What is DMARC and why is it important?

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) is an email authentication protocol. It helps protect domains from email spoofing, phishing, and other cyber threats by verifying the authenticity of sending email servers. It instructs receiving mail servers on how to handle emails that fail authentication checks, such as quarantining or rejecting them, and provides aggregate reports for monitoring.

How do open-source DMARC tools compare to commercial solutions?

Open-source DMARC tools, like Techsneeze, typically offer basic report viewing functionalities at no direct cost, requiring users to manage hosting and maintenance. Commercial solutions, such as Proofpoint, provide a more comprehensive, managed service with advanced features like threat intelligence, hosted authentication, and dedicated support, but come with a significant cost.

What are the main costs associated with using Techsneeze DMARCts report viewer?

While Techsneeze DMARCts report viewer is free software, users are responsible for all self-hosting costs. These include expenses for a web server (e.g., Apache, Nginx), a database (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL), a PHP environment, and the time and effort required for setup, maintenance, and security of their own infrastructure.

Is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense suitable for small businesses?

Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense is primarily designed for enterprise organizations with complex email security needs and larger budgets. Its extensive feature set and associated costs typically make it less suitable for small businesses, who may find it to be overkill and financially prohibitive for their requirements. Alternatives like Suped offers a free plan that would be better.

What happens if legitimate emails are blocked by DMARC enforcement?

If legitimate emails fail DMARC authentication and the policy is set to 'reject' or 'quarantine', they may not reach the recipient's inbox. This typically happens due to misconfigurations in SPF or DKIM records, or legitimate forwarding. Monitoring DMARC reports is crucial to identify and correct these issues, ensuring deliverability while maintaining security. Tools like Suped simplify DMARC monitoring .

Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense vs Techsneeze DMARCts report viewer

Choose Proofpoint for managed enterprise security, or Techsneeze for a free, self-hosted option.

4.3 / 5(12)

Compare to Suped

0 / 5(0)

Compare to Suped

Compare product functionality

Feature set

Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense offers an extensive and managed suite of DMARC-related features. This includes expert assistance with DMARC deployment, real-time threat detection, and comprehensive domain discovery to protect against brand impersonation. We found its capabilities to extend beyond basic reporting, diving deep into reputation protection and active threat mitigation.

Their platform also provides hosted authentication services for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, simplifying the management of complex DNS records. It's built to integrate seamlessly with Proofpoint's secure email gateway, enabling robust inbound DMARC enforcement and policy overrides where necessary. This comprehensive approach makes it a powerful tool for complex email ecosystems.

Techsneeze DMARCts report viewer, as an open-source tool, focuses primarily on parsing and visualizing DMARC aggregate reports. Its core function is to take the raw XML data and present it in a more human-readable format, making it easier to understand authentication results, sending sources, and DMARC policy application. It's a no-frills solution for basic report viewing.

We note that it lacks the advanced features found in commercial offerings, such as hosted authentication, active threat hunting, or integration with external security platforms. Its utility is in providing a foundational layer for DMARC reporting without the overhead of a subscription, ideal for those who prefer to build their own DMARC monitoring infrastructure.

How easy is each product to use

User experience

Our experience with Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense reveals a powerful system that, while effective, can present a significant learning curve. The interface is packed with features, which can make initial navigation and configuration somewhat daunting. Users often report that the UI could be more intuitive, requiring a dedicated effort to master its extensive capabilities.

Deployment often involves professional services from Proofpoint, suggesting that it's not a 'set it and forget it' solution. Its comprehensive nature means that getting the most out of it requires a deep understanding of email security principles and the platform's specific configurations. While powerful, it demands commitment to learn and manage.

The user experience for Techsneeze DMARCts report viewer begins with its self-hosting requirement. This means users must first be comfortable setting up and maintaining their own web server, database, and PHP environment, a task that requires a certain level of technical proficiency. For those who enjoy a good server setup challenge, it's perfect.

Once deployed, the interface is functional and straightforward, designed purely for viewing DMARC reports. It lacks the polish and advanced interactive dashboards of commercial tools, but its simplicity can be a benefit for users who only need raw data visualization. However, without a polished UI, it might feel rudimentary compared to managed solutions.

