InboxMonster provides a robust suite of tools that extend far beyond basic DMARC reporting. Its core strength lies in offering a holistic view of email deliverability, including detailed inbox placement testing, spam trap monitoring, and real-time reputation analysis. We found that the platform's DMARC capabilities are seamlessly integrated, allowing us to not only see DMARC aggregate data but also correlate it with other crucial deliverability metrics.
The platform focuses on actionable insights, helping us identify specific sending issues and offering recommendations for improvement. While DMARC is a fundamental component, InboxMonster leverages its rich dataset to help us understand the broader context of email authentication failures and potential spoofing attempts, making it a valuable asset for maintaining a healthy email program.
The Splunk TA-DMARC add-on is primarily designed to ingest and parse DMARC aggregate XML reports within a Splunk environment. This means its feature set is inherently tied to Splunk's capabilities. It excels at taking raw DMARC data and making it searchable and visualizable through Splunk's dashboards, allowing for analysis of DMARC pass/fail rates, sending sources, and reporting domains. It is a highly specialized tool for DMARC data specifically.
However, its scope is limited strictly to DMARC data. It doesn't offer broader deliverability insights, such as inbox placement, reputation monitoring, or advanced email authentication protocols like BIMI or MTA-STS. Being an archived add-on, we've observed that it lacks ongoing development, which means newer DMARC-related features or evolving email standards are not incorporated into the tool itself.
How easy is each product to use
User experience
We found InboxMonster's user interface to be intuitive and well-organized, especially for a tool with such a wide array of features. While there's a slight learning curve to fully grasp all the available data and advanced functionalities, the platform's design facilitates navigation. Reports are typically clear and visually engaging, which helps in quickly identifying trends or issues.
One of the standout aspects of InboxMonster's user experience is its emphasis on actionable insights. The data isn't just presented; it's often accompanied by explanations and recommendations, making it easier for users of varying technical backgrounds to understand and respond to deliverability challenges. The initial setup is guided, minimizing friction during onboarding.
The user experience for the Splunk TA-DMARC add-on is largely dictated by the underlying Splunk platform. If you're already proficient with Splunk, integrating and utilizing this add-on will feel familiar. However, for those new to Splunk, there's a significant learning curve associated with the platform itself, not just the add-on. Customizing dashboards, setting up alerts, and performing deep dives require a solid understanding of Splunk Query Language (SPL).
The add-on provides basic visualizations out of the box, but extending its functionality or integrating it with other data sources within Splunk requires technical expertise. As it's an archived product, the documentation might not be as current, and community support is the primary resource for troubleshooting, which can sometimes be a cumbersome experience for less technical users.
Which product has the best support
Support
InboxMonster consistently receives high praise for its customer support. Our experience, and what we've seen in user reviews, confirms that they offer proactive and highly responsive assistance. They often provide dedicated account managers who not only help navigate the platform but also offer strategic advice on improving deliverability and resolving complex issues with ISPs.
The support model includes 'white glove set up' and real-time platform support, indicating a hands-on approach. This level of personalized guidance is particularly beneficial for organizations that may not have in-house deliverability experts, as it helps bridge knowledge gaps and ensures efficient problem-solving.
When it comes to the Splunk TA-DMARC add-on, official support is non-existent. The add-on is explicitly listed as 'Not Supported' and 'archived,' meaning there's no dedicated team for technical assistance, bug fixes, or updates. Any issues encountered fall squarely on the user's shoulders or require leveraging the broader Splunk community for help.
This lack of formal support necessitates strong internal Splunk expertise within your organization. Troubleshooting, maintenance, and any customizations must be handled in-house. While the MIT License allows for free modification, the responsibility for its upkeep and issue resolution can add significant indirect costs and complexity, especially for critical DMARC monitoring.
Who should use each product
Suitability
InboxMonster is best suited for organizations that require comprehensive email deliverability management alongside DMARC reporting. This includes large enterprises and mid-market companies that rely heavily on email marketing, transactional emails, or have complex sending infrastructures. MSPs (Managed Service Providers) could also benefit from its multi-tenancy capabilities and white-glove service for managing multiple clients' email health.
