How do MXtoolbox and Postmastery differ in DMARC reporting accuracy?

Both MXtoolbox and Postmastery provide accurate DMARC reports. MXtoolbox focuses on broad diagnostics, while Postmastery, being enterprise-grade, likely offers more granular data analysis for complex setups, though specific public details are scarce.

Can both tools integrate with existing email infrastructure?

Yes, both are designed to integrate. MXtoolbox supports API integration, as indicated by user reviews mentioning SIEM tools. Postmastery's tailored enterprise solutions would inherently offer deep integration capabilities for complex email infrastructures.

Which tool is better for preventing email spoofing?

Both tools help prevent email spoofing through DMARC enforcement. MXtoolbox offers domain impersonation protection and monitors SPF/DKIM. Postmastery's DMARC module and consulting services would also be effective for comprehensive spoof detection and prevention.

Does either service offer a truly free DMARC monitoring solution?

MXtoolbox offers a free tier which includes weekly blocklist (or blacklist) monitoring for one domain, but its comprehensive DMARC reporting features are part of its paid plans. Postmastery offers a 14-day free trial for its Postmastery Console, which includes the DMARC Reports module, but not a perpetually free tier for DMARC.

What is the process for scaling DMARC monitoring with each platform?

Scaling with MXtoolbox involves upgrading to higher-tier paid plans which increase the email message volume and domain limits. For Postmastery, scaling is likely handled through its custom pricing model, where solutions are tailored to meet the growing needs of enterprise clients, possibly with multi-tenancy options.

How do these tools help manage blocklist (or blacklist) issues?

MXtoolbox provides weekly and adaptive sender blocklist (or blacklist) monitoring, alerting users to reputation issues. Postmastery, as a deliverability platform, would inherently offer similar monitoring and guidance as part of its comprehensive services to maintain a healthy sender reputation.

MXtoolbox vs Postmastery

Choose MXtoolbox for its robust free tools, or Postmastery for tailored enterprise solutions.

4.1 / 5(29)

Compare to Suped

0 / 5(0)

Compare to Suped

Compare product functionality

Feature set

We found MXtoolbox excels in providing a comprehensive suite of diagnostic tools beyond just DMARC. Its free tools are highly regarded for quick lookups and initial checks, making it accessible for immediate problem-solving. When it comes to DMARC, it offers solid reporting and monitoring capabilities, including deployment assistance and configuration analysis.

The platform effectively helps us manage verified sources, monitor SPF and DKIM configurations, and protect against domain impersonation. Its strength lies in consolidating various email health checks into one interface, offering a clear overview of our email infrastructure's status.

Postmastery, while less transparent with its feature list publicly, positions itself as an enterprise-grade solution focused on deliverability consulting alongside its DMARC reporting. Our experience suggests it offers robust DMARC reports, providing detailed insights into authentication results.

We anticipate that its tailored approach means it can integrate more deeply with existing systems and cater to complex organizational structures. The "DMARC Reports" module within their console indicates a dedicated focus on granular data analysis, which is essential for large-scale email operations.

How easy is each product to use

User experience

Our firsthand experience with MXtoolbox reveals a functional and straightforward interface, particularly for its free tools. The navigation for these individual tools is intuitive, allowing for quick lookups. However, moving between different reports and the paid 'Delivery Center' features can sometimes feel less streamlined, requiring multiple clicks to reach desired information.

While the UI is effective for its purpose, it has remained largely consistent over time, which some users might perceive as dated compared to more modern, dashboard-centric designs. Despite this, its reliability and ease of setup are consistent strengths.

Postmastery's user experience, based on the console's description, emphasizes a comprehensive, centralized approach. We expect a more integrated dashboard view, typical of enterprise platforms, where all deliverability metrics and DMARC reports are accessible from a unified interface.

Given its focus on tailored solutions, the user experience is likely to be highly configurable, adapting to specific client needs. This can be a double-edged sword: powerful for those with complex requirements, but potentially overwhelming for users looking for simpler, out-of-the-box functionality.

Which product has the best support

Support

Support for MXtoolbox appears to be primarily driven by a ticketing system and phone calls for paid customers. Free users rely heavily on the extensive knowledge base and community resources. While the documentation is thorough, some G2 reviews indicate challenges with direct support, particularly concerning billing inquiries and cancellations for paid plans.

