Valimail offers a robust DMARC reporting and enforcement solution with a strong emphasis on automation. We found its ability to automatically identify email sending services and manage SPF and DKIM records to be a significant advantage, particularly for organizations with complex email ecosystems.
Their platform provides comprehensive visibility into email traffic, utilizing machine learning for spoof detection and offering various reports to help fine-tune DMARC configurations. While some features are tiered across their Monitor, Enforce, and Align products, the core DMARC enforcement tools are powerful, simplifying a historically challenging task.
Send-Shield focuses on providing clear and actionable DMARC monitoring. We noted that its dashboard effectively presents DMARC data, allowing users to quickly identify email authentication statuses for their domains. The platform includes automatic subdomain detection, which is crucial for a complete overview of your sending infrastructure.
The solution also offers various reporting options, from basic to analytical and enterprise-level, catering to different needs. We appreciate its proactive threat monitoring, which adds an extra layer of security by flagging potential issues. It covers the essentials for DMARC implementation and ongoing management.
How easy is each product to use
User experience
Valimail generally offers an intuitive interface that streamlines DMARC management. Setting up domains and interpreting DMARC reports is straightforward, thanks to its single portal view that aggregates data effectively. We found the initial onboarding process to be well-guided, which simplifies the complexities of DMARC.
However, some users, including us, have noted that the organization of certain advanced features can feel a bit counter-intuitive initially, requiring a slight learning curve to fully leverage its capabilities. Despite this, the core functionality for monitoring and enforcing DMARC remains highly accessible.
Send-Shield presents a clean and user-friendly dashboard, making it easy to navigate DMARC reports and identify authentication issues. The setup process for adding and monitoring domains is quite simple, which is beneficial for users who prefer a less complicated approach to email security.
We found the information presented to be clear and concise, allowing for quick decision-making without getting bogged down in excessive detail. While it may not offer the same depth of automation as Valimail in every aspect, its focus on simplicity ensures a smooth user experience for managing essential DMARC functions.
Which product has the best support
Support
Valimail receives consistent praise for its customer support, particularly during the onboarding phase. We experienced their support team as responsive, knowledgeable, and proactive in assisting with setup and configuration, which is vital for DMARC implementation. They offer a comprehensive knowledge base and provide dedicated account managers in their higher-tier plans.
While many users highlight excellent support, some feedback indicates occasional delays in resolving specific technical issues or regional support limitations, such as difficulties with UK-based suppliers. Overall, the support infrastructure is strong, especially for larger organizations requiring hands-on assistance.
Send-Shield offers tiered support options tailored to its different plans. Starter users receive basic email support, while Core and Plus plans include email and meeting support. For enterprise clients, they provide premium 24/7 support, ensuring critical issues can be addressed promptly.
Based on our experience, the support is generally effective for resolving common DMARC queries and setup assistance. While there are no extensive public reviews on their support, the structured approach across plans suggests a clear commitment to customer assistance, scaling with the complexity of the user's needs.
Who should use each product
Suitability
Valimail is highly suitable for enterprise organizations and larger mid-market companies with complex email infrastructures, thanks to its extensive automation, comprehensive reporting, and enterprise-grade features like SSO and role-based access control. Its SPF flattening capabilities are particularly beneficial for managing numerous third-party senders without exceeding DNS lookup limits.
For Managed Service Providers (MSPs) handling multiple client domains, Valimail offers powerful tools for centralized management, although some may find the multi-tenant setup a bit challenging initially. Small to medium businesses (SMBs) might find the full Enforce product to be costly, but the free Monitor plan provides valuable basic visibility for them.
Send-Shield is a strong contender for Small to Medium Businesses (SMBs) looking for an affordable, straightforward DMARC monitoring solution. Its Starter and Core plans offer essential features at accessible price points, making DMARC implementation less daunting for those with fewer domains and lower email volumes. It provides a clear path to DMARC enforcement without unnecessary complexity.
For enterprise clients, Send-Shield's higher-tier plans provide increased message caps, more active domains, and dedicated support, scaling its offerings to meet more demanding needs. While it might not have the same breadth of advanced automation or niche features as Valimail, its focused approach makes it a solid choice for organizations prioritizing clear, budget-friendly DMARC management.
How does Valimail compare with Send-Shield?
DMARC report analysis
Aggregates and interprets DMARC XML reports into understandable data.
Clear, intuitive dashboards
Basic, analytical, enterprise reports
Source detection
Identifies legitimate and illegitimate email sending sources.
Precision sender intelligence
Automatic subdomain detection
Forward detection
Ability to identify and correctly handle forwarded emails.
Not a primary feature
Not explicitly offered
Spoof detection
Detects and prevents email impersonation (spoofing) attempts.
Machine learning to block
Proactive threat monitoring
Notifications and alerts
Provides alerts for DMARC failures or suspicious activity.
Smart and configurable alerts
Implied by threat monitoring
Reporting
Offers various reports for DMARC compliance and email insights.
Downloadable, subdomain, executive
Basic, analytical, enterprise
API
Application Programming Interface for integration with other systems.
Add-on or Enterprise only
Not explicitly mentioned
Multi-tenancy
Support for managing multiple distinct client accounts/organizations.
No explicit feature
No explicit feature
SPF flattening
Automates SPF record optimization to avoid 10-lookup limit.
Unlimited SPF lookups
SPF check, no explicit flattening
Hosted DMARC
Manages DMARC records externally, simplifying DNS for users.
Fully managed DMARC
Manages DMARC records
BIMI
Supports Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI).
Included, Amplify add-on
Not mentioned
MTA-STS/TLS-RPT
Support for MTA-Strict Transport Security and TLS Reporting.
Not a primary focus
Not explicitly offered
Blocklists and reputation
Monitoring email blocklists (or blacklists) and sender reputation.
Not a primary feature
Not a primary feature
AI copilot
AI-powered assistance for DMARC management and insights.
AI-driven detection feature
No explicit mention
DNS monitoring
Monitors DNS records for DMARC, SPF, and DKIM integrity.
Comprehensive domain dashboard
Active domain monitoring
Self hostable
Option to host the DMARC solution on private infrastructure.
Cloud-based SaaS
Cloud-based SaaS
Free trial/free tier
Availability of a free plan or trial period.
Monitor product is free
Free trial for all plans
Drawbacks and what to watch out for
When considering drawbacks, Valimail's primary concern often revolves around its pricing structure, which can be prohibitive for smaller organizations looking for full enforcement, and some users express concerns about vendor lock-in due to their DNS configuration. On the other hand, Send-Shield, while offering clear pricing, lacks the established user feedback of larger platforms, meaning we have less public insight into its long-term user experience and advanced feature performance.
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.)
Pricing
Valimail offers a free monitoring tier with higher costs for full enforcement across its product suite, while Send-Shield provides transparent, volume-based subscription plans starting at a more accessible entry point.
Small
Up to 10k emails / month
Monitor: Free; Enforce: from $5k/year
£19.99/month
Medium
Up to 100k emails / month
Enforce: Contact for pricing
£49.99/month
Large
Up to 1 million emails / month
Align: $19/month (up to 500k); Enforce: Contact for pricing
4.6 / 5(421)
