# Free MxToolbox Alternatives: Email and DNS Tools Compared (2026)

Source: https://srvscripts.com/guides/mxtoolbox-alternatives/
Updated: 2026-10-06
Publisher: srvScripts (https://srvscripts.com/)

**Short answer:** MxToolbox’s one-off lookups are still free, but its free account only adds weekly blacklist monitoring for one domain; DMARC reporting, inbox placement and SPF flattening are paid. For free alternatives, use dnschecker.org for DNS propagation, dmarcian or EasyDMARC for DMARC checks and record wizards, mail-tester or learndmarc to test a real message, and Google Admin Toolbox for Google Workspace. srvScripts covers the same day-to-day checks (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MTA-STS, BIMI, blacklists, SMTP, headers, propagation, ports) with free tools, but not hosted DMARC report processing or inbox placement.

This comparison reflects the vendors’ public tool and pricing pages as checked on 7 October 2026. We list only features and limits we could see on those pages, and we link each one; prices and limits change, so check the vendor’s page before you rely on them. Our own tools are described from their live tool pages on the same day.

## What MxToolbox gives you for free today

MxToolbox has two layers: public lookup tools that anyone can run, and account plans that add monitoring. Its [network tools page](https://mxtoolbox.com/NetworkTools.aspx) lists, among others: MX lookup, blacklist check, SMTP test on port 25, reverse DNS, WHOIS, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI, MTA-STS and TLS-RPT lookups, a DNS propagation check, an email header analyzer, a TCP port check, DMARC and SPF generators, a DMARC XML report parser, a deliverability report and Google/Yahoo and Microsoft sender-compliance checks.

Its [MX lookup page](https://mxtoolbox.com/) says each MX IP can be checked against 105 DNS-based blacklists. That breadth is the main reason admins keep it bookmarked.

The [MxToolbox plans page](https://mxtoolbox.com/c/mxtoolboxproducts) lists:

| Plan | Price shown | What the page lists |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0/month | Blacklist monitoring weekly, 1 domain |
| Delivery Center | $129/month | 5 domains, inbox placement analysis (30 a month), recipient complaint reporting, DMARC reports, adaptive blacklist monitoring, inbound and outbound mail flow monitoring, BIMI management |
| Delivery Center Plus | $399/month | Adds 100 inbox placement analyses a month, advanced threat tools and SPF flattening |

So the free tier is fine for spot checks. People look for alternatives when they want monitoring more often than weekly, more than one domain, DMARC report processing without a $129 plan, or record generators and explanations aimed at a specific setup.

## Free alternatives compared

Each row only lists what the vendor’s own page shows. “Not stated” means we did not find a limit on the page we checked, not that there is none.

| Service | Best for | Free tools seen on its site | Free limits stated |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| dnschecker.org | DNS propagation, quick lookups | DNS propagation checker, DNS/MX/NS/CNAME lookups, SPF, DKIM and DMARC checkers, DMARC generator, IP and email blacklist check (“50+ blacklist databases”), SMTP test, email header trace, BIMI checker and generator, port checker | Not stated |
| EasyDMARC | Record checkers paired with generators | Checker plus generator for DMARC, SPF (also a raw checker for draft records), DKIM, BIMI (plus logo converter), MTA-STS and TLS-RPT; DMARC XML report analyzer; email header analyzer; reputation check; deliverability test; lookalike domain checker | Paid plans on its pricing page start at $35.99/month billed annually (2 domains), with a free trial |
| PowerDMARC | Widest catalogue, BIMI and MTA-STS | DMARC, SPF, DKIM, BIMI checkers and generators; BIMI SVG converter and validator; MTA-STS, TLS-RPT and DANE checkers; blacklist checker; header analyzer; SMTP test; DNS propagation, DNSSEC, CAA, PTR and MX checks | One-off checkers need no sign-up; free monitoring tier listed as 1 domain, 10,000 emails a month, 10-day retention |
| Google Admin Toolbox | Google Workspace domains | Check MX (looks for common MX misconfigurations), Dig, Messageheader (header analysis), plus browser and log tools | Not stated |
| intoDNS | One-page DNS and mail server report | DNS report and mail servers report with suggestions and references to the relevant standards | Not stated |
| mail-tester | Spam score of a real message | Send a message to a one-time address and get a score out of 10 with a SpamAssassin report; also SPF, DKIM, DMARC and BIMI checkers | 3 free tests in 24 hours; results visible to anyone with the address for 7 days (30 with an account); API is paid |
| learndmarc | Learning and explaining DMARC | Send a message to its tester and watch SPF, DKIM and DMARC evaluated step by step; paste headers for the same view; DMARC quiz | Not stated |
| dmarcian | DMARC rollout for small or personal domains | Domain Checker, DMARC Inspector, DMARC Record Wizard, SPF Surveyor, DKIM Inspector and Validator, BIMI tools, XML-to-human report converter, email header analyzer; no registration needed | Personal plan on its pricing page: $0, non-business use only, up to 2 domains, 1,250 DMARC-capable messages a month, 1 month of history |

### Quick notes on each

- **dnschecker.org** is the usual pick for “has my record propagated yet?”. Its tool list overlaps a lot with MxToolbox for one-off checks.

