Is DMARC Visualizer truly free, or are there hidden costs?

DMARC Visualizer is open-source and free to download and use. However, it requires self-hosting, which means you'll incur costs for server infrastructure, electricity, and the time of technical staff required for setup, configuration, and ongoing maintenance. While the software itself has no licensing fees, the operational overhead can be significant, especially for larger volumes of DMARC data.

Which product is easier to set up for DMARC reporting?

MXtoolbox is generally easier to set up for DMARC reporting, as it is a commercial SaaS platform. You sign up, add your domain, and follow guided steps. DMARC Visualizer, being a self-hosted open-source solution, requires a significant amount of technical expertise to deploy and configure the various components like parsedmarc, Elasticsearch, and Grafana.

Does MXtoolbox offer DMARC enforcement capabilities?

Yes, MXtoolbox assists with DMARC deployment and provides analytics to help you move towards a stricter DMARC policy (p=reject). Their platform gives you the visibility needed to understand your email ecosystem and implement enforcement confidently. However, DMARC enforcement is ultimately controlled by your DMARC record, which you manage in your DNS, usually with guidance from such platforms.

Can I integrate DMARC Visualizer with other security tools?

Given that DMARC Visualizer is built upon Elasticsearch and Grafana, it is highly customizable and can be integrated with a wide range of security tools. Elasticsearch has a robust API for data ingestion and retrieval, and Grafana can pull data from various sources, making it very flexible for custom integrations within your security stack or SIEM.

What if my DMARC report volume exceeds the limits of MXtoolbox's paid plans?

MXtoolbox offers different pricing tiers with varying email message volume limits. If your volume exceeds their highest tier, Delivery Center Plus, you would likely need to contact their sales team for a custom enterprise plan. This would provide a tailored solution to accommodate your specific DMARC report volume and other deliverability needs.

MXtoolbox vs DMARC Visualizer

Choose MXtoolbox for comprehensive email deliverability tools, or DMARC Visualizer for a customizable, open-source solution.

4.1 / 5(29)

Compare to Suped

DMARC Visualizer

0 / 5(0)

Compare to Suped

DMARC Visualizer

Compare product functionality

Feature set

DMARC Visualizer

MXtoolbox offers a wide array of email deliverability features extending beyond basic DMARC reporting. Its Delivery Center plans include not only DMARC deployment assistance and analytics but also verified source management, SPF and DKIM configuration monitoring, and deliverability diagnostics. It truly aims to be an all-in-one platform for email health.

Beyond DMARC, MXtoolbox provides robust blacklist (or blocklist) monitoring, inbound and outbound mailflow monitoring, and domain impersonation protection. For those on their higher-tier plan, SPF flattening is also included, addressing a common SPF record limitation. It's a comprehensive suite designed to keep your email flowing smoothly and securely.

DMARC Visualizer is an open-source collection of tools primarily focused on DMARC report analysis and visualization. It leverages existing open-source components like parsedmarc, Elasticsearch, and Grafana to provide a powerful, customizable solution. Its core strength lies in detailed DMARC data interpretation, helping you understand authentication failures and legitimate sending sources.

As a self-hosted solution, its feature set is defined by the underlying tools and your configuration. While it provides excellent DMARC insights, it doesn't natively offer the broader email deliverability features found in commercial platforms, such as dedicated blacklist monitoring or SPF flattening. Users gain immense flexibility but must configure these additional functionalities themselves if needed.

DMARC Visualizer

How easy is each product to use

User experience

DMARC Visualizer

From our experience, MXtoolbox generally offers a straightforward user interface, particularly for its DMARC features. The dashboards are intuitive, and the setup process is guided, making it accessible even for users who might not be deep email security experts. Their free tools are notably easy to use for quick diagnostics.

However, navigating between the various tools and reports can sometimes feel a bit clunky. Some users have noted that the UI has remained largely unchanged over time, which might contribute to a less modern feel compared to newer platforms. Despite this, its functionality remains highly reliable for diagnosing email issues.

DMARC Visualizer's user experience is inherently tied to the components it utilizes, primarily Grafana for visualization. For those familiar with Grafana, creating and customizing dashboards for DMARC data will feel natural. The initial setup, however, requires significant technical expertise, involving server configuration, Elasticsearch, and parsedmarc deployment.

Once set up, the data visualization capabilities are robust and highly customizable, allowing for deep dives into DMARC reports. But, this isn't a plug-and-play solution; it demands a solid understanding of system administration and data visualization tools. This makes it less user-friendly for non-technical individuals or those looking for an out-of-the-box experience.

