We found Palisade focuses heavily on DMARC implementation and enforcement. It offers detailed aggregate reports (RUA) and forensic reports (RUF) when available, breaking down authentication results by source. Their interface aims to simplify complex DMARC data into actionable insights, helping users quickly identify legitimate senders and potential threats. We appreciate its commitment to guiding users towards DMARC enforcement.
Palisade also provides tools for managing SPF records, assisting with flattening to overcome the 10-lookup limit, and monitoring DKIM records. The platform is designed to automate much of the DMARC journey, from initial monitoring to full enforcement, with an emphasis on clarity and ease of use for domain owners.
MXtoolbox, on the other hand, provides a broader suite of email and DNS management tools, with DMARC reporting as one component of its larger Delivery Center. Their DMARC analysis is solid, offering insights into authentication results. However, we found its DMARC features are often integrated within its wider ecosystem of diagnostic tools.
Beyond DMARC, MXtoolbox excels in areas like blacklist monitoring (or blocklist monitoring), email configuration analysis, and DNS lookups. It's a robust toolkit for general email health and diagnostics, but its DMARC-specific automation and deep-dive capabilities are not as singularly focused as Palisade's.
How easy is each product to use
User experience
The user interface of Palisade is clean and modern, designed with a clear focus on DMARC. We found navigating through reports and configuring policies to be intuitive. The dashboards effectively summarize DMARC compliance, making it easy to see what's happening at a glance. For users primarily concerned with DMARC, the streamlined experience is a significant advantage.
Onboarding new domains and setting up DMARC records is guided step-by-step, which we appreciate, especially for those new to DMARC. The emphasis is on making complex DMARC data digestible, helping users understand their email ecosystem without getting lost in technical jargon.
MXtoolbox's interface, while functional, feels a bit more utilitarian and less polished than Palisade's. It's designed to give quick access to a wide array of tools, which can sometimes lead to a slightly fragmented experience. We often found ourselves clicking through multiple sections to get a complete picture, especially when trying to correlate DMARC data with other diagnostic information.
Despite this, the individual tools are straightforward to use, and their free tools have set a standard for quick lookups. For those already familiar with its ecosystem of tools, the experience is consistent, but for DMARC newcomers, it might require a bit more digging to find specific DMARC insights.
Which product has the best support
Support
With Palisade, we experienced a dedicated and responsive support team, clearly knowledgeable about DMARC and email security. Their support often includes guidance on best practices for DMARC implementation and troubleshooting. We found their approach to be proactive, helping users not just fix issues but also improve their overall email posture.
Support resources typically include documentation, FAQs, and direct communication channels. For a tool focused on a specific, complex area like DMARC, expert support is invaluable, and Palisade delivers on this front.
MXtoolbox offers various support channels, including documentation, a knowledge base, and direct support for paid plans. Given their wide range of tools, their support covers a broad spectrum of email and DNS issues. We found their responses to be generally helpful, though perhaps less specialized in deep DMARC intricacies compared to a DMARC-focused vendor.
Their paid plans offer more direct access to support, but some users have reported challenges with their cancellation process for paid services, which is something to be aware of. Overall, support is available, but the depth of DMARC-specific guidance might vary.
Who should use each product
Suitability
Palisade is ideally suited for organizations that need a focused, robust solution to achieve and maintain DMARC enforcement.
For SMBs, it provides a simplified path to DMARC compliance, reducing the complexity of email authentication. Enterprise clients will benefit from its automation features and detailed reporting for managing large, complex email infrastructures. MSPs (managed service providers) looking to offer DMARC as a service will find Palisade's multi-tenancy capabilities and clear reporting advantageous for managing multiple client domains effectively.
MXtoolbox caters to a broader audience, particularly those who require a comprehensive set of tools for overall email and network health, with DMARC being one of many components.
SMBs can leverage its free tools for quick checks and its paid plans for general deliverability monitoring. Enterprise environments might use MXtoolbox alongside other specialized tools for a complete picture, benefiting from its wide-ranging diagnostics. For MSPs, MXtoolbox provides valuable diagnostic utilities for troubleshooting various client issues, although its DMARC multi-tenancy might not be as streamlined as dedicated DMARC platforms.
How does Palisade compare with MXtoolbox?
DMARC report analysis
Analysis of DMARC aggregate and forensic reports.
Source detection
Identifies email sending sources from DMARC reports.
Forward detection
Ability to identify and manage forwarded emails.
Spoof detection
Detects attempts at domain impersonation or spoofing.
Includes domain impersonation protection.
Notifications and alerts
Receives alerts for DMARC changes or security events.
Includes blacklist alerts.
Reporting
Provides detailed reports on email authentication and deliverability.
Includes email delivery performance reports.
API
Availability of an API for integration with other systems.
Used for SIEM integration per reviews.
Multi-tenancy
Manages multiple domains or clients from a single account.
Suitable for MSPs with multiple clients.
Limited to 5 domains per paid plan.
SPF flattening
Helps manage SPF records to avoid DNS lookup limits.
Available in Delivery Center Plus.
Hosted DMARC
Service provides DMARC record hosting and management.
Offers DMARC deployment assistance.
BIMI
Support for Brand Indicators for Message Identification.
MTA-STS/TLS-RPT
Support for SMTP MTA Strict Transport Security and TLS Reporting.
Blocklists and reputation
Monitors domain and IP against email blocklists.
Not a primary focus of the platform.
Offers comprehensive blacklist monitoring.
AI copilot
Utilizes AI for DMARC policy recommendations or analysis.
DNS monitoring
Monitors DNS records for health and changes.
Not a core feature, focus is DMARC.
Offers various DNS lookup and diagnostic tools.
Self hostable
Option to host the DMARC solution on private infrastructure.
Free trial/free tier
Availability of a free version or trial period.
Pricing not publicly available.
Offers a free tier for blacklist monitoring.
Drawbacks and what to watch out for
Palisade, while strong in DMARC, appears to have limited public review data, making it harder for potential users to gauge widespread user satisfaction. Its singular focus on DMARC means it might not offer the broader email diagnostic tools found in more general platforms.
MXtoolbox, despite its comprehensive free tools and paid offerings, has faced criticism regarding its billing practices and cancellation policies for paid plans, which can lead to frustration for users. Additionally, its DMARC reporting, while functional, is not as deeply integrated or automated as platforms solely dedicated to DMARC.
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)
4.1 / 5(29)
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.
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.)
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 blacklist monitoring and then jumps to a $129/month plan, which can be a significant leap for smaller operations. Palisade's pricing information is not publicly available, often indicating a tailored enterprise-focused model or a less transparent structure.
0 / 5(0)
