MXtoolbox has a long-standing reputation for its broad suite of network diagnostic tools. While its DMARC reporting is part of the larger 'Delivery Center' offering, it integrates well with its other services like blacklist (or blocklist) monitoring and DNS lookups. We found it to be a robust platform for overall email health.
The DMARC functionality focuses on identifying senders, understanding authentication failures, and protecting against domain impersonation. It provides detailed analytics, helping us pinpoint issues affecting email deliverability. The inclusion of SPF flattening in higher tiers is a practical feature for domains with many SPF records.
Merox is positioned as a more focused DMARC reporting and management solution. It's built from the ground up to provide clear, actionable insights into DMARC data, making it easier to achieve and maintain compliance. We appreciate its dedication to the DMARC ecosystem.
Its feature set typically includes in-depth DMARC report analysis, clear sender identification, and tools to help enforce DMARC policies. While it may not have the extensive network diagnostic tools of MXtoolbox, its specialized approach ensures that DMARC management is streamlined and effective for users.
How easy is each product to use
User experience
MXtoolbox's user experience reflects its history as a collection of powerful tools. While functional, the interface can sometimes feel a bit dated, requiring navigation through multiple links to access specific reports or features. We found that new users might have a steeper learning curve to fully leverage all its capabilities.
However, for experienced IT administrators and email professionals, the structured approach allows for precise diagnostics. Once familiar, the dashboard provides essential data, and the alerts are timely, though we did find ourselves wishing for a more consolidated view sometimes.
Merox typically offers a more modern and intuitive user interface, designed specifically for DMARC management. We found its dashboards to be clear, providing quick overviews of DMARC compliance, authentication rates, and identified threats. This streamlined approach makes it easier for users to understand their email security posture.
The focus on DMARC means less clutter and a more direct path to insights. Onboarding seems generally smoother for users primarily concerned with DMARC, as the interface guides them through the setup and analysis processes effectively without overwhelming them with extraneous network data.
Which product has the best support
Support
MXtoolbox offers support primarily through a ticketing system and, for paid plans, potentially phone support. We've found their documentation to be extensive, which is helpful for self-service. However, some G2 reviews suggest issues with cancellation processes and responsiveness for refunds, which is a concern.
While their technical assistance for diagnosing issues is generally solid, the customer service experience around billing or cancellations has been a point of contention for some users. This indicates a need for clearer communication and process improvements in these areas.
Merox, as a dedicated DMARC platform, often provides specialized support that understands the nuances of DMARC implementation and troubleshooting. We would expect them to offer robust support channels, likely including email, chat, and potentially phone support for higher tiers.
Given its specialized nature, Merox's support team would typically be highly knowledgeable in DMARC-specific issues, offering guided assistance for setup, policy enforcement, and complex reporting analysis. This focused expertise is a significant advantage for users needing dedicated DMARC help.
Who should use each product
Suitability
MXtoolbox is best suited for IT professionals, system administrators, and webmasters who need a comprehensive suite of network and email diagnostic tools beyond just DMARC. It's particularly useful for those who manage multiple domains or IP addresses and require detailed insights into DNS, blacklisting (or blocklisting), and overall email health.
For Managed Service Providers (MSPs), MXtoolbox offers a range of tools to monitor client domains. Enterprise users can leverage its broader capabilities for email infrastructure management. SMBs with in-house IT expertise will also find value in its diagnostic features, especially with the free tools.
Merox is ideal for organizations that prioritize DMARC compliance and email authentication above a broad set of network tools. It's a strong choice for businesses, marketing teams, or IT departments whose primary concern is protecting their brand from phishing and spoofing attacks through DMARC enforcement.
MSPs looking for a dedicated DMARC solution for their clients would find Merox compelling. Enterprise organizations can benefit from its focused DMARC analytics and enforcement capabilities for large-scale email ecosystems. SMBs seeking a straightforward path to DMARC implementation and monitoring will also appreciate its specialized approach.
How does MXtoolbox compare with Merox?
DMARC report analysis
Aggregating and parsing DMARC XML reports into human-readable data.
Source detection
Identifying legitimate and fraudulent sending sources.
Forward detection
Understanding how email forwarding affects DMARC authentication.
Often inferred from DMARC results.
Specific features for forward analysis.
Spoof detection
Alerting and reporting on emails attempting to spoof your domain.
Notifications and alerts
Proactive alerts for DMARC failures, new senders, or policy changes.
Reporting
Customizable reports on DMARC compliance and email deliverability.
API
Programmatic access to DMARC data and monitoring.
Available for integration.
Likely offered for higher plans.
Multi-tenancy
Managing multiple domains or client accounts from a single interface.
Supports multiple domains.
Designed for managing multiple entities.
SPF flattening
Automatically condensing multiple SPF records to stay within DNS lookup limits.
Available in Delivery Center Plus.
Common feature in DMARC platforms.
Hosted DMARC
Managing your DMARC DNS records directly through the platform.
Focuses on monitoring, not hosting.
Often provided by DMARC specialists.
BIMI
Support for Brand Indicators for Message Identification.
Guidance and monitoring for BIMI.
Integrates BIMI readiness and deployment.
MTA-STS/TLS-RPT
Monitoring and reporting for secure email transport protocols.
Included in email configuration analysis.
Part of a comprehensive security suite.
Blocklists and reputation
Monitoring IP and domain reputation against various blocklists (or blacklists).
Core offering of MXtoolbox.
Integrated for deliverability insights.
AI copilot
AI-powered assistance for DMARC policy generation or troubleshooting.
Not a primary feature.
Not widely advertised.
DNS monitoring
Continuous monitoring of DNS records for changes or issues.
A foundational MXtoolbox service.
Relevant to DMARC record health.
Self hostable
Option to deploy the software on your own infrastructure.
Cloud-based service.
Cloud-based service.
Free trial/free tier
Availability of a free version or a trial period.
Offers a free tier with basic tools.
Likely offers a free trial for DMARC features.
Drawbacks and what to watch out for
MXtoolbox, despite its comprehensive toolset, has faced criticism regarding its billing practices and the clarity of its 'risk-free' trials. Some users have reported challenges with cancellations and refunds for paid plans. Merox, on the other hand, currently lacks public reviews, which makes it harder to identify specific drawbacks based on user experiences.
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)
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 a free tier for basic monitoring, with paid DMARC-focused plans starting at $129 per month for 5 domains and up to 500,000 email messages, while Merox requires direct contact for pricing details across all its tiers.
Small
Up to 10k emails / month
$0 (Limited DMARC analysis, 1 domain)
Contact for pricing
Medium
Up to 100k emails / month
Contact for exact match; $129/month plan starts at 500k emails.
Contact for pricing
Large
Up to 1 million emails / month
$129/month (up to 500k emails) or $399/month (up to 5M emails)
Contact for pricing
Enterprise
Over 1 million emails / month
$399/month (up to 5M emails); custom pricing for higher volume.
4.1 / 5(29)