DMARC Visualizer

Which product has the best support

Support

DMARC Visualizer

MXtoolbox provides customer support, typically through email and phone for its paid subscribers. The platform aims to assist with DMARC deployment and troubleshooting, offering guidance through their setup wizards and documentation. For basic inquiries, their extensive knowledge base and free tools often provide immediate answers.

However, feedback suggests that their support processes for cancellations or refunds can be challenging, with some users reporting difficulties in getting timely responses or honoring refund policies for their paid plans. This can be a point of concern for those considering their commercial offerings.

As an open-source project, DMARC Visualizer does not offer dedicated commercial support. Users rely on community forums, GitHub issues, and their own technical expertise to implement and troubleshoot the solution. The support you get is indirect, coming from the communities around parsedmarc, Elasticsearch, and Grafana.

This means that while the core tools are well-documented, integrating them and resolving specific issues related to your DMARC Visualizer instance requires self-reliance. This model is common for open-source projects but implies that a team with strong technical skills is necessary to deploy and maintain the system effectively.

DMARC Visualizer

Who should use each product

Suitability

DMARC Visualizer

MXtoolbox is well-suited for a broad range of users, including SMBs and mid-market organizations that need a comprehensive, managed solution for email deliverability and DMARC enforcement. Its integrated tools make it appealing for IT administrators looking to diagnose and monitor various email-related issues from a single platform. MSPs could leverage its features, but the pricing tiers and domain limits might require careful consideration for managing multiple clients.

For enterprise-level operations, MXtoolbox offers the Delivery Center Plus plan with higher message volumes and advanced features like SPF flattening. However, larger enterprises might still find its feature set or scalability less tailored than dedicated enterprise DMARC solutions. It's an excellent choice for those who value an all-in-one approach and don't mind a commercial, SaaS-based model.

DMARC Visualizer is ideal for organizations with strong internal technical capabilities, particularly those with DevOps or IT teams experienced in deploying and managing open-source solutions like Elasticsearch and Grafana. It's a fantastic fit for tech-savvy SMBs, mid-market companies, and even enterprises that prefer full control over their data and infrastructure, and are comfortable with a self-hosted model. For MSPs, it offers a highly customizable base that can be adapted for multi-tenancy if they have the development resources to build it.

It is less suitable for users looking for a simple, out-of-the-box DMARC solution or those without the technical resources to set up and maintain the various components. While free to use, the operational costs in terms of staff time and infrastructure should be factored in. It's perfect for the DIY enthusiast who wants deep customization and control.

DMARC Visualizer

How does MXtoolbox compare with DMARC Visualizer?

DMARC Visualizer

DMARC report analysis

Ability to parse and present DMARC aggregate and forensic reports.

Source detection

Identify legitimate and unauthorized email sending sources.

Forward detection

Recognize when emails are being forwarded and may fail DMARC.

Spoof detection

Identify malicious emails attempting to impersonate your domain.

Notifications and alerts

Receive real-time alerts for DMARC issues or blacklist events.

Configurable via Grafana and Elasticsearch.

Reporting

Generate detailed reports on DMARC compliance and email health.

Via customizable Grafana dashboards.

API

Programmatic access to DMARC data and monitoring features.

Available for integration with SIEM tools.

Via underlying Elasticsearch APIs.

Multi-tenancy

Manage multiple domains or client accounts from a single interface.

Supported in paid plans.

Possible with custom configuration of underlying tools.

SPF flattening

Automatic consolidation of SPF records to avoid DNS lookup limits.

Included in Delivery Center Plus tier.

Hosted DMARC

Managed DMARC records and infrastructure.

Requires self-hosting.

BIMI

Brand Indicators for Message Identification support.

MTA-STS/TLS-RPT

Support for Mail Transfer Agent Strict Transport Security and TLS Reporting.

Blocklists and reputation

Monitoring and reporting on IP and domain blocklist status.

AI copilot

AI-powered assistance for DMARC policy management or insights.

DNS monitoring

Monitoring of various DNS records beyond DMARC.

Primarily focused on DMARC related DNS.

Self hostable

Option to host the DMARC reporting solution on your own infrastructure.

Free trial/free tier

Availability of a free trial or a permanently free usage tier.

Drawbacks and what to watch out for

MXtoolbox has faced criticism regarding its business practices, particularly around its "risk-free" trial and cancellation policies, with some users reporting difficulties in obtaining refunds or cancelling annual contracts. DMARC Visualizer, being an open-source project, lacks commercial support and requires significant technical effort for setup and maintenance, which can be a drawback for organizations without dedicated IT resources.

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.