Its robust feature set, proactive support, and emphasis on actionable insights make it ideal for teams looking to optimize their email performance, ensure compliance, and proactively address potential deliverability issues. It's a strong choice for those who value an all-in-one solution and dedicated expertise.
The Splunk TA-DMARC add-on is most suitable for organizations that already have a significant investment in Splunk and possess the in-house expertise to manage and customize Splunk instances. It appeals to IT security teams, enterprise-level operations, or those in highly regulated industries who need to centralize DMARC data within their existing SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) or logging infrastructure.
It's less suitable for SMBs (Small to Medium Businesses) or MSPs without extensive Splunk knowledge, as the overhead of managing Splunk and an unsupported add-on can be prohibitive. It's a tool for specific DMARC data integration, not a complete DMARC management or email deliverability platform, and its archived status means it's best for those comfortable with self-support.
How does InboxMonster compare with Splunk TA-DMARC add-on?
DMARC report analysis
Ability to parse and visualize DMARC aggregate and forensic reports.
Source detection
Identify sending sources that are authorized or unauthorized.
Forward detection
Identify when emails are forwarded and how it affects DMARC authentication.
Spoof detection
Detect and alert on email spoofing attempts.
Notifications and alerts
Receive automated alerts for DMARC failures, policy changes, or threats.
Leverages Splunk's native alerting capabilities.
Reporting
Comprehensive dashboards and customizable reports.
Utilizes Splunk's powerful reporting and dashboarding features.
API
Programmatic access to DMARC data and platform features.
Splunk's API can be used to access data processed by the add-on.
Multi-tenancy
Manage DMARC for multiple domains or clients from a single interface.
Can be achieved within a multi-tenant Splunk deployment.
SPF flattening
Tools to manage SPF lookup limits.
Hosted DMARC
Provides hosted DMARC records and management.
BIMI
Support for Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI).
MTA-STS/TLS-RPT
Monitoring and reporting for MTA-STS and TLS-RPT.
Blocklists and reputation
Monitoring of email blocklists and sender reputation.
AI copilot
AI-powered assistance for DMARC analysis and recommendations.
DNS monitoring
Monitor DNS records relevant to email authentication.
Self hostable
Option to host the software on private infrastructure.
The add-on runs within your self-hosted Splunk instance.
Free trial/free tier
Availability of a free version or trial period.
The add-on is free, but requires a paid Splunk instance. Consider Suped for a generous free DMARC plan.
Drawbacks and what to watch out for
InboxMonster, while comprehensive, comes with a significant price tag and a potential learning curve for its extensive feature set. We also noted some user feedback regarding occasional seed list data outages and the additional cost for certain tools. For the Splunk TA-DMARC add-on, the main drawbacks stem from its archived and unsupported status. This means no official updates, no dedicated support, and relying on community resources for troubleshooting. Its functionality is also limited to DMARC data, lacking broader deliverability insights inherent in dedicated platforms.
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.
4.9 / 5(44)
0 / 5(0)
Josie + InboxMonster has helped our email team tremendously!
4.0 / 5
What do you like best about Inbox Monster?
I'm newer to the email team that utilizes InboxMonster but from what I've gathered from my coworker who has worked with Josie and InboxMonster for over a year, Josie was instrumental in providing actionable insights to enhance deliverability.
What do you dislike about Inbox Monster?
We don't have a proper CRM tool to leverage so InboxMonster isn't as much a problem as the tool we're using for email.
What problems is Inbox Monster solving and how is that benefiting you?
At the beginning of the year, the team discussed solutions such as better domain/IP allocation, stricter demark policies, and monitoring iCloud; they also noted the impact of email frequency and rogue franchisees on complaint rates. Next steps included investigating unsubscribe inconsistencies, exploring click activity data, discussing IP address optimization, and a future demo of Inbox Monster's "Creative Projects" tool; Josie Garcia will also provide further ISP and deliverability information. Most recently, Josie shared SendGrid-specific recommendations, best practices, and provided platform training, including user management, notifications, campaign tagging, subscriber insights, and spam trap analysis.
Verified User in Maritime
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.
Great toolset and helpful account support
4.0 / 5
What do you like best about Inbox Monster?
The toolset is very robust and they are consistently adding to the functionality. The account support has also been great and incredibly proactive. Thom is the best and always super helpful.
What do you dislike about Inbox Monster?
