Why doesn't Brevo offer full SPF alignment and how much does it impact deliverability?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 1 Jul 2025
Updated 13 Oct 2025
9 min read
Email deliverability can often feel like a complex puzzle, especially when dealing with various email service providers (ESPs) and their unique configurations. One common point of confusion arises with SPF alignment. It's a technical detail that can significantly influence whether your emails land in the inbox or the spam folder. Recently, questions have emerged regarding Brevo's approach to full SPF alignment and what that means for senders. Let's delve into why this might be the case and how much it truly affects your email deliverability.
Many email marketers using platforms like Brevo have noticed that their SPF records, while passing authentication, may not achieve full alignment. This typically means the domain in the Return-Path header (which SPF authenticates) differs from your From header domain, which is what recipients see. While Brevo's support might suggest a dedicated IP for full alignment, this isn't always a feasible or necessary solution for senders with lower email volumes.
The core of the issue often lies in how ESPs manage their sending infrastructure, especially when using shared IP addresses. To maintain control and manage reputation across thousands of clients, ESPs often use their own domain in the Return-Path (or Mail From) header for SPF authentication. This strategy ensures that even if one client on a shared IP experiences reputation issues, the overall deliverability of the platform is less impacted. The trade-off is often a lack of full SPF alignment for individual senders using their primary domain.
When SPF authentication passes but isn't aligned, it means the domain used in the Return-Path matches the SPF record, but it doesn't match your From domain. This is generally considered acceptable as long as DKIM is aligned. DMARC, the overarching authentication protocol, requires at least one of SPF or DKIM to be aligned for an email to pass DMARC checks. If your DKIM is aligned and passes, then the lack of SPF alignment shouldn't be a significant barrier to deliverability.
However, while DMARC passes even with unaligned SPF (if DKIM is aligned), some mailbox providers might view it less favorably. This is especially true for services that employ more stringent spam filtering algorithms. They may assign a slightly lower trust score to emails where SPF is not aligned with the From address, potentially impacting inbox placement in certain scenarios. It's often seen as a nice-to-have rather than a critical deliverability blocker, as discussed in this longer discussion on SPF alignment.
The impact on deliverability is usually marginal if DKIM is properly configured and aligned. However, for domains with lower sender reputation or those sending to strict mailbox providers (like Gmail and Yahoo), every authentication signal counts. While it might not be the primary reason for emails landing in spam, it can contribute to a slightly degraded domain reputation over time, especially when other deliverability factors are also suboptimal. Monitoring your DMARC reports is crucial to understand these nuances.
Brevo has indicated that full SPF alignment for shared IP users is on their roadmap for 2025. This suggests they recognize the value of this feature for their clients and are working towards implementing it. Until then, focusing on strong DKIM alignment and a robust DMARC policy remains your best strategy.
Why isn't full SPF alignment offered?
The primary reason many ESPs, including Brevo, do not offer full SPF alignment on shared IP addresses stems from the complexities of managing a multi-tenant email infrastructure. When thousands of senders share the same IP pool, it becomes challenging to dynamically adjust the Return-Path domain to match each client's From domain while maintaining the integrity and reputation of the shared IPs. Using an ESP-controlled Return-Path domain simplifies bounce processing and allows the ESP to better manage the sender reputation associated with their IP addresses.
Implementing full SPF alignment requires significant backend development and ongoing support. It means allowing clients to customize the SMTP FROM domain to match their branding, which can lead to increased complexity. Clients might misconfigure their DNS records, breaking the alignment and causing deliverability issues that then require ESP support to resolve. This overhead can be substantial for a large ESP.
The challenge for ESPs
Complexity: Managing distinct Return-Path domains for thousands of shared IP clients is technically intricate.
Support Overhead: High potential for customer DNS configuration errors requiring extensive support.
Reputation Management: Using a unified ESP Return-Path helps protect shared IP reputation.
The solution for senders
DKIM Alignment: Ensure your DKIM is always aligned and passes DMARC checks.
DMARC Policy: Implement a strong DMARC policy (p=quarantine or p=reject) to protect your brand.
For individual senders, a dedicated IP address can provide full SPF alignment, as it allows for complete control over the sending domain. However, this is typically only cost-effective and beneficial for high-volume senders who can maintain the necessary sending reputation on their own. For those sending less than 10,000 emails per month, a dedicated IP is rarely justified, as the shared IP pool managed by the ESP usually offers better reputation management and deliverability stability.
Deliverability impact of unaligned SPF
The impact of unaligned SPF on deliverability, when DKIM is aligned and DMARC passes, is generally minor but not entirely negligible. Mailbox providers like Gmail and Yahoo heavily rely on DMARC authentication to determine whether an email is legitimate. As long as your email passes DMARC, typically through DKIM alignment, it should largely bypass the immediate spam filters related to authentication. However, email deliverability is a holistic measure, and every signal contributes to your overall domain reputation.
Understanding DMARC compliance
DMARC Requirement: An email only needs to pass either SPF or DKIM alignment to be DMARC compliant.
Sender Reputation: While not strictly required, full SPF alignment can contribute positively to domain reputation.
Perception: Some mailbox providers might internally flag emails with only partial alignment for additional scrutiny.
