Valimail offers a robust and highly automated DMARC enforcement platform. We found its "Automated DMARC" feature particularly impressive, allowing for rapid movement towards a p=reject policy. Its SPF flattening capabilities (Unlimited SPF) are excellent for complex environments, ensuring that you never hit the 10-lookup limit, which is a common headache.
The platform excels in providing granular visibility with features like source IP data visibility and comprehensive dashboards (in higher tiers). We also appreciate the proactive security measures, such as machine learning for detecting and blocking impersonation attacks, and its specialized features like BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) for brand visibility.
Mail Tower provides a more focused approach to DMARC reporting. We found it to be a clean and straightforward tool primarily designed for aggregating and visualizing DMARC reports. Its strength lies in presenting complex XML data in an easily digestible format, which is very helpful for understanding email authentication trends and identifying unauthorized senders.
While it may not offer the same level of automation or advanced features as Valimail, its simplicity makes it effective for domains needing core DMARC monitoring and basic enforcement guidance. We see it as a solid solution for getting a clear picture of your email sending ecosystem without excessive bells and whistles.
How easy is each product to use
User experience
Valimail's interface is generally intuitive, especially for those familiar with DMARC concepts. We found the initial setup, particularly getting DNS records configured, to be straightforward, aided by good customer support. The dashboards offer comprehensive data, though some users might find the sheer volume of information a bit overwhelming at first.
Once configured, the automation simplifies ongoing management significantly. However, some advanced features or granular controls, like manual DKIM key management, are not available, which can be a limitation for specific use cases. The navigation can sometimes feel a bit segmented, requiring us to jump between different sections for a full overview.
Mail Tower prioritizes ease of use and a clean, uncluttered interface. We found it very easy to get started, with a clear focus on DMARC reporting and identifying sending sources. The visual representation of data is excellent, making it accessible even for users new to DMARC.
The setup process is generally simple, often involving adding CNAME records to your DNS. While it might lack some of the deeper customization options found in more advanced platforms, its simplicity means a quicker learning curve and less time spent navigating complex menus. It's a pragmatic choice if you value straightforward functionality over a wide array of advanced settings.
Which product has the best support
Support
Valimail generally offers strong customer support, especially during onboarding. We've experienced prompt responses and helpful guidance when setting up complex DMARC configurations. Dedicated account managers are typically available for paid plans, which is a significant advantage for larger organizations needing personalized assistance.
However, some reviews indicate that reaching support for specific features or issues can sometimes be less seamless, and response times for non-enterprise tiers might vary. Their knowledge base is comprehensive, providing valuable self-service resources, but we found direct interaction is often needed for nuanced issues.
Mail Tower, being a more streamlined platform, relies heavily on clear documentation and an intuitive interface to minimize the need for extensive support. While we don't have direct insights into their support response times, the nature of the product suggests that common issues are often resolvable through self-service.
For complex DMARC implementations or deep technical queries, Mail Tower's support structure might be more limited compared to enterprise-focused solutions. Its target audience, however, typically benefits from a hands-off approach, where the product itself provides most of the answers through its clear reporting.
Who should use each product
Suitability
Valimail is particularly well-suited for larger enterprises and organizations with complex email ecosystems. Its automated DMARC enforcement, unlimited SPF capabilities, and advanced reporting features cater to environments with numerous sending sources and a strong need for robust security. MSPs (managed service providers) serving enterprise clients would also find its multi-domain management beneficial.
While Valimail offers a free tier for basic monitoring, its full power is unleashed in its paid plans, which are priced for mid-market and enterprise budgets. SMBs (small and medium businesses) might find the comprehensive feature set and pricing more than they need, especially if their email sending is relatively simple.
Mail Tower is an excellent choice for SMBs and organizations that need a straightforward, effective DMARC reporting solution without extensive automation or enterprise-grade features. Its clear interface and focus on core DMARC visibility make it accessible for teams with limited dedicated email security resources.
MSPs managing a portfolio of smaller clients could also leverage Mail Tower for efficient, individual domain monitoring. While it provides the essential insights to move towards DMARC enforcement, very large enterprises or those with highly complex, dynamic sending environments might eventually seek more advanced automation and granular control that Mail Tower doesn't emphasize as its primary offering.
DMARC report analysis
Aggregates and interprets DMARC aggregate reports (RUA).
Source detection
Identifies legitimate and illegitimate email sending sources.
Forward detection
Identifies email forwarding activities.
Implicitly handled through sender intelligence and DMARC alignment checks.
Not a primary, explicit feature focus.
Spoof detection
Detects attempts to impersonate your domain.
Notifications and alerts
Provides real-time alerts for policy violations or suspicious activity.
Reporting
Offers various reports for DMARC compliance and email traffic.
Not mentioned in available information, likely not a core offering.
Multi-tenancy
Manages multiple domains or clients from a single account.
Supports portfolios for managing multiple domains and subdomains.
Supports multiple domains, though specific MSP features are less emphasized.
SPF flattening
Automatically optimizes SPF records to avoid the 10-lookup limit.
Offers unlimited SPF lookups as a key feature.
Provides hosted DMARC to aid in SPF optimization.
Hosted DMARC
Manages DMARC records on behalf of your domain.
BIMI
Supports Brand Indicators for Message Identification (blue checkmark).
Available across all plans, Amplify add-on for fast-tracking.
Not mentioned in available information.
