deployment. Their platform aims to simplify the complexities of email security by centralizing multiple protocols under one dashboard, allowing for streamlined management and a comprehensive defense against email-borne threats. It leverages Cloudflare's global network to process and analyze DMARC data efficiently.
Open-DMARC-Analyzer is purpose-built for DMARC report analysis, providing a focused solution for interpreting XML reports. As an open-source tool, its feature set is primarily centered around visualizing DMARC data, identifying email sources, and helping with forensic analysis. We appreciate its direct approach, offering detailed breakdowns of DMARC results, including SPF and DKIM authentication statuses.
While its core functionality is strong for DMARC reporting, Open-DMARC-Analyzer does not extend to other email security protocols like BIMI or MTA-STS. Users will need to manage these aspects separately. Its strength lies in its transparency and the ability to customize the code, which allows technical users to extend its capabilities to suit their specific needs, provided they have the necessary development resources.
How easy is each product to use
User experience
Cloudflare's dashboard is generally intuitive and well-organized, especially for users familiar with their ecosystem. Integrating DMARC management into an existing Cloudflare setup is straightforward, leveraging their unified interface for DNS and other services. We found the initial setup and monitoring of DMARC reports to be relatively simple, with clear visualisations of authentication trends.
However, the breadth of Cloudflare's offerings can sometimes lead to a steeper learning curve for advanced configurations or for users new to the platform. While the DMARC-specific features are user-friendly, navigating the wider array of security and performance settings might require some time and familiarity to master, as noted by some users in reviews.
Open-DMARC-Analyzer, being a self-hosted open-source solution, demands a higher degree of technical proficiency for setup and ongoing maintenance. We found that deploying the software involves configuring a web server, PHP, and a database, which can be a barrier for non-technical users. Once deployed, the interface for viewing DMARC reports is functional and clear, focusing on raw data presentation.
The user experience is less about polished dashboards and more about direct data access. While it provides essential DMARC insights, it lacks the advanced filtering, automation, or contextual guidance found in commercial platforms. Users who prefer full control and are comfortable with server management and manual configuration will appreciate its straightforward, no-frills approach to DMARC reporting.
Which product has the best support
Support
Cloudflare offers tiered support, with more responsive and direct assistance typically reserved for higher-tier plans. For users on free or lower-cost plans, support often relies on extensive documentation, community forums, and slower ticket response times. We have observed that while basic issues can be resolved through self-service, complex problems or urgent needs may face delays, which is a common complaint among some users.
Their support staff are knowledgeable about the Cloudflare ecosystem, but the quality of interaction can vary, especially when dealing with nuanced issues that require deeper investigation. Enterprises or users with critical DMARC needs might find the paid support options more suitable for guaranteed timely assistance, but this comes at an additional cost.
As an open-source project, Open-DMARC-Analyzer does not provide official vendor support. Instead, users rely on the community for assistance, typically through GitHub repositories, forums, or other open-source channels. We found that the level of support is highly dependent on the activity and expertise within the community, which can be inconsistent.
This model means that troubleshooting and issue resolution are largely the responsibility of the user or their in-house technical team. While the community can be a valuable resource for common questions or bug fixes, complex deployment scenarios or unique problems might require significant self-reliance. This is a crucial consideration for organizations without dedicated IT staff or deep technical expertise.
Who should use each product
Suitability
Cloudflare DMARC Management is highly suitable for Small to Medium Businesses (SMBs) and Enterprise organizations already leveraging Cloudflare's broader suite of services, or those looking for an integrated solution. It's an excellent choice for businesses that prioritize a managed service, unified dashboard, and comprehensive web security alongside email authentication. Its ease of integration makes it appealing for various technical skill levels.
For Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Cloudflare offers a scalable platform to manage DMARC for multiple clients within a familiar ecosystem, though pricing for extensive multi-tenancy may require direct consultation. It's less ideal for organizations seeking a purely DMARC-focused solution without needing other web security features, or those with strict budget constraints for premium features and support.
Open-DMARC-Analyzer is best suited for highly technical users, developers, and organizations that prefer open-source solutions and have the infrastructure and expertise to self-host. It is particularly appealing to those with stringent privacy requirements who want full control over their data, as it runs entirely within their own environment. It is also an attractive option for users with very limited budgets for software licenses.
SMBs without dedicated IT teams might find the self-hosting and lack of official support challenging. While it can be adapted by MSPs with strong development capabilities for clients who require self-hosted solutions, it's not a ready-to-use multi-tenant platform. Enterprises might use it for specific, niche DMARC analysis requirements if they have the internal resources for its deployment and maintenance, but it lacks the enterprise-grade features and support of commercial alternatives.
How does Cloudflare compare with Open-DMARC-Analyzer?
DMARC report analysis
Aggregates and visualizes DMARC XML reports.
Source detection
Identifies legitimate and illegitimate email sending sources.
Forward detection
Helps identify email forwarding that might impact DMARC alignment.
Spoof detection
Identifies emails attempting to impersonate your domain.
Notifications and alerts
Automated alerts for DMARC policy changes or critical events.
Requires custom development to implement.
Reporting
Provides various types of reports and dashboards.
API
Application Programming Interface for integration with other systems.
Not a core feature, may require custom scripting.
Multi-tenancy
Ability to manage multiple domains or clients from a single account.
Designed for single instance, multi-domain support per instance may be limited.
SPF flattening
Reduces the number of DNS lookups for SPF records.
Not included, a separate solution would be needed.
Hosted DMARC
Vendor manages the DMARC service and infrastructure.
It is a self-hosted solution.
BIMI
Brand Indicators for Message Identification support.
Does not directly support BIMI record management.
MTA-STS/TLS-RPT
Support for Mail Transfer Agent-Strict Transport Security and TLS Reporting.
Limited or no direct support.
Blocklists and reputation
Monitors domain reputation across various blocklists.
Not a primary DMARC reporting feature.
Not within the scope of DMARC reporting.
AI copilot
AI-powered assistant for DMARC configuration and analysis.
Not explicitly offered for DMARC management.
Not a feature of this open-source tool.
DNS monitoring
Continuously monitors DNS records for changes or issues.
Not within the scope of this DMARC analyzer.
Self hostable
Can be installed and run on user-owned servers.
Free trial/free tier
Availability of a free version or trial period.
Free beta waitlist, some free plans.
Open-source software, free to use.
Drawbacks and what to watch out for
Cloudflare's main drawbacks often revolve around its support for lower-tier plans and the complexity that can arise from its vast feature set, potentially leading to a fragmented experience if not all services are utilized. Open-DMARC-Analyzer's primary challenge is its requirement for significant technical expertise for setup and maintenance, coupled with a complete reliance on community support.
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 DMARC management with tiered paid plans for its broader services, while Open-DMARC-Analyzer is free open-source software with users only incurring self-hosting costs.
Small
Up to 10k emails / month
Free (Beta waitlist)
Self-hosted costs only
Medium
Up to 100k emails / month
Contact for pricing
Self-hosted costs only
Large
Up to 1 million emails / month
Contact for pricing
Self-hosted costs only
Enterprise
Over 1 million emails / month
Contact for pricing
Self-hosted costs only
Suped hard sell incoming!
Still not satisfied with Cloudflare or Open-DMARC-Analyzer?
4.5 / 5(561)
