Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense is a robust, enterprise-grade DMARC solution designed for large organizations. It offers extensive features beyond basic DMARC reporting, focusing on a holistic approach to email security. This includes advanced domain discovery for lookalikes, comprehensive supplier risk visibility, and a virtual takedown service for malicious domains. The platform provides detailed analytics on email volume, phishing attempts, and secure messages, giving administrators a 360-degree view of their email ecosystem.
A standout feature is its hosted authentication services for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, which simplify record management and overcome common DNS limitations like the 10-lookup limit for SPF. This level of managed service ensures high reliability and compliance, with instant DNS updates across geographically distributed data centers. Integration with Proofpoint's secure email gateway further enhances inbound DMARC enforcement and allows for nuanced policy overrides without compromising security.
Fraudmarc Community Edition (CE) provides a completely open-source DMARC reporting solution, geared towards advanced users who prefer a self-managed approach. Its core functionality revolves around generating and analyzing DMARC reports, offering the raw data needed to understand email authentication results. As an open-source product, it allows for deep customization and integration into existing infrastructures, appealing to those with specific technical requirements and the resources to implement them.
While Fraudmarc CE focuses on foundational DMARC reporting, it does not include advanced features like hosted authentication, proactive threat takedown services, or extensive lookalike domain discovery out of the box. Users are expected to handle the deployment, configuration, and maintenance themselves, relying on the community forum for support. This lean approach makes it a powerful tool for those seeking a free, transparent DMARC reporting engine without the bells and whistles of a fully managed enterprise platform.
How easy is each product to use
User experience
Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense aims to streamline the complex DMARC journey with guided workflows and dedicated consultants. While the initial setup and configuration can be challenging, as noted in some user reviews, the platform is designed to be manageable once implemented. The interface provides a comprehensive overview of email authentication status and threat intelligence, helping security teams monitor and react to incidents.
However, the extensive feature set, while powerful, can sometimes lead to an 'overkill' perception for users who find the filtering too aggressive or the dashboard less intuitive than desired. We found that navigating the detailed analytics and setting up specific policies requires a learning curve, but the depth of information available is invaluable for enterprise-level security operations.
Fraudmarc Community Edition, being an open-source, self-managed solution, places the onus of user experience heavily on the implementer. There isn't a pre-built intuitive UI; instead, users interact directly with the underlying code and data. This requires a strong technical background in DMARC, email protocols, and potentially development skills to set up and customize the reporting interface to their specific needs.
For users comfortable with this level of technical engagement, the flexibility is a huge advantage. They can build a reporting system that perfectly matches their workflow. However, for those seeking a plug-and-play solution with a polished graphical interface, Fraudmarc CE presents a steep learning curve and significant upfront development effort. It's a tool for builders, not simply consumers.
Which product has the best support
Support
Proofpoint offers professional, dedicated support as part of its enterprise-grade service. Users frequently praise the 'awesome support' and the assistance from a professional team in driving DMARC implementation and automating tasks. This hands-on approach, including dedicated consultants and customizable project plans, is a significant benefit for complex deployments.
While the support is highly regarded, some users have noted that finding time on their busy schedule can sometimes be a challenge. However, once a team is assigned, the support quality is consistently high, helping organizations navigate the complexities of DMARC and secure their email flow effectively.
Support for Fraudmarc Community Edition is primarily community-driven. This means assistance is available exclusively through their community forum, where users can ask questions, share insights, and troubleshoot issues with other technical users. This model thrives on collective knowledge and peer-to-peer assistance, which can be highly effective for specific technical challenges.
However, it lacks the dedicated, direct support channels found in commercial offerings. Organizations relying on Fraudmarc CE must be self-sufficient or have internal expertise to manage their DMARC implementation. While the community can be a valuable resource, it doesn't offer the guaranteed response times or personalized guidance that a paid support contract would provide.
Who should use each product
Suitability
Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense is best suited for large enterprises and organizations with complex email ecosystems that require a comprehensive, managed DMARC solution. It caters to those who need robust protection against spoofing, phishing, and malware across multiple domains, including advanced lookalike detection and a full suite of hosted authentication services. For MSPs managing security for numerous clients, Proofpoint's multi-tenant capabilities and expert support could be invaluable.
This product is less ideal for SMBs (small to medium-sized businesses) that might find its extensive features and associated cost to be overkill for their needs. Its primary focus is on high-stakes environments where email security is paramount and where the resources are available to leverage its full capabilities effectively, often with the support of a dedicated security team.
Fraudmarc Community Edition is an excellent choice for technically proficient individuals, small development teams, or organizations with tight budgets that require a free, self-managed DMARC reporting tool. It is particularly suitable for those who are comfortable with open-source solutions and have the technical expertise to deploy, configure, and maintain the system themselves. This could include tech-savvy SMBs who have internal IT staff capable of managing such a solution.
It is not suitable for enterprises or MSPs (managed service providers) that need a commercial-grade, fully supported, and feature-rich DMARC platform with multi-tenancy and advanced automation. While it provides the fundamental DMARC reporting data, it lacks the scalability, integrated support, and advanced features that large organizations typically demand for a production environment. It's a foundational tool for those who prefer to build their own DMARC monitoring infrastructure.
DMARC report analysis
Ability to parse and analyze DMARC aggregate and forensic reports.
