The best DMARC tools (and how to find the one that’s right for you)

It’s surprisingly easy for scammers to send emails that appear to come from your brand (a practice known as spoofing). If you’d like to know who’s sending email using your brand’s domain and stop bad actors in their tracks, implementing DMARC and monitoring DMARC compliance is important, but let’s be honest: It’s not a fun task.

Why DMARC monitoring is important (but painful) #

Once you’ve set up a DMARC policy for your domains, inbox providers like Google and Yahoo will send daily reports showing the emails they’ve received from your domains and whether or not these emails align with your DMARC policy. The problem is: For most normal humans, these reports are really hard to read. Plus, the more mail you send, the more of these reports you receive. So even if you're among the folks who enjoy reading XML files 🤓, having to look at them all and identifying the sending sources that are causing trouble is extremely time-consuming.

Here’s the good news though: There are plenty of great DMARC monitoring tools out there that help you process reports from different inbox providers, display the data in a more human-readable format, and help you figure out whether or not any action is required.

But how do you find a DMARC solution that’s right for you?

We’re here to help! In this guide, you’ll learn what features and factors you should look out for when choosing a DMARC tool. Plus, we provide an overview of the most popular tools, their features, and pricing—and hands-on guidance to help you decide whether they’re the right fit for you.

What to consider when looking for a DMARC solution #

There are many great services out there that help you set up DMARC and monitor DMARC alignment. But which DMARC tool is the best one?

The truth is, it’s impossible to name a single best tool. Between startups and Enterprises, DMARC beginners and email authentication pros, teams can have fundamentally different requirements for a DMARC service.

So before you can decide what tool is best for you, think about what you’re looking for in a solution. Here are a few questions to help you define your needs—and guide the vendor selection process.

What’s your experience level with DMARC and how much detail do you need? #

Are you an email security or deliverability expert with a deep understanding of email authentication? Is DMARC a crucial part of your job and you’ll want to investigate every single email that fails DMARC? You’ll be the happiest with an advanced tool that lets you dive deep into forensic reports and message-level details.

If you’re not a DMARC expert (and have no intention to become one either), the more complex tools in the market and the depth of insights they provide might confuse you more than they help. You might be better off with a simple tool that helps you implement crucial best practices, identify major issues, and provide practical, hands-on guidance without being overwhelming.

Are there specific features you can’t live without? #

If your team already has experience with email authentication and DMARC, there might be some really specific features and functionality you’re looking for—but that not all services provide:

• Forensic reporting
  If you’re an advanced user who’s looking to do more elaborate analysis or if you need message details to help figure out whether or not a sending source is legit, you might want to look for a service that provides forensic reporting.
  On the other hand, if you’re looking for a simple way to monitor if others are sending on their brand’s behalf, aggregate reports generally provide all the insights you need. Forensic reports are sent for each individual email that fails DMARC, whereas aggregate reports contain more high-level information about a batch of emails in one report. That’s why processing forensic reports requires wrangling a lot of data, so DMARC monitoring services that do offer this often come with a higher price tag. Don’t pay extra if this is a feature you don’t really need.
  
• Data access via API
  For some senders—usually more advanced folks in Enterprise organizations—it’s crucial to seamlessly integrate DMARC insights into their own, custom dashboards. If that’s you, check out services that offer a native API.
  
• User management
  Are you a one-person team or will multiple team members need access to your DMARC tool? If multi-user management is key for you and your team, focus your search on tools that provide these options—because not all of them do.

If one or more of these features are a must-have for your team, that can help narrow down the options—and you’re likely looking for a more elaborate DMARC solution.

You don’t need any of this fancy stuff? If all you need is a simple way to process aggregate reports to see if anyone is sending on your brand’s behalf, focus your search on the simple—and more affordable—DMARC tools.

How many domains do you want to monitor? And what’s your email volume? #

DMARC services charge by domain, email volume, or a combination of both. So take a close look at your needs to find a vendor with a pricing model that’s right for you.

If you have many low-volume domains, look for tiered pricing by volume. On the other hand, if you’re looking to monitor a single high-volume domain, you might want to look for a vendor that charges per monitored domain. Domain-based pricing also has the benefit of limiting price fluctuations, especially if there’s an unexpected surge in mail.

Pro tip: Check whether vendor pricing includes monitoring for subdomains inheriting the DMARC policy from the main domain, or if those count as separate domains. If they’re not included, that can drive up your bill.

Are you looking for a self-serve product or is there a need for professional services? #

If you’re looking to hire professional help to support your implementation of DMARC or to mitigate a spoofing issue, you might want to pick a vendor that offers both tools and professional consulting services to their clients.