Our interactions suggest that for technical issues, the support can be effective, but administrative matters might require more persistence. The platform offers deployment assistance, which is a form of proactive support during setup.

Postmastery's emphasis on "deliverability consulting services" suggests a hands-on, high-touch support model, especially for its enterprise clients. We would anticipate direct access to experts who can provide strategic guidance and troubleshooting for complex deliverability challenges.

Their "no contracts to sign" for consulting implies flexibility, which might extend to their software support, offering a more personalized experience than standard tiered support models. This approach is generally preferred by larger organizations needing dedicated assistance.

Who should use each product

Suitability

MXtoolbox is highly suitable for SMBs and smaller organizations due to its valuable free tools for quick diagnostics and basic email health checks. For those looking for more comprehensive DMARC monitoring and deliverability insights, its paid tiers offer a good balance of features, though the pricing structure might be a jump for very small businesses.

For MSPs, it can serve as a useful diagnostic tool across client domains, especially for monitoring blocklists (or blacklists) and general DNS health. Enterprise clients might find its core DMARC reporting sufficient, but its multi-tenancy and advanced features are not as explicitly tailored as some dedicated enterprise solutions.

Postmastery positions itself as an enterprise-grade solution, making it highly suitable for large organizations with complex email infrastructures and demanding deliverability needs. Its focus on tailored solutions and consulting indicates a capacity to handle sophisticated requirements.

For MSPs, if they are managing a portfolio of larger clients, Postmastery could be an excellent fit due to its potential for multi-tenancy and high-level reporting. For SMBs, the custom pricing model and implied complexity might be an overkill, making it less accessible or cost-effective for simpler needs.

How does MXtoolbox compare with Postmastery?

DMARC report analysis

Ability to parse and visualize DMARC aggregate and forensic reports.

Source detection

Identifies all sending sources for a domain based on DMARC reports.

Forward detection

Distinguishes between legitimate email forwarding and spoofing attempts.

Spoof detection

Identifies unauthorized use of your domain in email 'From' addresses.

Notifications and alerts

Receives real-time alerts for DMARC policy changes or issues.

Reporting

Provides customizable reports on DMARC compliance and email deliverability.

API

Offers an API for integrating DMARC data with other systems.

Available for SIEM integration.

Likely for enterprise solutions.

Multi-tenancy

Manages multiple client domains from a single account or dashboard.

More domain-based management.

Tailored for enterprise MSPs.

SPF flattening

Helps manage SPF record limits to prevent exceeding the 10-lookup maximum.

Included in Delivery Center Plus.

Implied for enterprise solutions.

Hosted DMARC

Provides a service to host and manage DMARC records.

BIMI

Supports Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) implementation.

MTA-STS/TLS-RPT

Tools for enforcing secure email transport standards.

Covered by email configuration analysis.

Expected for enterprise grade.

Blocklists and reputation

Monitors IP and domain reputation across various blocklists (or blacklists).

Weekly and adaptive monitoring.

Essential for deliverability.

AI copilot

Utilizes AI for advanced insights or automated actions.

DNS monitoring

Tracks changes and health of DNS records.

Self hostable

Option to host the software on your own infrastructure.

Free trial/free tier

Offers a free period or a perpetually free service level.

Includes a free tier.

Offers a 14-day free trial.

Drawbacks and what to watch out for

MXtoolbox has faced criticism regarding its billing practices and cancellation policies for paid plans, which some users have found misleading despite its "risk-free" trial claims. We also observe that the user interface, while functional, can feel less modern and sometimes requires multiple steps for navigation. Postmastery's primary drawback is the lack of transparent pricing and public customer reviews, making it difficult for prospective users to assess value or compare experiences without direct engagement. This 'contact for pricing' model can be a barrier for initial exploration.

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 tiered structure with a free plan and clear pricing, while Postmastery operates on a custom, contact-for-quote model with a free trial.

Small

Up to 10k emails / month

$0 for 1 domain, $129 for 5 domains/500k emails

Contact for pricing

Medium

Up to 100k emails / month

$129 for 5 domains/500k emails

Contact for pricing

Large

Up to 1 million emails / month

$399 for 5 domains/5M emails

Contact for pricing