- You want to test the message before sending: spam score, inbox placement, client previews, and an AI eye-tracking heatmap in one plan, with results in about 30 seconds
- You need placement data beyond the Top 3: Unspam seeds Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Zoho, ProtonMail, AOL, and GMX; MXToolbox's seed testing covers Gmail, Outlook.com, and Yahoo plus its own test inboxes
- $129/mo is more than you need to spend: Unspam's free plan needs no card, paid pricing starts at $5/mo, charged per test, and every paid plan has a 14-day no-questions refund
- You want recurring placement and spam-score tests with alerts (Autopilot) in a tool built for marketers, not a postmaster console
An MXToolbox alternative that tests the sent email, not the DNS record
MXToolbox is an email-infrastructure diagnostics platform: DNS and blacklist lookups, DMARC report processing, and monitoring, with paid plans from $129/mo. Unspam tests the email itself (spam score, inbox placement, client previews, and an AI heatmap), from free, paid from $5/mo.
Compared from public pricing and product pages, September 2026.
Which one fits you?
- You need DMARC report processing alongside mailflow, blacklist and uptime monitoring in one place. MXToolbox's Delivery Center covers all of it; Unspam monitors DMARC but watches no blocklists, no mailflow and no uptime
- You live in free DNS, MX, SMTP, and blacklist lookups. MXToolbox's free diagnostic toolset is still the most comprehensive around, including weekly blacklist monitoring for one domain across the top ~30 blacklists
- You need infrastructure extras like SPF flattening or advanced email delivery threat tools (Delivery Center Plus, $399/mo); adaptive sender blacklist monitoring and domain impersonation protection are already in Delivery Center at $129/mo
Why teams move from MXToolbox to Unspam.
No free-to-$129 cliff
MXToolbox's first paid tier is Delivery Center at $129/mo for 5 domains, and reviewers note there is no intermediate tier between that and free. Unspam starts free with no card, then bills per test from a $5 monthly minimum, with a 14-day refund.
It tests the email, not just the DNS
MXToolbox has no standalone pre-send spam test (content checks are bundled into its paid placement feature), and its preview is a single render, with no multi-client screenshots or dark mode. Unspam renders your email across 50+ real clients and devices, each in light and dark mode, and includes spam scoring, an AI heatmap, and an AI assistant on every plan, including free.
Wider placement coverage, on a schedule
MXToolbox's seed-list testing is limited to Gmail, Outlook.com, and Yahoo. Unspam seeds 7 providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Zoho, ProtonMail, AOL, and GMX), and Autopilot reruns both placement and spam-score tests automatically, alerting you when either slips.
Unspam vs MXToolbox, feature by feature.
Based on public product pages and documentation. Spotted something outdated? Tell us in the chat and we'll fix it.
Feature
Unspam
MXToolbox
Free plan or trial
Free plan, no card
Free lookup tools
First paid plan
$5/mo minimum, usage-priced
$129/mo
Spam score testing
Yes
Partialbest-practice checks
Inbox placement tests
Yes
Partiallimited providers
Client previews & screenshots
Yes50+ clients, light & dark
Partialsingle render
AI attention heatmap
Yes
—No
Blacklist monitoring
Partialon-demand checker
Yes
SPF / DKIM / DMARC checks
Yes
Yes
AI fix recommendations
Yes
—No
Scheduled automatic tests
Yesplacement + spam score
Yes
Scheduled spam score tests
Yesdaily, weekly, or monthly
Partialmonitoring, not spam score
Sender accounts
YesUnlimited
—No
API access
YesCustom plan
Yes
MCP server
YesCustom plan
—No
Email verification
Yes
Partialdomain-level checks
Automated inbox warmup
—No
—No
DMARC report monitoring
YesCustom plan, first domain free
Yes
Deliverability consulting
Yesseparate service
Yesmanaged service
Comparison based on publicly available information as of September 2026. Features and pricing change frequently, so please verify current details on each provider's website.
What each one costs.
MXToolbox prices are billed monthly; annual discounts are not published; 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Free $0
5 spam tests, 3 inbox placements, 3 device previews, 5 screenshots, 5 heatmaps per month. AI assistant included.
- Custom $5/mo
Pay per test: spam tests $0.18, inbox placements $0.50, device previews $0.75, screenshots $0.20, heatmaps $0.30. Volume discounts to 30%, 15% off annual, $5 monthly minimum. API, MCP and three years of history included. DMARC monitoring is $6 per domain per month, first domain free.
- Free $0
Free diagnostic lookups; weekly blacklist monitoring for 1 domain (top 30 blacklists); limited free DNS API requests
- Delivery Center $129/mo
Up to 5 domains and 500,000 monthly messages; DMARC report processing and analytics; inbox placement testing; adaptive sender blacklist monitoring; recipient complaint reporting; email configuration analysis; inbound and outbound mailflow monitoring; domain impersonation protection
- Delivery Center Plus $399/mo
5 domains and 5,000,000 monthly messages; everything in Delivery Center plus advanced email delivery threat tools and SPF flattening
MXToolbox pricing and feature information was collected from publicly available sources in September 2026 and may have changed since; it is provided for general comparison only and is not guaranteed to reflect current offers. Confirm current pricing on the vendor's website. MXToolbox is a trademark of its respective owner. Unspam is not affiliated with or endorsed by MXToolbox.
Unspam vs MXToolbox, answered.
Is Unspam a full replacement for MXToolbox?
Partly. Unspam reads DMARC aggregate reports too, so that piece is covered: DMARC monitoring is on the Custom plan, first domain free. What it does not replace is MXToolbox's continuous blacklist, mailflow and uptime monitoring. For pre-send testing, Unspam covers more: spam scoring, inbox placement across 7 providers, an email preview tool covering 50+ real clients in light and dark mode, and AI heatmaps, none of which MXToolbox offers in full.
How do the prices compare?
MXToolbox is free for lookups, then jumps to $129/mo for Delivery Center and $399/mo for Plus, with no tier in between. Unspam has a free plan with no card required, and paid from $5/mo, priced per test, all with a 14-day no-questions-asked refund and 15% off annual billing.
What is the biggest functional difference?
MXToolbox diagnoses infrastructure: DNS records, blacklists, SMTP, and DMARC reports. Unspam tests the email itself, with content spam score, placement across 7 providers, client previews, and an AI eye-tracking heatmap, and it reads DMARC reports as well. The rest of the gap holds: MXToolbox has no heatmap or AI assistant, and Unspam monitors no blocklists, no mailflow and no uptime. If report ingestion is the piece you actually need, the authentication and DMARC category covers both side by side.
How do the free tiers compare?
MXToolbox's free tier covers diagnostic lookups, weekly blacklist monitoring for one domain, and a small DNS API quota, but no spam testing or inbox placement without the $129/mo plan. Unspam's free plan includes 5 spam tests, 3 inbox placements, 3 device previews, 5 screenshots and 5 heatmaps per month, with the AI assistant included and no card required.