MTA-STS/TLS-RPT
Implements Mail Transfer Agent Strict Transport Security and TLS Reporting.
Explicitly noted as a missing feature in some reviews.
Not mentioned in available information.
Blocklists and reputation
Monitors domain and IP reputation against blocklists (blacklists).
Focuses on DMARC authentication rather than external blocklist monitoring.
Not a primary feature focus.
AI copilot
Utilizes AI for enhanced email security and insights.
Uses machine learning for detection and blocking impersonation attacks.
Not mentioned in available information.
DNS monitoring
Monitors changes and health of DNS records.
Provides comprehensive DNS management and monitoring.
Implicitly handles DNS records for DMARC setup.
Self hostable
Ability to host the software on your own servers.
Cloud-based SaaS solution.
Cloud-based SaaS solution.
Free trial/free tier
Offers a free period or perpetually free basic plan.
Valimail Monitor is a free service.
No explicit free trial or tier mentioned.
Valimail's primary drawbacks revolve around its pricing structure, which can be steep for smaller organizations, and a slight learning curve due to its extensive feature set. Mail Tower's main drawback is its lack of a publicly available free tier and less information available on its advanced capabilities, making it harder to assess for complex needs.
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.
4.6 / 5(421)
0 / 5(0)
Easy DMARC Monitoring But Not Great
3.5 / 5
What do you like best about Valimail?
Valimail is pretty simple to setup and use. We were wanting to monitor some changes to DMARC, and Valimail was the platform we ultimately decided to use.
What do you dislike about Valimail?
A few things I don't like:
1. The free vs premium features are frustrating. I can't see enough value from free to validate a move to premium.
2. The Sender Requirement Failure feature is in beta and never really works. I can't only get it to work if I expand it before a week, and even then it's hit-or-miss.
3. It doesn't really do enough. Other platforms I've tried did a better job at helping to explain the WHY and HOW rather than just the what. Valimail primarily focuses on the WHAT.
4. Some of the feature organization is weird within the app, even after having used it for a few months. I can get more value in the account overview than the sender requirements failure, which is counter-intuitive IMO.
What problems is Valimail solving and how is that benefiting you?
We had a baselevel view of email security when I was initially hired and wanted to monitor the DMARC changes effectively.
Verified User in Construction
Small-Business (50 or fewer 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.
I like Valimail - mostly.
3.5 / 5
What do you like best about Valimail?
Good interface for viewing DMARC reporting information.
What do you dislike about Valimail?
Price, it'd be nice if they could institute a model based on volume rather than the number of email domains.
What problems is Valimail solving and how is that benefiting you?
Valimail provides DMARC provides good aggregate reporting for our email domains, allowing us to implement to the eventual reject policy goal.
Verified User in Real Estate
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
Straightforward onboarding
4.0 / 5
What do you like best about Valimail?
Ease of set-up and great customer support.
What do you dislike about Valimail?
Some features aren't as developed as some competitors, however ultimately it's up to each organization to decide the value of those features.
What problems is Valimail solving and how is that benefiting you?
Being able to report on DMARC successes and failures, to help us fine-tune the configuration to ensure each domain is correctly configured.
Verified User in Oil & Energy
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
Valimail Simplifies DMARC Management, But Watch for Vendor Lock-In
4.0 / 5
What do you like best about Valimail?
My favorite thing about Valimail is having a single portal that puts all DMARC reports into an easy to understand view. Having this information allowed us to identify hundreds of 3rd party email sources sending on behalf of our domain. Doing this without such a portal would be incredibly difficult especially in a franchise setting like ours where we have more services sending on behalf of our domain than most other companies.
What do you dislike about Valimail?
Valimail isn't cheap but you definitely get what you pay for. I also grow concerned about vendor lock-in now that I have setup Valimail to handle DMARC, SPF and DKIM with no exist strategy.
What problems is Valimail solving and how is that benefiting you?
Valimail solves the problem of visibility into who is sending on our behalf and makes identifying them easy.
Verified User in Non-Profit Organization Management
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
A Must-Have for Email Security
4.0 / 5
What do you like best about Valimail?
The best thing about Valimail is its fully automation feature as we can get the reports automated with whole monthly data .
As I prepare reports every month in which I have to include the malicious email data so I do not need to manually check each single thing , the Valimail does it for itself.
What do you dislike about Valimail?
The thing which I dislike about Valimai is that its little expensive especially for the businesses which are small nd not much expanded .
What problems is Valimail solving and how is that benefiting you?
The problem which Valimail is solving for me is the manual effort for exporting the data related to spam emails and its security checks are the best .It filters out the emails properly and which are suspicious , they get rejected easily .
Verified User in Transportation/Trucking/Railroad
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
Valimail offers a multi-product pricing model, including a free monitoring tier, while Mail Tower provides tiered plans with pricing available upon contact, primarily in Euros.
Small
Up to 10k emails / month
Monitor (Free), Align Bronze ($19/month, up to 500k emails)
Contact for pricing
Medium
Up to 100k emails / month
Monitor (Free), Align Bronze ($19/month, up to 500k emails)
Contact for pricing
Large
Up to 1 million emails / month
Align Bronze ($19/month, up to 500k emails). Contact for higher Align tiers or Enforce.
Contact for pricing
Enterprise
Over 1 million emails / month
Contact for pricing (Enforce Enterprise, higher Align tiers)
4.6 / 5(421)