- **EasyDMARC and PowerDMARC** are DMARC vendors whose free tools lead into paid monitoring. The tools are good, but they are also lead generation: EasyDMARC’s domain scanner, for example, offers its full report by email in exchange for a work address.

- **Google Admin Toolbox** is narrow but trustworthy for Workspace tenants. Check MX and Messageheader are the two you will use.

- **mail-tester and learndmarc** test an actual message rather than DNS records, which is what you need when records look right but mail still lands in spam. On mail-tester, anyone who knows your test address can see the result, so do not send anything confidential.

- **dmarcian’s Personal plan** and PowerDMARC’s free tier are the two free hosted DMARC reporting options we found with published limits; dmarcian’s is explicitly for non-business domains.

## Which srvScripts tool covers each task

All of these are free and need no account. Where another service does a job better, the last column says so.

| Task | srvScripts tool | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SPF check | SPF Record Checker | Follows every include and redirect, counts lookups, flags multiple records and +all/?all |
| SPF lookup count | SPF Lookup Counter | Running count against the limit of 10, void lookups, duplicates, a trimmed record and a minimal flattened record that you must keep up to date |
| SPF record | SPF Record Generator | Server IPs plus common senders (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, MailBaby and others) |
| DKIM check and selector | DKIM Checker | Test one selector or scan 23 common ones; shows key type and length and follows CNAME delegation. If the scan finds nothing, see find a DKIM selector |
| DKIM key | DKIM Key Generator | 2048-bit key pair generated in your browser, with install steps for OpenDKIM, Exim, cPanel and DirectAdmin |
| DMARC check | DMARC Checker | Explains policy, subdomain policy, reporting addresses and alignment |
| DMARC record | DMARC Record Generator | Policy, rua/ruf, fo, sp, the RFC 9989 np and t tags and alignment, plus the cross-domain authorisation record. psd is left out because only public suffix operators need it, and the tool warns that RFC 9989 retires pct (see our DMARCbis guide) |
| DMARC aggregate reports | DMARC Report Analyzer | Opens one .xml, .xml.gz or .zip report in your browser. It does not collect reports for you |
| MTA-STS | MTA-STS Checker, MTA-STS Generator | Checks the TXT record, the policy file and MX coverage; generates both |
| TLS-RPT | TLS-RPT Checker, TLS-RPT Record Generator | Checks and builds the _smtp._tls record |
| BIMI | BIMI Checker, BIMI Generator | Checks DMARC enforcement, the SVG Tiny PS logo and VMC/CMC; converts a logo to SVG Tiny PS |
| Blacklist check | IP Blacklist Check | Up to 256 IPs, CIDR /24 to /32, hostnames or domains against 30 IP and 3 domain lists, with rDNS and CSV export. MxToolbox checks more lists (105); ours focuses on the major ones |
| SMTP test | SMTP Test | Ports 587 and 465: banner, STARTTLS, certificate, TLS version, AUTH methods. For port 25 reachability and the greeting, use the Open Port Checker |
| Header analysis | Email Header Analyzer | Hop-by-hop path with delays, SPF/DKIM/DMARC results and alignment problems; parsed in your browser |
| Bounce explainer | SMTP Bounce Explainer | Explains status codes such as 550 5.7.26 and common Gmail, Microsoft and Spamhaus messages |
| IP warm-up | IP Warm-Up Schedule Generator for New Mail Servers | Day-by-day plan from target volume and number of IPs |
| DNS propagation | DNS Propagation Checker | 17 public resolvers at once; DNS Lookup can also ask the authoritative server |
| Port check | Open Port Checker | Up to 10 TCP ports per test from one location: open, closed or filtered |
| Spam score of a real message | Email Deliverability Test (Spam Score) | Score out of 10 with SpamAssassin report, alignment, rDNS, TLS and blacklist checks |
| Everything at once | Email Domain Health Check, Domain Health Checker | MX, SPF, DMARC, MTA-STS, TLS-RPT, BIMI, CAA and DNSSEC in one pass; the second adds web checks and a score |

For MX records and reverse DNS on their own, use the [MX Lookup](/tools/mx-lookup/) and the [Reverse DNS Lookup](/tools/reverse-dns-lookup/) (up to 25 IPs, with forward-confirmed rDNS).