Source detection
Identifies legitimate and illegitimate email sending sources for a domain.
Forward detection
Identifies email forwarding paths and their impact on DMARC authentication.
Spoof detection
Detects attempts to impersonate your domain or lookalike domains.
Notifications and alerts
Automated alerts for DMARC policy changes, authentication failures, or suspicious activity.
Reporting
Provides detailed reports and dashboards on DMARC compliance and email authentication.
API
Provides an API for programmatic access to DMARC data and platform functionalities.
Available for enterprise integration.
Not a primary feature of the open-source edition.
Multi-tenancy
Supports managing DMARC for multiple domains or clients within a single account.
Designed for enterprise and MSP use.
Focuses on single-instance, self-managed deployment.
SPF flattening
Helps manage SPF records to overcome the 10-DNS lookup limit.
Offered as a hosted SPF service.
Not included in the Community Edition.
Hosted DMARC
Manages DMARC records and policies on your behalf.
Provided as a hosted service.
Requires self-management of DMARC records.
BIMI
Support for Brand Indicators for Message Identification.
Common for enterprise brand protection.
Not a core feature of the open-source edition.
MTA-STS/TLS-RPT
Support for Mail Transfer Agent Strict Transport Security and TLS Reporting.
Included in comprehensive security offerings.
Not a focus of the Community Edition.
Blocklists and reputation
Monitors and integrates with email blocklists (blocklists) and sender reputation services.
Monitors sender and supplier reputation.
Not directly integrated into CE functionality.
AI copilot
Utilizes AI to assist with DMARC analysis and policy recommendations.
No explicit mention of AI copilot features.
No AI features in the Community Edition.
DNS monitoring
Monitors DNS records for potential lookalike domains and brand impersonation.
Continuously analyzes domains for lookalikes.
Not explicitly offered as a monitoring service in CE.
Self hostable
Can be installed and run on your own servers.
SaaS (Software as a Service) offering.
Completely open source and self-managed.
Free trial/free tier
Availability of a free version or trial period.
Contact Proofpoint for pricing.
Free, open-source Community Edition.
Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense, while powerful, can sometimes be perceived as 'overkill' with an aggressive filtering system that occasionally quarantines legitimate emails, causing delays. Its complexity also means that initial configuration can be challenging, and the user interface could be more intuitive. Fraudmarc Community Edition's primary drawback is its self-managed nature, requiring significant technical expertise for deployment and ongoing maintenance, and relying solely on community support without dedicated assistance. It lacks the advanced features and polished UX of commercial platforms.
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.
4.3 / 5(12)
0 / 5(0)
Overkill
2.0 / 5
What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
Great filters for junk and spam. Easy widgets in email notifications to release legit email that is not spam
What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
Too much filtering. At times, overkill. Filters out legitimate emails.
What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you?
Protect network from illicit email spoofing. Employees that are non tech savvy that click on fishing emails.
Verified User in Food & Beverages
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.
Not sure if it's worth the hassle
2.5 / 5
What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
I do like that it auto scans my emails and sorts out the scam/fraudulent ones.
What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
I greatly dislike having to wait for the flagged emails, that are actually not fraudulent, but something that I am looking for. It does not send me the alert until the next day, and then once its been released and approved, it ends up taking another 10 minutes or so (Max) to get to me.
What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you?
I am getting significantly fewer fraudulent/scam emails
Verified User in Construction
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Email Protection by Proofpoint Fraud Defence
4.0 / 5
What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
This product provides email protection for both Inbound and outbound emails from all the domains which help in securing the mailboxes. This adds the advantage of the analytics features alike continuously shows the volume of mails as phishing /secures messages.
What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
Like other proofpoint products this also has implementing and configuring problems as they are not easy to configure in the organization environment.
Recommendations to others considering Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense:
This product offers you great security over emails and customers can leverage the support and different product portfolio they offer.
What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you?
We are securing our emails from phising mails /messages for all the domains and for both inbound outbound messages.
Anjali V.
Cyber Security Analyst Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
Reliable tool for spam emails!
4.0 / 5
What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
It's a great reliable tool and keep your inbox more secure and spam free. As a security measure this is great tool which prevents from any fraudulent emails and send alerts as necessary. I am currently using at my company and find all the spam emails being avoided. We usually receives too many on our generic email alias and this help in securing.
What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
It's a great tool, though I find the use of it a very little. Only being capable of avoiding spam emails. Also the dashboard is not much interactive
Recommendations to others considering Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense:
It was always better to have precaution than being penalized by unwanted threat. It's always good to be more secure and spam free and take preventive steps towards running your business securely.
What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you?
We consider our emails to be safe and spam free. And probably easy to set up
Verified User in Information Technology and Services
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense requires contacting their sales team for specific pricing, indicating a customized enterprise solution, while Fraudmarc Community Edition is a free, open-source offering.
Small
Up to 10k emails / month
Contact for pricing
Free, self-managed
Medium
Up to 100k emails / month
Contact for pricing
Free, self-managed
Large
Up to 1 million emails / month
Contact for pricing
Free, self-managed
Enterprise
Over 1 million emails / month
Contact for pricing
Free, self-managed
Suped hard sell incoming!
Still not satisfied with Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense or Fraudmarc Community Edition?
4.3 / 5(12)
