What are the main differences between a managed DMARC service and an open-source solution?

A managed DMARC service, like ProDMARC, handles DMARC report processing, analysis, and often provides features such as SPF flattening, BIMI, and dedicated support. An open-source solution, like Open-DMARC-Analyzer, requires you to self-host and manage the software and infrastructure, providing more control but demanding more technical expertise and resources for setup and maintenance.

Is Open-DMARC-Analyzer truly free to use?

Yes, Open-DMARC-Analyzer is open-source and free in terms of software licensing under the GNU GPLv3. However, 'free' in this context means you won't pay for the software itself. You will incur costs for hosting infrastructure, databases, and any necessary technical resources to set up, maintain, and secure the solution on your own servers.

Which product is better for an MSP managing multiple client domains?

ProDMARC is generally better suited for MSPs due to its multi-tenancy capabilities, allowing you to manage multiple client domains from a single platform. It also provides dedicated support and a comprehensive feature set that reduces the operational burden. While an MSP could technically self-host Open-DMARC-Analyzer for clients, it would require individual deployments and more hands-on management per client.

Does ProDMARC offer forensic reports?

ProDMARC provides detailed sender reports and metrics, and some users note that while it's good, deeper analysis of forensic reports (RUF) may sometimes be required for very advanced use cases. It aims to simplify policy enforcement and provide clear visibility.

What technical skills are needed to deploy Open-DMARC-Analyzer?

To deploy Open-DMARC-Analyzer, you need proficiency in managing web servers (e.g., Apache, Nginx), PHP (version 7.4+), and a database (MariaDB 10.5+). This includes setting up the server, configuring the database, and ensuring the application runs correctly, as well as ongoing maintenance and security.

ProDMARC vs Open-DMARC-Analyzer

Choose ProDMARC for a managed service, choose Open-DMARC-Analyzer for self-hosting.

4.8 / 5(23)

Compare to Suped

0 / 5(0)

Compare to Suped

Compare product functionality

Feature set

ProDMARC provides a comprehensive suite of DMARC reporting and management features. We found its dashboard to be quite intuitive, allowing us to quickly grasp the authentication status of our email streams. It excels in detailed report analysis, presenting aggregated DMARC data in an easily digestible format.

Beyond basic reporting, ProDMARC includes capabilities such as SPF flattening, BIMI support, and MTA-STS/TLS-RPT monitoring, which are crucial for advanced email security postures. It also boasts robust source and spoof detection, ensuring we have a clear picture of who is sending emails on our behalf, legitimate or otherwise.

Open-DMARC-Analyzer, being an open-source solution, focuses on providing the core functionality for DMARC report parsing and visualization. It effectively processes DMARC aggregate reports (RUA) and presents data on authentication failures and passes, giving us essential insights into our email ecosystem.

The strength of Open-DMARC-Analyzer lies in its flexibility for those comfortable with self-hosting. While it covers the fundamental aspects of source, forward, and spoof detection, it does not inherently offer advanced features like SPF flattening or integrations with other email security protocols such as BIMI or MTA-STS, which often require additional configuration or custom development.

How easy is each product to use

User experience

Our experience with ProDMARC's user interface has been largely positive. The dashboard is well-organized, making it straightforward to navigate through various reports and settings. We particularly appreciate the automated reporting and clear visualisations that simplify complex DMARC data, allowing for quick identification of issues and progress toward enforcement.

While the initial configuration for advanced policies can be a bit detailed, the overall day-to-day use is intuitive. It seems designed to abstract away much of the technical complexity, which is a blessing for teams that might not have deep DMARC expertise. It's a managed solution, so much of the heavy lifting is handled behind the scenes.

Open-DMARC-Analyzer offers a more hands-on user experience, largely because it is a self-hosted solution. Installation requires a certain level of technical proficiency with web servers, PHP, and databases (MariaDB). Once set up, the interface presents the DMARC data in a functional manner, offering charts and tables that help visualize report trends.

However, the user experience is more geared towards those who prefer direct control and customisation. It lacks some of the polish and automated insights found in commercial tools, which means we often need to interpret raw data more actively. For us, this wasn't necessarily a drawback, but it's certainly a different paradigm than a plug-and-play service.

Which product has the best support

Support

ProDMARC consistently receives high praise for its customer support, and our experience aligns with this. The support team is highly responsive and knowledgeable, proving instrumental in resolving alignment issues and guiding us through complex DMARC implementations. They offer proactive assistance and are readily available for queries.

We've found their commitment to customer satisfaction evident in their willingness to help with initial configuration challenges and ongoing monitoring. This level of dedicated support is a significant advantage, especially for organizations looking for a partner in their email security journey rather than just a tool.

As an open-source project, Open-DMARC-Analyzer's support model is community-driven. This means direct, dedicated support from a vendor is not available. We typically rely on community forums, GitHub issues, and self-help documentation to troubleshoot problems or understand functionalities. This requires a level of self-sufficiency and technical acumen.

While the community can be helpful, response times and the depth of assistance can vary significantly. For us, this was a trade-off for the cost-free nature of the software. Organizations considering Open-DMARC-Analyzer should factor in their internal resources for support, as it won't be a call to a dedicated help desk.

Who should use each product

Suitability

ProDMARC is particularly well-suited for organizations that prefer a managed service and robust support. It's an excellent fit for enterprises and mid-market companies that need comprehensive DMARC monitoring and enforcement without allocating significant internal resources to DMARC management. Its multi-tenancy capabilities also make it suitable for MSPs looking to manage DMARC for multiple clients efficiently.

