DMARC Director offers a solid, if somewhat traditional, suite of DMARC reporting features. We appreciate its focus on the core task of email authentication, providing clear visibility into DMARC, SPF, and DKIM performance. The reporting interface is functional, allowing us to drill down into specific sending sources and identify authentication issues.
While it covers the essentials, DMARC Director doesn't extend much beyond pure DMARC implementation and monitoring. Features like advanced threat intelligence or broader email gateway functionalities are not central to its offering, which can be a double-edged sword: specialized but potentially lacking for those seeking a comprehensive security platform.
Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense (EFD) is part of a much larger email security ecosystem, bringing with it a wealth of features that go beyond basic DMARC. We found its DMARC deployment streamlining capabilities to be particularly robust, leveraging dedicated consultants and guided workflows to identify legitimate senders and implement policies safely. The integrated threat intelligence is a significant advantage.
Beyond DMARC, EFD excels in protecting organizational reputation by identifying and taking down lookalike domains, a critical capability against sophisticated phishing attacks. Its supplier risk visibility is also a standout, helping us assess threats emanating from third-party partners. This broader scope makes it a powerful tool for holistic email security.
How easy is each product to use
User experience
Navigating DMARC Director is straightforward once you understand the DMARC protocol. The interface is clean and functional, prioritising data presentation over flashy visuals. We found it relatively easy to locate specific DMARC reports, filter by date, and identify authentication failures. Its simplicity can be a benefit, especially for users who prefer a direct, no-frills approach to DMARC monitoring.
However, the user experience can feel a bit dated compared to more modern platforms. While we appreciate the clarity, the workflow might require some familiarity with DMARC concepts to fully leverage its capabilities. It's not always the most intuitive for complete DMARC novices, but experienced users should find it perfectly usable.
Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense, as part of a larger Proofpoint suite, has a more comprehensive and feature-rich interface. While it offers a lot of power, we sometimes found it to be a bit overwhelming for DMARC-specific tasks. The sheer volume of features and settings means there's a learning curve, which can be challenging for new users or those accustomed to simpler tools.
Despite the initial complexity, once we got the hang of it, the unified dashboard provides powerful insights across various email security vectors. Some users have noted that the UI could be more intuitive, particularly when dealing with flagged emails that aren't fraudulent. The integration with other Proofpoint products does provide a consistent experience within their ecosystem, however.
Which product has the best support
Support
DMARC Director offers support primarily through phone and email. Our experience indicates that their support team is knowledgeable about DMARC, able to assist with specific authentication issues and platform usage. They provide clear guidance for setting up DMARC records and interpreting reports, which is crucial during the initial rollout phase.
However, given that DMARC Director is a more focused tool, we found that its support is likewise tailored to DMARC-related inquiries. For broader email security concerns or integrations with other systems, customers might need to rely on their own internal teams or other vendors.
Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense benefits from Proofpoint's extensive support infrastructure. They offer dedicated consultants for DMARC deployment, which is a significant advantage, especially for larger organizations. This hands-on assistance can greatly streamline the complex process of reaching a DMARC 'reject' policy.
While many users praise the professional team and dedicated support, some reviews indicate that responsiveness can occasionally be an issue, requiring follow-ups. However, once engaged, the expertise available is very high, particularly for complex enterprise environments and integrations across the Proofpoint security stack.
Who should use each product
Suitability
DMARC Director is well-suited for organizations primarily looking for a dedicated DMARC reporting and monitoring solution without the overhead of a full email security suite. It's a strong contender for SMBs and mid-market companies that have a clear understanding of their DMARC needs and want a tool to help them implement and maintain their policies.
For MSPs, DMARC Director could serve as a focused tool within a broader security offering, but its lack of explicit multi-tenancy or extensive API features might limit its scalability for managing a large number of diverse clients. Enterprise clients might find it a bit too narrow if they require deeply integrated threat intelligence or comprehensive email gateway features.
Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense is ideal for enterprise-level organizations and those with complex email security requirements that extend beyond DMARC. Its comprehensive features, including lookalike domain protection, supplier risk visibility, and integration with Proofpoint's email gateway, make it a powerhouse for preventing advanced email fraud.
MSPs serving enterprise clients would find EFD valuable for its robust capabilities, though the cost and complexity might be overkill for smaller clients. SMBs might find the extensive feature set and associated costs to be disproportionate to their needs, preferring a more streamlined DMARC solution. It truly shines in environments where holistic email security is paramount.
How does DMARC Director compare with Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
DMARC report analysis
Analysis of DMARC aggregate and forensic reports.
Source detection
Identifies email sending sources.
Forward detection
Detects email forwarding for clearer DMARC insights.
Basic forwarding insights.
Advanced forwarding analysis.