If you’d like to self-serve, you’ll have more options, but it’s even more important to find a tool that’s easy to use and offers hands-on guidance that you can implement without relying on professional help.

The best DMARC tools #

Now that you have a rough idea of your requirements for a new DMARC solution, let’s take a look at the different services out there that might be a great fit for you. Let’s start with the one that’s been around the longest:

Dmarcian #

Complexity: 🟢 🟢 🟡 🟠 🟠  (advanced)

If there’s one company that deserves to be called the DMARC OG then it’s Dmarcian. Founded in 2012 by one of the primary authors of the DMARC specification, Dmarcian is one of the most trusted sources for all things DMARC.

Dmarcian’s tools and features are incredibly comprehensive and help teams with even the most advanced reporting and security needs to reach their goals. Plus, a professional services team is available help you implement DMARC, provide training, or handle all DMARC-related functions and monitoring in case you’re looking to outsource it all.

If you’re new to the world of email authentication though, there’s a chance you’ll find the depth of the platform intimidating. You might want to consider some of the simpler solutions.

Dmarcian's features and pricing: #

	Basic	Plus	Enterprise
Limits
Users	1	3	Unlimited
Domains	2	8	15
Monthly email volume	100k	1M	5M
Data history	3 months	1 year	> 1 year
Features
Dashboard	✅	✅	✅
Digest emails	✅	✅	✅
Forensic reporting	✅	✅	✅
Alerts	✅	✅	✅
API	✖️	✖️	✅
Professional Services	✅ ($)	✅ ($)	✅ ($)
Pricing
Is there a free version or trial	Free version	Free version	Free version
Monthly costs	Starting at $24	Starting at $240	Starting at $600

Compare Dmarcian with other popular services →

Dmarc Digests #

Complexity level: 🟢 🟢 ⚪️ ⚪️ ⚪️  (simple)

Launched in 2020, DMARC Digests is one of the newest DMARC services and it was created with one goal in mind: Building a tool that’s simpler and more intuitive than the rest of the pack.

That means: It’s easy to see if you’re having any DMARC issues—and if you do, DMARC Digests makes digging into their causes easy, too. If you’re new to the world of DMARC or just want a simple solution that helps you see whether others are sending email using your domain (along with easy-to-understand guidance on how to investigate and fix DMARC issues) DMARC Digests is worth checking out.

The at-a-glance assessments make it easy to get a quick overview of your program but you can also dig deeper into individual sources if you’d like to see the details. What you won’t find in DMARC Digests though are the more sophisticated features like forensic reports, accessing data via an API, or custom alerts. If you’re an email authentication expert or are working for an organization with complex email authentication and reporting needs, DMARC Digests might not provide the depth of features you need.

With simple pricing by domain—you’re charged $14 a month per domain, no matter your email volume—there are no surprises with volume-based overages. That makes DMARC Digests an interesting solution for higher-volume senders who’re looking for an affordable DMARC solution.

Dmarc Digests's features and pricing: #

Limits
Users	Unlimited
Domains	1 (pay $14/mo for each additional domain)
Monthly email volume	Unlimited
Data history	60 days
Features
Dashboard	✅
Digest emails	✅
Forensic reporting	✖️
Alerts	✖️
API	✖️
Professional Services	✖️
Pricing
Is there a free version or trial	Free trial
Monthly costs	$14

Compare Dmarc Digests with other popular services →

ONDMARC #

Complexity: 🟢 🟢 🟡 🟠 🟠  (advanced)

With a very complex feature set—you’ll have access to forensic reporting, smart alerts, and an API, for example—and a professional services team to help clients implement email authentication best practices, ONDMARC is one of the most elaborate services in the market.

If you have a complex email program or work in an industry with sophisticated reporting and security needs (like governmental organizations), ONDMARC is worth checking out. Features compare closely to top dog dmarcian, but they’ve picked different volume tiers for their pricing. So depending on how much email your organization is sending, one might be more affordable than the other.

If you’re just getting started with DMARC or are a small business looking for a simple solution, ONDMARC might be a little overwhelming. Plus, it’s one of the more expensive services, especially for small businesses with a lower sending volume. 

Do you work for a nonprofit organization? ONDMARC offers a 50% discount for eligible charities.