Small to medium businesses (SMBs) can also benefit if they prioritize ease of use, strong support, and a broader feature set over the do-it-yourself approach. Essentially, if you value a polished product, proactive support, and advanced features out of the box, ProDMARC is a strong contender, scaling well across different organizational sizes, particularly for enterprise needs.

Open-DMARC-Analyzer is best for technically proficient individuals or organizations with the internal resources to self-host and manage their DMARC reporting infrastructure. It's a solid choice for those who are highly budget-conscious or who have strict data residency requirements that necessitate keeping all data on their own servers.

While not directly catering to MSPs in a multi-tenant fashion, a technically capable MSP could potentially white-label and host instances for clients if they're willing to manage the individual deployments. It's less suitable for typical SMBs or large enterprises that prefer commercial, fully managed solutions and dedicated support. For us, its suitability hinges entirely on the availability of in-house technical expertise.

How does ProDMARC compare with Open-DMARC-Analyzer?

DMARC report analysis

Ability to parse and present DMARC aggregate reports.

Source detection

Identifies email sending sources.

Forward detection

Detects email forwarding scenarios.

Spoof detection

Identifies unauthorized use of your domain.

Notifications and alerts

Automated alerts for DMARC issues.

Requires custom setup

Reporting

Provides various types of DMARC reports.

Automated, user-friendly reports

Raw data, custom reporting

API

Programmatic access to data and features.

Depends on self-hosting capabilities

Multi-tenancy

Manages multiple client domains from one account.

Single instance focus

SPF flattening

Combines multiple SPF records into one.

Hosted DMARC

Managed DMARC records.

Self-hosted solution

BIMI

Support for Brand Indicators for Message Identification.

MTA-STS/TLS-RPT

Monitoring and reporting for secure transport.

Blocklists and reputation

Monitoring for blocklist (blacklist) status and sender reputation.

AI copilot

AI-powered assistance for DMARC management.

DNS monitoring

Monitors DNS records for changes.

Self hostable

Option to host the software on your own infrastructure.

Free trial/free tier

Availability of a free version or trial period.

15-day free trial

Open-source software

Drawbacks and what to watch out for

ProDMARC's primary drawback, as occasionally noted by users, can be the pricing in certain regions, which some find less competitive. While its dashboard is highly functional, some users suggest enhancements to its reporting features for even deeper forensic analysis. The initial configuration process could also be more streamlined. For Open-DMARC-Analyzer, the biggest hurdle is its self-hosted nature, which means you're responsible for all infrastructure, setup, and ongoing maintenance costs and expertise. This significantly limits its appeal to 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.

4.8 / 5(23)

0 / 5(0)

Great Support and DMARC management

4.5 / 5

What do you like best about ProDMARC? What I like best is its intuitive dashboard and automated reporting, which make it easy to monitor DMARC compliance across domains. What do you dislike about ProDMARC? Some advanced users may find the policy customization options less flexible compared to manual DMARC implementations. What problems is ProDMARC solving and how is that benefiting you? It simplifies policy enforcement and helps strengthen email security with minimal effort. A great tool for any organization looking to improve email trust and deliverability.

Rishabh S.

Analyst Enterprise (> 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.

Received very positive feedback from our end customers regarding the product and service quality.

4.5 / 5

What do you like best about ProDMARC? Previous Response: The customer support team provides immediate responses, which I really appreciate. What do you dislike about ProDMARC? Previous Response: The pricing in this region is not competitive. As a result, customers and partners are considering alternative options to find more affordable solutions. What problems is ProDMARC solving and how is that benefiting you? Visibility and security of the Domain's

robin j.

Head of Sales & Partnership Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

Excellent Customer Support

4.5 / 5

What do you like best about ProDMARC? Consolidated ProDMARC Reports including Compliance and Weekly Failure Reports without What do you dislike about ProDMARC? Deep analysis of forensic report RUF is required. What problems is ProDMARC solving and how is that benefiting you? 1. It enables DMARC enforcement and reject spoofed emails. 2. Helps in providing centralized dashboard. 3. Monitoring of emails on behalf of us. 4. Helps in compliance checks and notifying if mails are getting delivered/passed/failed through either SPF or DKIM.

Pranav K.

Senior Manager Information Security Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

ProDMARC DMARC and BIMI providing awesome support

4.5 / 5

What do you like best about ProDMARC? ProDMARC and BIMI providing valuable support for Mail security What do you dislike about ProDMARC? Enchasing the Product Dashboard and Reporting Features What problems is ProDMARC solving and how is that benefiting you? Providing DMARC and SPF effective filtering based on Mail SPAM based filtering

Verified User in Insurance

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

Improved our email security posture with seamless implementation and reliable support

4.5 / 5

What do you like best about ProDMARC? ProDMARC’s intuitive interface and proactive support make DMARC implementation and monitoring effortless and effective. What do you dislike about ProDMARC? While ProDMARC offers excellent functionality, the initial configuration process could be more streamlined for quicker onboarding What problems is ProDMARC solving and how is that benefiting you? ProDMARC helps us combat email spoofing and phishing by enforcing DMARC policies effectively. This has significantly improved our domain reputation, reduced fraudulent email risks, and enhanced overall email security

Verified User in Insurance

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

Pricing

ProDMARC offers a free trial but requires direct contact for detailed pricing, while Open-DMARC-Analyzer is open-source and free, but incurs self-hosting costs.

Small

Up to 10k emails / month

Contact for pricing

Self-hosted, own costs

Medium

Up to 100k emails / month

Contact for pricing

Self-hosted, own costs

Large

Up to 1 million emails / month

Contact for pricing

Self-hosted, own costs