In practice, if your DKIM is robustly aligned and your sending practices are otherwise sound (low bounce rates, good engagement, no blocklist (or blacklist) presence), the lack of SPF alignment from Brevo is unlikely to be your primary deliverability hurdle. However, it's always best to aim for the highest possible authentication standards to maximize inbox placement. If you're experiencing deliverability issues, it's more probable that factors like content, sending frequency, list hygiene, or engagement metrics are playing a larger role. Consider using a free email deliverability tester to diagnose these issues.
To effectively assess the impact, regularly review your DMARC reports from Google, Yahoo, and other major mailbox providers. These reports will show you the authentication pass/fail rates for both SPF and DKIM, as well as the DMARC outcome. If SPF shows a high percentage of non-alignment, but DKIM alignment is strong and DMARC is passing, your deliverability is likely in good shape from an authentication standpoint.
Mitigating the impact and improving deliverability
Even without full SPF alignment, there are several actions you can take to optimize your email program when using an ESP like Brevo.
Prioritize DKIM Alignment: Ensure your DKIM records are correctly set up and aligned. This is often the more critical factor for DMARC compliance and overall deliverability.
Implement DMARC: Deploy a DMARC record, starting with a p=none policy, and gradually move to p=quarantine or p=reject as you gain confidence in your authentication setup. Use a DMARC generator for ease.
Monitor DMARC Reports: Utilize a DMARC reporting service, like Suped (suped.com), to gain visibility into your email authentication performance and identify any potential issues with SPF or DKIM alignment.
Maintain Good Sending Hygiene: Focus on sending relevant content to engaged subscribers, managing bounce rates, and avoiding spam traps. These factors often have a greater impact on deliverability than SPF alignment alone.
While awaiting Brevo's full SPF alignment feature, prioritize strong DKIM and DMARC implementation. These provide robust authentication signals that mailbox providers trust, ensuring your emails have the best chance of reaching the inbox. Additionally, continuous monitoring of your email performance and feedback loops will give you the clearest picture of your deliverability health.
Final thoughts on Brevo's SPF alignment
Understanding the nuances of email authentication is key to successful email marketing. While the absence of full SPF alignment from an ESP like Brevo might seem concerning at first, its impact on deliverability is often secondary to other factors, especially if DKIM is properly configured and aligned. By focusing on comprehensive DMARC implementation, diligent monitoring of your email performance, and maintaining good sending practices, you can ensure your emails consistently reach their intended recipients. Suped provides advanced DMARC reporting to give you the clarity needed to navigate these complexities and optimize your email strategy.
Brevo's stated intention to implement full SPF alignment for shared IPs in 2025 is a positive development. It signifies an ongoing commitment to improving email authentication standards for all users. In the meantime, rest assured that a well-maintained DKIM and DMARC setup, coupled with responsible sending habits, will continue to be the cornerstones of your email deliverability success.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always ensure DKIM is fully aligned, as it's often prioritized by mailbox providers.
Implement DMARC on your sending domains, even if starting with a p=none policy.
Actively monitor DMARC reports to understand authentication outcomes.
Focus on maintaining a high-quality sending reputation through engaged lists.
Use a dedicated IP only if your email volume truly justifies the investment.
Common pitfalls
Overestimating the impact of unaligned SPF if DKIM is passing DMARC.
Neglecting DMARC implementation, leaving your domain vulnerable to spoofing.
Using a dedicated IP for low volume sending, leading to poor reputation.
Not regularly checking DMARC reports for authentication failures or anomalies.
Ignoring overall email hygiene in favor of focusing solely on SPF alignment.
Expert tips
Leverage DMARC reports to pinpoint actual authentication failures beyond just SPF alignment.
Understand that ESPs manage shared IP reputation for collective deliverability.
Consider the technical challenges for ESPs to retrofit full SPF alignment.
For shared IPs, focus on strong DKIM as the primary DMARC alignment factor.
Use tools to simulate deliverability and identify any hidden issues.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says there is no good reason for Brevo not to offer full SPF alignment for shared IPs, but it is on their product roadmap for 2025.
2025-02-24 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that many smaller ESPs do not offer aligned SPF, and as long as DKIM is aligned, there is no real concern. It is a nice-to-have feature.
Many email marketers using platforms like Brevo have noticed that their SPF records, while passing authentication, may not achieve full alignment. This typically means the domain in the Return-Path header (which SPF authenticates) differs from your From header domain, which is what recipients see. While Brevo's support might suggest a dedicated IP for full alignment, this isn't always a feasible or necessary solution for senders with lower email volumes.
The impact on deliverability is usually marginal if DKIM is properly configured and aligned. However, for domains with lower sender reputation or those sending to strict mailbox providers (like Gmail and Yahoo), every authentication signal counts. While it might not be the primary reason for emails landing in spam, it can contribute to a slightly degraded domain reputation over time, especially when other deliverability factors are also suboptimal. Monitoring your DMARC reports is crucial to understand these nuances. 
The impact of unaligned SPF on deliverability, when DKIM is aligned and DMARC passes, is generally minor but not entirely negligible. Mailbox providers like Gmail and Yahoo heavily rely on DMARC authentication to determine whether an email is legitimate. As long as your email passes DMARC, typically through DKIM alignment, it should largely bypass the immediate spam filters related to authentication. However, email deliverability is a holistic measure, and every signal contributes to your overall domain reputation.
from Google, Yahoo, and other major mailbox providers. These reports will show you the authentication pass/fail rates for both SPF and DKIM, as well as the DMARC outcome. If SPF shows a high percentage of non-alignment, but DKIM alignment is strong and DMARC is passing, your deliverability is likely in good shape from an authentication standpoint.
