Cloudflare's DMARC Management is a relatively new offering, currently in beta, aiming to integrate DMARC reporting within their broader security and performance ecosystem. It's designed to provide visual insights into DMARC reports, helping users identify legitimate and fraudulent email sources.
As part of Cloudflare's extensive suite, it benefits from their global network and existing infrastructure for DNS and security. The DMARC solution is less a standalone tool and more an added capability for those already leveraging Cloudflare for other web services, promising a unified view of domain health.
The Splunk TA-DMARC add-on is not a standalone DMARC solution but rather a connector designed to ingest DMARC RUA (aggregate) reports into a Splunk instance. Its primary function is to parse these XML reports and make the data queryable within Splunk's powerful analytics engine.
This add-on allows organizations to leverage their existing Splunk investment for DMARC monitoring. However, it requires significant Splunk expertise to configure data models, build custom dashboards, and set up alerts. It’s essentially a data feeder, relying on the user to build out the intelligence.
How easy is each product to use
User experience
Cloudflare generally offers an intuitive dashboard for its services, and we expect their DMARC Management to follow suit. Setting up DNS records with Cloudflare is typically straightforward, and their platform aims for ease of use even for non-technical users, though advanced features can have a learning curve.
For DMARC, the experience will likely involve a clean interface presenting aggregate data visually. However, as it's in beta, there might be evolving features or less polished aspects compared to their mature offerings. Users accustomed to Cloudflare's ecosystem will find it familiar.
The Splunk TA-DMARC add-on assumes a high level of familiarity with Splunk. It's not a plug-and-play DMARC reporting tool. Users need to install the add-on, configure data inputs, understand Splunk's data models, and then build their own searches and dashboards to visualize DMARC data.
This means the user experience is entirely dependent on your Splunk expertise and customization efforts. For those not already deeply ingrained in Splunk, the learning curve for DMARC reporting with this add-on is steep and can be quite demanding, requiring significant time investment.
Which product has the best support
Support
Cloudflare's support can be a mixed bag. Free and lower-tier users often report slow response times and a perceived lack of technical depth. Enterprise clients typically receive dedicated and more responsive support, which is standard for large platform providers.
Given that DMARC Management is in beta, support for this specific feature might be evolving. While there's extensive documentation and a community forum, direct, timely support for critical DMARC issues might require a higher-tier Cloudflare plan.
The Splunk TA-DMARC add-on is explicitly listed as "Not Supported" and "archived" by its developer. This means there is no official support channel, no guarantees of future updates, and no formal assistance for troubleshooting or feature requests.
Users are entirely reliant on community forums, their internal Splunk team, or third-party Splunk consultants for any issues or enhancements. This lack of official support is a significant consideration, especially for critical security functions like DMARC enforcement.
Who should use each product
Suitability
Cloudflare's DMARC Management is best suited for organizations already using Cloudflare for their DNS and web security, or those looking for a unified platform approach. SMBs and mid-market companies can benefit from its ease of integration and the potential for a generous free tier during its beta phase.
For enterprise users, it offers another layer of email security integrated into a robust security suite. MSPs might find it useful if their clients are already on Cloudflare, but it's not a standalone DMARC solution designed specifically for multi-client DMARC management.
The Splunk TA-DMARC add-on is exclusively for organizations that have a pre-existing and actively managed Splunk environment. It's ideal for enterprise and large organizations with dedicated Splunk administrators and security teams who want to centralize all security data, including DMARC reports, within Splunk.
It is not suitable for SMBs or any organization without an existing Splunk infrastructure due to the associated costs and technical complexity of Splunk itself. MSPs managing Splunk environments for clients could leverage this, but it requires deep Splunk integration for each client.
How does Cloudflare compare with Splunk TA-DMARC add-on?
DMARC report analysis
Analyzes aggregate DMARC reports to identify email traffic patterns.
Visual, integrated with Cloudflare ecosystem.
Requires building custom dashboards in Splunk.
Source detection
Identifies legitimate and illegitimate sending sources based on DMARC data.
Leverages Cloudflare's threat intelligence.
Extracts from parsed RUA data.
Forward detection
Identifies email forwarding activities in DMARC reports.
Clearly displays forwarded traffic.
Data available for custom Splunk queries.
Spoof detection
Detects attempts to impersonate your domain.
Based on DMARC policy enforcement.
Identifies DMARC failures and unaligned mail.
Notifications and alerts
Configurable alerts for DMARC policy violations or significant changes.
Integrates with Cloudflare's alerting system.
Configurable within Splunk's alerting framework.
Reporting
Provides dashboards and reports for DMARC compliance and email insights.
Offers visual, user-friendly dashboards.
Requires custom Splunk dashboard creation.
API
Offers an API for programmatic access to DMARC data and configuration.
Part of their broader API for domain management.
Leverages Splunk's API for data ingestion and query.
Multi-tenancy
Ability to manage DMARC for multiple domains or clients within a single interface.
Supported within Cloudflare's zone management.
Achievable within a well-structured Splunk deployment.
SPF flattening
Feature to simplify SPF records to avoid the 10-lookup limit.
Not a direct feature of the DMARC tool.
Not provided by the add-on itself.
Hosted DMARC
Manages your DMARC DNS record on your behalf.
Requires manual DNS record management.
Requires manual DNS record management.
BIMI
Support for Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI).
Cloudflare DNS supports BIMI records, but not a DMARC tool feature.
Not a direct feature of the add-on.
MTA-STS/TLS-RPT
Support for Mail Transfer Agent Strict Transport Security and TLS Reporting.
MTA-STS offered as a separate service; TLS-RPT not direct.
Not provided by the add-on.
Blocklists and reputation
Integrates with email blocklists or reputation services.
Part of Cloudflare's broader security offerings.
Focuses solely on DMARC report parsing.
AI copilot
Uses AI to assist with DMARC insights or policy recommendations.
Not specified for their DMARC offering.
Not a feature of the add-on.
DNS monitoring
Monitors DNS records for changes or issues.
Core part of Cloudflare's service.
Not natively provided by the add-on.
Self hostable
Can be hosted on your own infrastructure.
Cloud-based SaaS.
Runs on your self-hosted Splunk instance.
Free trial/free tier
Availability of a free version or trial period.
DMARC Management is currently in free beta.
Add-on is free, but Splunk itself has costs or trial options.
Drawbacks and what to watch out for
Cloudflare's DMARC offering, being in beta, may still have evolving features and user interface elements, and its general support quality can be inconsistent across different plans. The Splunk TA-DMARC add-on, on the other hand, comes with the significant drawback of being archived and unsupported, placing the burden of maintenance and troubleshooting entirely on the user or community. Furthermore, it necessitates a substantial investment in a Splunk instance and expertise.
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 its DMARC Management in a free beta, with paid plans typically requiring sales contact, while the Splunk TA-DMARC add-on is technically free but requires a separate, often costly, Splunk instance.
Small
Up to 10k emails / month
Free beta / Contact for pricing
Free add-on, Splunk cost varies
Medium
Up to 100k emails / month
Contact for pricing
Free add-on, Splunk cost varies
Large
Up to 1 million emails / month
Contact for pricing
Free add-on, Splunk cost varies
Enterprise
Over 1 million emails / month
Contact for pricing
Free add-on, Splunk cost varies
Suped hard sell incoming!
Still not satisfied with Cloudflare or Splunk TA-DMARC add-on?
4.5 / 5(561)