4.1 / 5(29)

DMARC Visualizer

0 / 5(0)

Business Practices are scammy

0.0 / 5

What do you like best about MXToolbox? It helped us solve the small issue we had with our emails going to customers spam folder. What do you dislike about MXToolbox? I initially signed up online for a month-to-month contract, but then a salesperson got a hold of me and sent me a quote. The quote he sent me was for a year contract which I did not want, so I signed up for the month to month. Once the problem was fixed I tried to cancel and I couldn't do it online. I emailed them and they told me I had to call them. After lots of back and fourth they told me I signed a year contract and I couldn't cancel. I would have never signed up for a year. It was a very scammy business practice. Eventually they stopped responding so I had to stop the payments from my credit card. Recommendations to others considering MXToolbox: I don't recommend them because of their shady business practices. What problems is MXToolbox solving and how is that benefiting you? fixing a problem with emails going to spam

Sam B.

IT Director Mid-Market (51-1000 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.

Think twice before doing their paid plans. Deceptive "risk-free" 30 day trial

0.0 / 5

What do you like best about MXToolbox? I suspect many of the people responding favorably on this forum are using their free tools. Their free tools are very useful -- but think twice before upgrading to their paid plans. What do you dislike about MXToolbox? Like many other software vendors - they make an offer of a risk-free one-month trial. However, they don't actually refund you your money if you cancel before 30 days. Here is my example: I signed up for their delivery center option on November 10, 2018 and was promptly billed $99. I used the service for 2 days, realized the paid features were overkill for my own and customers' needs, so called to cancel November 12 (two days after signup.) They acknowledged my cancellation by email but never credited back my account for the $99. On December 17th I called their toll-free line. Matt on the phone said ("getting a refund would require managers approval and it's not a certain thing.") No sign of any refund as-yet, no confirmation from the company following the call of what to expect on refund. On December 15 I emailed. Their response to my email was "Sorry, we can't process that sort of thing by email. Either call or create a support ticket." Unfortunately, the support ticket option is available only for active subscribers -- so you are left with calling their phone system and having no record of exchange. Attached is an image from their website taken December 2018 in which they describe their "risk-free" offer. https://postimg.cc/mhgzm197 In summary -- Be aware that their free trial is not like how most other software vendors manage their trial promotions. They are opportunistic about billing you and (in my experience) don't honor the refund they promise as part of their risk-free trial. Recommendations to others considering MXToolbox: Use their free tools (they are good.) Their paid tools are overpriced, and they have a misleading "risk-free" plan that will end up costing you $99. What problems is MXToolbox solving and how is that benefiting you? Their free tools will help you diagnose MX configuration issues.

jon b.

Jon Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

Beware their "30 day free trial" of the Delivery Center!

0.5 / 5

What do you like best about MXToolbox? The free tools are good, and one wouldn't mind paying something for them, but one does object to being defrauded - see below. What do you dislike about MXToolbox? Tried to cancel free trial only a couple of days in, but $99 had been taken from my card and they have not responded to repeated requests to end it and refund the money. It looks like attempted fraud. What problems is MXToolbox solving and how is that benefiting you? Simple things like reverse DNS lookup helped us to check our email setup.

Alexander S.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

Makes email management easy

3.5 / 5

What do you like best about MXToolbox? -Affordable pricing -Setting up is very easy -Useful dashboards -Makes email reputation checks easier What do you dislike about MXToolbox? -This tool covers everything required for email management, there is nothing to dislike about. What problems is MXToolbox solving and how is that benefiting you? I have used this tool for domain reputation checking for phising mail analysis also I am using this for some of my projects to check mail deliverability and reputation of the domain to make sure the domain is not being blacklisted due to sending loads of emails.

Nitin R.

Software dev Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

MXToolBox is great for blacklist testing

3.5 / 5

What do you like best about MXToolbox? MXToolBox is suitable for Blacklists, DMARC, Diagnostics, Email Health, and DNS Lookup checks. What do you dislike about MXToolbox? For a free tool, I'd say MXToolBox is pretty top-notch. What problems is MXToolbox solving and how is that benefiting you? I used MXToolBox for DNS look-ups and blacklist checks.

Verified User in Marketing and Advertising

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

Pricing

MXtoolbox offers tiered pricing for its commercial DMARC and deliverability features, including a free tier with limited functionality, whereas DMARC Visualizer is a free, open-source solution that requires self-hosting.

DMARC Visualizer

Small

Up to 10k emails / month

Free tier available (1 domain, weekly blocklist monitoring).

Free, self-hosted.

Medium

Up to 100k emails / month

$129/month (5 domains, 500k volume)

Free, self-hosted (operational costs apply).

Large

Up to 1 million emails / month

$129/month (5 domains, 500k volume)