## What srvScripts does not do

Being clear about the gaps saves you time:

- **Monitoring is basic.** The free [Uptime SSL Blacklist Monitor](/tools/uptime-ssl-blacklist-monitor/) allows up to five monitors per e-mail address: uptime hourly, SSL expiry daily and blacklist listing every 12 hours, from one location, with e-mail alerts only. That is more often than MxToolbox’s free weekly blacklist check, but it is not a monitoring platform.

- **No hosted DMARC reporting.** We do not receive and aggregate your `rua` reports over time. For that, use dmarcian’s Personal plan (non-business domains), PowerDMARC’s free tier or a paid service.

- **No inbox placement or seed testing.** Our deliverability test scores one message; it cannot tell you whether Gmail put it in the inbox or the Promotions tab.

- **No managed SPF flattening.** The lookup counter can produce a flattened record once, but nothing keeps it updated when a provider changes its IPs.

- **No complaint or feedback-loop integration** (Google Postmaster, Microsoft SNDS). See our [SNDS and JMRP guide](/guides/microsoft-snds-jmrp-setup/) to set those up directly.

- **DMARCbis tags** are not in the DMARC generator yet, as noted above.

## How to choose

- **Fixing one domain right now:** run the [Email Domain Health Check](/tools/email-domain-health-check/), then the SPF, DKIM or DMARC tool for whatever fails. MxToolbox or dnschecker.org are fine second opinions.

- **Mail lands in spam but DNS looks right:** send a real message to the [Email Deliverability Test (Spam Score)](/tools/email-deliverability-test/) or mail-tester, and paste the received headers into the header analyzer.

- **Rolling out DMARC to p=reject:** you need aggregate reports over weeks. Use a hosted reporting service, and our report analyzer for one-off files.

- **Blacklisted IP:** check the whole range with the bulk blacklist tool, then follow our [delisting runbook](/guides/runbook-ip-blacklisted/).

- **Google Workspace tenant:** start with Google Admin Toolbox Check MX, since it knows Google’s expected records.

- **Teaching a client or junior admin:** learndmarc’s step-by-step view explains alignment better than any table.

Whichever checker you use, two results deserve a second look on another tool: a single blacklist hit on a list you have never heard of, and DNS answers during propagation. Different services query different lists and resolvers, so they can disagree for a while without either being wrong.

**Official documentation:** [RFC 7208: SPF](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7208.html) · [RFC 9989: DMARC](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9989.html) · [RFC 6376: DKIM](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6376.html) · [RFC 8461: MTA-STS](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8461.html)

**Related:** [SPF, DKIM and DMARC in cPanel DNS: Setup and Checks](/guides/spf-dkim-dmarc-cpanel-dns/) · [DMARCbis (RFC 9989): What Changed and Must You Edit Records?](/guides/dmarcbis-rfc-9989-changes/) · [SPF Too Many DNS Lookups: Fix PermError and the 10-Lookup Limit](/guides/spf-too-many-dns-lookups/) · [Mail server IP blacklisted: delisting runbook](/guides/runbook-ip-blacklisted/) · [Find a DKIM Selector: Headers, Panel Defaults and Key Checks](/guides/find-dkim-selector/)

## Frequently asked questions

### Is MxToolbox still free?

Its lookup tools can still be run without paying. The free account adds weekly blacklist monitoring for one domain; DMARC reports, inbox placement and SPF flattening are in paid plans starting at $129 a month on its plans page (checked 7 October 2026).

### What is the best free alternative to MxToolbox?

There is no single one. dnschecker.org is closest for general lookups, dmarcian and EasyDMARC are strong for DMARC, mail-tester tests a real message, and srvScripts covers the full set of record checks plus blacklist, SMTP and port tests without an account.

### Is there a free DMARC report monitor?

dmarcian offers a free Personal plan for non-business domains (2 domains, 1,250 messages a month), and PowerDMARC lists a free tier of 1 domain and 10,000 emails a month. Business domains need a paid plan or a self-hosted parser.

### Why do blacklist checkers give different results?

Each service queries its own set of lists: MxToolbox says 105, dnschecker.org says 50 or more, and srvScripts checks 30 IP and 3 domain lists. A listing that only one tool shows is usually on a minor list; confirm it on the list operator’s own lookup page.

### Do these tools support DMARCbis (RFC 9989)?

Records still start with v=DMARC1, so every checker reads them. Support for the new np, psd and t tags varies by vendor. Our generator adds np and t (psd is only for public suffix operators), and our checker explains them.