Spoof detection
Identifies email spoofing attempts.
DMARC-based spoofing identification.
Comprehensive spoofing and lookalike domain detection.
Notifications and alerts
Automated alerts for DMARC policy changes or threats.
Reporting
Customizable reports and data exports.
Extensive reporting with broader security context.
API
Programmatic access to DMARC data.
Not prominently featured or documented.
Available for integrations.
Multi-tenancy
Ability to manage multiple domains or clients from one account.
Primarily single-organization focused.
Suitable for managing multiple entities.
SPF flattening
Helps overcome SPF 10-lookup limit.
Hosted SPF service manages limits.
Hosted DMARC
Manages DMARC records on behalf of the user.
Provides hosted DMARC services.
BIMI
Support for Brand Indicators for Message Identification.
Assistance with BIMI implementation.
MTA-STS/TLS-RPT
Support for email encryption standards.
Helps manage and monitor MTA-STS/TLS-RPT.
Blocklists and reputation
Monitors IP blacklists (or blocklists) and domain reputation.
Not a core feature.
Integrates reputation monitoring with broader threat intelligence.
AI copilot
AI-powered assistance for DMARC management.
DNS monitoring
Monitors DNS records for changes or misconfigurations.
Monitors DMARC-related DNS records.
Comprehensive DNS monitoring including lookalike domains.
Self hostable
Option to host the software on-premise.
Cloud-based solution.
Cloud-based solution.
Free trial/free tier
Offers a free trial or a permanently free usage tier.
30-day free trial.
Contact for demo.
Drawbacks and what to watch out for
DMARC Director provides a solid, focused DMARC solution, but its main drawback is its limited feature set beyond core DMARC. It lacks advanced integrations, hosted services like SPF flattening, and broader email security features that are becoming increasingly essential. Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense, while powerful, can be complex to configure and manage, and some users have reported occasional delays in email delivery due to its aggressive filtering. Its enterprise-focused nature also means it might be overkill for smaller organizations, both in terms of functionality and cost.
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.
0 / 5(0)
4.3 / 5(12)
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.
Overkill
2.0 / 5
What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
Great filters for junk and spam. Easy widgets in email notifications to release legit email that is not spam
What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
Too much filtering. At times, overkill. Filters out legitimate emails.
What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you?
Protect network from illicit email spoofing. Employees that are non tech savvy that click on fishing emails.
Verified User in Food & Beverages
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
Not sure if it's worth the hassle
2.5 / 5
What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
I do like that it auto scans my emails and sorts out the scam/fraudulent ones.
What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
I greatly dislike having to wait for the flagged emails, that are actually not fraudulent, but something that I am looking for. It does not send me the alert until the next day, and then once its been released and approved, it ends up taking another 10 minutes or so (Max) to get to me.
What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you?
I am getting significantly fewer fraudulent/scam emails
Verified User in Construction
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Email Protection by Proofpoint Fraud Defence
4.0 / 5
What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
This product provides email protection for both Inbound and outbound emails from all the domains which help in securing the mailboxes. This adds the advantage of the analytics features alike continuously shows the volume of mails as phishing /secures messages.
What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
Like other proofpoint products this also has implementing and configuring problems as they are not easy to configure in the organization environment.
Recommendations to others considering Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense:
This product offers you great security over emails and customers can leverage the support and different product portfolio they offer.
What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you?
We are securing our emails from phising mails /messages for all the domains and for both inbound outbound messages.
Anjali V.
Cyber Security Analyst Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
Reliable tool for spam emails!
4.0 / 5
What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
It's a great reliable tool and keep your inbox more secure and spam free. As a security measure this is great tool which prevents from any fraudulent emails and send alerts as necessary. I am currently using at my company and find all the spam emails being avoided. We usually receives too many on our generic email alias and this help in securing.
What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
It's a great tool, though I find the use of it a very little. Only being capable of avoiding spam emails. Also the dashboard is not much interactive
Recommendations to others considering Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense:
It was always better to have precaution than being penalized by unwanted threat. It's always good to be more secure and spam free and take preventive steps towards running your business securely.
What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you?
We consider our emails to be safe and spam free. And probably easy to set up
Verified User in Information Technology and Services
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
We use it as our Email Proxy.
4.5 / 5
What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
Ability to filter by most likely spam emails. We also have the ability to open up domains.
What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
The UI can be a bit more intuitive if it was up to me.
Recommendations to others considering Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense:
I would recommend for the ease of use and security features offered.
What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you?
Fraud emails and Spam emails for our Enterprise account.
Verified User in Computer & Network Security
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
Pricing
Neither DMARC Director nor Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense publicly list detailed pricing tiers, requiring direct contact for quotes.
Small
Up to 10k emails / month
Contact for pricing
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!
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