Right now, there is nothing currently that I do not like or appreciate about Inbox Monster.
What problems is Inbox Monster solving and how is that benefiting you?
Inbox Monster is helping us manage and get insight into deliverability problems when they arise. There is a great toolset that is built behind this management and the additional tools with respect to content rendering is super helpful.
Verified User in Publishing
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
Valuable Deliverability Insights
4.5 / 5
What do you like best about Inbox Monster?
Inbox Monster provides a lot of valuable insights into how are email deliverability is across many different email service providers.
What do you dislike about Inbox Monster?
Inbox Monster has many features and data sets, but not all of the data feels immediately actionable and I don't understand what every feature does.
What problems is Inbox Monster solving and how is that benefiting you?
Before Inbox Monster, we couldn't see where our emails were landing or what seeds were having deliverability issues.
Verified User in Higher Education
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
A Game-Changer for Email Deliverability
4.5 / 5
What do you like best about Inbox Monster?
Inbox Monster has been a life saver for our email program. We have worked with Josie for just under a year, but the amount of dedication and support she provided to analyze our deliverability, help us come up with an action plan to remediate our poor deliverability and sender reputation, and ongoing monitoring of trends after working through our issues, has played a significant role in the health and success of our email marketing.
Josie is always quick to respond and will walk through the issues with us, giving us valuable insights and recommendations along the way. My team does not have a strong background in deliverability, but Josie and the Inbox Monster team, has made a very technical part of email marketing very easy to understand and action against, allowing us to grow our skillset while also educating the rest of the company on deliverability best practices to ensure we do not fall into the same mess that we worked so hard to pull ourselves out of.
In October 2024, we found out, with the help of Inbox Monster, that our inbox rate with Gmail was at 1% with low sender reputation. After working with Josie, we were able to increase and maintain our Gmail inbox rate to 95-100% with high sender reputation within 4 months. I cannot recommend Inbox Monster enough.
What do you dislike about Inbox Monster?
Email deliverability is overwhelming. This is not an Inbox Monster issue. The team at Inbox Monster is incredibly knowledgeable and gives so much information. A lot of the time, the analysis is easy to follow while meeting with the Inbox Monster team, but the amount of numbers and tabs within the platform make it a little difficult to follow on our own. We have a wonderful support team who are willing to meet at our cadence to discuss, but it's a bit difficult to do our own analysis outside of those meetings.
What problems is Inbox Monster solving and how is that benefiting you?
Inbox Monster helps provide valuable insight to our email deliverability and sender reputation.
Verified User in Health, Wellness and Fitness
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
Valuable Deliverability Insights
4.5 / 5
What do you like best about Inbox Monster?
Inbox Monster provides a lot of valuable insights into how are email deliverability is across many different email service providers.
What do you dislike about Inbox Monster?
Inbox Monster has many features and data sets, but not all of the data feels immediately actionable and I don't understand what every feature does.
What problems is Inbox Monster solving and how is that benefiting you?
Before Inbox Monster, we couldn't see where our emails were landing or what seeds were having deliverability issues.
Verified User in Higher Education
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
Pricing
InboxMonster's pricing reflects its comprehensive feature set and dedicated support, starting at a higher annual cost, while the Splunk TA-DMARC add-on is technically free but relies entirely on a separate, potentially expensive Splunk license and internal management.
Small
Up to 10k emails / month
Starts at $3,000 yearly (Creative Suite), $15,000 (Deliverability Suite).
Free add-on (requires Splunk instance, pricing varies based on data ingestion).
Medium
Up to 100k emails / month
Starts at $3,000 yearly (Creative Suite), $15,000 (Deliverability Suite).
Free add-on (requires Splunk instance, pricing varies based on data ingestion).
Large
Up to 1 million emails / month
Starts at $3,000 yearly (Creative Suite), $15,000 (Deliverability Suite).
Free add-on (requires Splunk instance, pricing varies based on data ingestion).
Enterprise
Over 1 million emails / month
Contact for custom pricing, likely upwards of $15,000+ yearly.
Free add-on (requires Splunk instance, pricing varies based on data ingestion).
Suped hard sell incoming!
Still not satisfied with InboxMonster or Splunk TA-DMARC add-on?
4.9 / 5(44)