ONDMARC's features and pricing: #

	Basic	Essential	Professional	Enterprise
Limits
Users	1	2	Unlimited	Custom
Domains	2	5	15	Custom
Monthly email volume	100k	7M	15M	20M+
Data history	30 days	90 days	1 year	1 year
Features
Dashboard	✅	✅	✅	✅
Digest emails	✅	✅	✅	✅
Forensic reporting	✖️	✅	✅	✅
Alerts	✖️	✅	✅	✅
API	✖️	✖️	✅	✅
Professional Services	✖️	✖️	✅	✅
Pricing
Is there a free version or trial	Free trial	Free trial	Free trial	Free trial
Monthly costs	$46	$324	$619	Custom

Compare ONDMARC with other popular services →

DMARCLY #

Complexity level: 🟢 🟢 🟡 ⚪️ ⚪️  (intermediate)

Do you know your way around DMARC, DKIM, and SPF quite well but wouldn’t call yourself an email authentication wizard just yet? DMARCLY might be the right tool for you. The UI is easier to use than Dmarcian, but if you want to navigate it comfortably, some significant knowledge of DMARC and email authentication will be required.

The feature set is comprehensive and DMARCLY also allows you to upload raw DMARC reports. That’s handy if you’re switching from another provider or were previously collecting DMARC reports in a mailbox you own.

When looking at the pricing tiers, DMARCLY and EasyDMARC are fairly similar, but if you're looking to monitor multiple low-volume domains, Dmarcly's Growth plan provides a great deal (8 domains for $39.99).

DMARCLY's features and pricing: #

	Professional	Growth	Business	Enterprise
Limits
Users	1	3	5	Unlimited
Domains	2	8	15	Unlimited
Monthly email volume	100k	250k	1M	5M
Data history	3 months	6 months	1 year	2 years
Features
Dashboard	✅	✅	✅	✅
Digest emails	✅	✅	✅	✅
Forensic reporting	✅	✅	✅	✅
Alerts	✅	✅	✅	✅
API	✖️	✖️	✖️	✅
Professional Services	✅ ($)	✅ ($)	✅ ($)	✅ ($)
Pricing
Is there a free version or trial	Free trial	Free trial	Free trial	Free trial
Monthly costs	$17.99	$39.99	$69.99	$199

Compare Dmarcly with other popular services →

EasyDMARC #

Complexity level: 🟢 🟢 🟡 ⚪️ ⚪️  (intermediate)

EasyDMARC—as you might guess from the name—set out on a mission to make implementing DMARC and monitoring compliance less of a pain.

Still, with forensic reporting and API access for Enterprise plansand additional functionality like blocklist checks and delistings or authentication checks EasyDMARC’s features go beyond the basics.

One thing to watch out for though: The volume pricing isn’t all that generous when it comes to the monthly email allowance—both the Plus and Premium plans only include 100k emails. If you go over that, you’ll have to pay extra. For example, if you’re on the Plus plan and are exceeding your 100k email allowance, your monthly bill jumps up to $119.99/month.

EasyDMARC's features and pricing: #

	Plus	Premium	Enterprise
Limits
Users	1	Unlimited	Unlimited
Domains	2	4	Unlimited
Monthly email volume	100k	100k	Unlimited
Data history	3 months	1 year	Unlimited
Features
Dashboard	✅	✅	✅
Digest emails	✅	✅	✅
Forensic reporting	✅	✅	✅
Alerts	✅	✅	✅
API	✖️	✖️	✅
Professional Services	✖️	✖️	✅ ($)
Pricing
Is there a free version or trial	Free version	Free version	Free version
Monthly costs	Starting at $39.99	Starting at $79.99	Custom

Compare EasyDMARC with other popular services →

DMARC Analyzer (Mimecast) #

Complexity level: 🟢 🟢 🟡 ⚪️ ⚪️  (intermediate)

Founded in 2012, DMARC Analyzer is another service that’s been around for many years. In 2019, DMARC Analyzer got acquired by Mimecast who integrated the tool into their email data and security offerings.

DMARC Analyzer supports forensic reports and provides implementation support through their professional services team, so if these requirements are must-haves for your team, you might want to check them out in more detail and inquire about pricing. Unfortunately, Mimecast doesn’t offer any pricing info on their website.

Dmarc Analyzer's features and pricing: #

Limits
Users	Unlimited
Domains	Unlimited
Monthly email volume	Unlimited
Data history	Up to 1 year
Features
Dashboard	✅
Digest emails	✅
Forensic reporting	✅
Alerts	✖️
API	✖️
Professional Services	✅
Pricing
Is there a free version or trial	Free trial
Monthly costs	Custom

Compare Dmarc Analyzer with other popular services →

Compare the best DMARC tools with this spreadsheet #

To make it easier for you to compare the most popular DMARC monitoring tools side by side, we created this handy spreadsheet.

This overview was last updated on February 17th, 2022. Did you spot an error? Let us know and we’ll get it fixed.