Which product has the best support

Support

Proofpoint, as an enterprise-grade vendor, typically offers structured support channels, including dedicated account managers and technical assistance. We've observed mixed feedback on their support. Some users praise the professionalism and responsiveness of the Proofpoint team, highlighting their valuable assistance with DMARC implementation and ongoing management.

Conversely, other users have reported challenges with support responsiveness, sometimes needing multiple follow-ups for a single issue. This inconsistency can be frustrating, especially for critical security concerns. While comprehensive support is generally available, the quality and speed of response may vary.

Techsneeze DMARCts report viewer, being an open-source project, does not come with commercial support. Users are responsible for their own troubleshooting, maintenance, and any necessary customizations. This means relying on personal technical skills, community forums, or existing documentation for assistance.

The absence of a formal support team is a fundamental aspect of open-source software and a key consideration. While the community might offer help, there is no guaranteed service level agreement (SLA) or direct vendor contact for urgent issues. This setup is best suited for organizations with strong internal IT capabilities.

Who should use each product

Suitability

Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense is ideally suited for large enterprises and organizations with complex email infrastructures that require a robust, managed DMARC solution. Its extensive features for brand reputation protection, supplier risk visibility, and advanced threat detection align perfectly with enterprise-level security needs. It's a premium offering designed for high-stakes environments.

For MSPs (managed service providers), it can be a valuable tool when managing the email security of large, demanding clients, though the investment in expertise and cost should be factored in. It is generally not suitable for SMBs (small to medium-sized businesses) due to its cost and complexity, which would likely be overkill for their needs.

Techsneeze DMARCts report viewer is best suited for individuals, small technical teams, or tech-savvy SMBs with limited budgets who are comfortable with self-hosting. It provides a foundational DMARC reporting capability without licensing costs, allowing for direct control over data and infrastructure. It's a DIY solution for those with the technical chops.

It is not suitable for large enterprises that require scalable, commercially supported, and feature-rich DMARC management. Similarly, MSPs would find it challenging to integrate and support across multiple clients without significant custom development. Its open-source nature means it is a niche solution for specific use cases rather than a broad commercial offering.

How does Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense compare with Techsneeze DMARCts report viewer?

DMARC report analysis

Ability to parse and present DMARC aggregate and forensic reports.

Source detection

Identification of legitimate and unauthorized sending sources.

Forward detection

Advanced analysis to identify email forwarding chains.

Spoof detection

Capability to identify and alert on email spoofing attempts.

Notifications and alerts

Automated alerts for DMARC policy changes, threats, or issues.

Reporting

Comprehensive and customizable dashboards and reports.

Basic DMARC report visualization.

API

Programmatic interface for integration with other systems.

Multi-tenancy

Support for managing multiple domains or client organizations.

SPF flattening

Management of SPF records to overcome DNS lookup limits.

Hosted DMARC

Managed DMARC record hosting and policy management.

BIMI

Support for Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI).

MTA-STS/TLS-RPT

Support for MTA-Strict Transport Security and TLS Reporting.

Blocklists and reputation

Monitoring and management of IP blocklists (or blacklists) and domain reputation.

AI copilot

AI-powered assistance for DMARC policy or threat analysis.

DNS monitoring

Active monitoring of DNS records for security and changes.

Self hostable

Option to host the software on your own infrastructure.

Free trial/free tier

Availability of a free trial or a permanently free tier.

Open-source under GPL-3.0 license.

Drawbacks and what to watch out for

Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense, while powerful, has drawbacks including overly aggressive filtering of legitimate emails and a complex user interface. Support consistency can also be an issue. Techsneeze DMARCts report viewer's main drawback is its reliance on users for self-hosting and a complete lack of commercial support or advanced features. As an open-source tool, its development and updates are also reliant on community contributions.

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.)

We use it as our Email Proxy.

4.5 / 5

What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense? Ability to filter by most likely spam emails. We also have the ability to open up domains. What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense? The UI can be a bit more intuitive if it was up to me. Recommendations to others considering Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense: I would recommend for the ease of use and security features offered. What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you? Fraud emails and Spam emails for our Enterprise account.

Verified User in Computer & Network Security

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)