4 Best AutoSPF Alternatives to Choose From in 2026

Today, the email authentication market is full of SPF flattening tools that help you simplify and optimize your SPF record. AutoSPF is one such tool that enables domain owners to turn their nested SPF setup into a simple, flat list of allowed senders.  The platform allows you to reduce the risks associated with surpassing the 10 lookup limit while increasing your email deliverability rates and reducing the likelihood of success of spoofing attempts. 

Even though AutoSPF offers these benefits along with eliminating the need for manual monitoring, it also comes with limitations that push users to consider alternatives. In this blog, we cover the best AutoSPF alternatives that will help you achieve your SPF flattening goals at the lowest possible cost and the intended results. 

What are “AutoSPF alternatives”?

AutoSPF alternatives are tools that help you achieve the same goal: keeping SPF compliant and deliverable, using different approaches and feature sets. Some focus on traditional SPF flattening, while others offer more advanced SPF management approaches (for example, Hosted SPF models or optimization techniques designed to reduce lookup pressure and keep records stable over time).

Why Consider Alternatives to AutoSPF?

AutoSPF can help simplify SPF management, but teams often start looking at alternatives when their setup gets more complex or when SPF changes need tighter control. The most common reasons include:

• You need a different optimization approach than traditional flattening. Some solutions rely on dynamic SPF flattening, which can still create operational issues like long records, ongoing maintenance overhead, or SPF changes that are harder to govern in larger environments.

• You want SPF optimization as part of a broader email authentication stack. Many teams don’t want SPF handled in isolation. They prefer a platform that also supports managed authentication standards such as DMARC, DKIM, MTA-STS, and BIMI, so policy, reporting, and enforcement live in one place.

• Pricing and scale don’t match your needs. SPF tooling is priced very differently across vendors. Some are SPF-only; others bundle multiple deliverability and security features. If you’re managing multiple domains or frequent vendor changes, total cost (and cost predictability) starts to matter.

• You need stronger security capabilities, not just SPF cleanup. If your priority is reducing spoofing and phishing risk, you may prefer a provider that positions SPF optimization alongside threat intelligence and monitoring, not as a standalone utility.

How to Choose an AutoSPF Alternative?

Shortlist tools using these criteria:

• Optimization method: How it reduces lookup pressure (flattening vs other approaches).
• Record stability: Helps avoid long/brittle SPF records; handles frequent sender changes cleanly.
• Auto updates + controls: Vendor IP updates, alerts, change logs, rollback/approvals.
• DNS reliability: Strong uptime/SLA so SPF checks don’t fail due to outages.
• Ease of use: Quick import, clear output, minimal ongoing maintenance.
• Support: Fast help when SPF failures impact delivery.
• Scale: Works well for multiple domains/teams (roles, audit logs, bulk actions).
• Broader auth support (optional): DMARC/DKIM/MTA-STS/BIMI if you want one platform.

Top 4 AutoSPF Alternatives 

Here’s a quick comparison of the four commonly evaluated alternatives:

Now, let’s break down each alternative in detail, starting with PowerDMARC Hosted SPF, the option that combines SPF optimization with a broader set of managed email authentication capabilities.

1. PowerDMARC (Hosted SPF / PowerSPF)

PowerDMARC is an email authentication platform, and PowerSPF is its Hosted SPF service for managing and optimizing SPF records so they stay compliant and stable as your sending stack changes.

A key advantage is the hosted-services approach: instead of repeatedly editing complex SPF TXT records manually, you can use PowerSPF to optimize and maintain SPF so it stays under the 10 DNS lookup limit and avoids common SPF failure modes (like permerror).

Standout features

• Hosted SPF optimization designed to keep SPF under 10 DNS lookups and reduce SPF-related errors.
• Supports SPF Macros approach (PowerDMARC positions this as an advanced optimization option vs basic flattening).
• Guided setup + support documentation for configuring PowerSPF and moving to automated SPF management.

Best for

Teams with complex SPF setups (many sending tools/vendors) that want a managed SPF workflow to reduce lookup-limit failures and ongoing manual SPF maintenance.

Pricing

• Hosted SPF is a part of PowerDMARC’s 15-day free trial, allowing you to get the full benefit of error-free SPF optimization in seconds! Sign up to get started today. 

Pros

• Helps keep SPF compliant with the 10 DNS lookup hard limit and reduces SPF breakage risk.
• Optimization options that include SPF Macros positioning (useful when flattening-only approaches don’t fit your constraints).
• Practical setup guidance via PowerDMARC support docs.
• Automatic SPF error handling and vendor updates 

Cons

• If you’re new to SPF, “macros/hosted SPF” can feel unfamiliar at first compared to simple “flatten and paste” workflows—so you may need an onboarding pass to get comfortable.

Why choose PowerDMARC (Hosted SPF) if you’re evaluating AutoSPF-style tools

If your SPF pain is not just “flattening,” but ongoing stability (vendor changes, multiple senders, staying inside lookup limits consistently), PowerSPF is positioned as a managed approach to keep SPF valid and reduce SPF-related authentication failures over time.

2. MxToolbox (SPF Flattening)

MxToolbox is an email deliverability and DNS monitoring platform. Its SPF Flattening capability is included as part of Delivery Center Plus, and it’s designed for teams that want a structured way to manage long, complex SPF records without constantly wrestling with lookup-limit failures.

Unlike “macros-based” SPF optimization approaches, MxToolbox’s approach here is traditional SPF flattening: it reconstructs your SPF record to help you stay under the 10 DNS lookup limit and reduce SPF-related delivery issues.

Standout features

• SPF Flattening included with Delivery Center Plus

• Built to manage complex SPF configurations and get back under the 10 DNS lookup limit

• Delivered within a broader email-delivery toolkit (monitoring and deliverability diagnostics as part of Delivery Center plans)

Best for

Teams that want SPF flattening plus a wider deliverability/DNS monitoring toolkit, and are okay using flattening (not macros).

Pricing

• Delivery Center Plus: $399/month (includes SPF Flattening)
• Delivery Center (non-Plus) is listed at $129/month, but SPF Flattening is shown specifically under Plus.

Pros

• Clear positioning: SPF Flattening is a defined feature in the Delivery Center Plus plan
• Designed to manage complex SPF setups and reduce lookup-limit issues
• “Automatic SPF management” messaging: you can update verified sources and generate updated SPF records quickly

Cons

• Uses traditional SPF flattening (so if you specifically want a macros-based approach, this isn’t that).
• Flattening can still be a trade-off for some orgs (record size/maintenance patterns vary by environment), so results depend on how many senders and includes you’re managing.

Why choose MXToolbox if you’re evaluating AutoSPF-style tools

If your SPF pain is broader than SPF alone, like needing ongoing deliverability diagnostics, DNS monitoring, and troubleshooting workflows in the same place, MXToolbox is positioned as a platform-style option. Its SPF Flattening feature (in Delivery Center Plus) is a practical fit when you want traditional flattening plus a wider toolset around it, rather than an SPF-only optimizer.

3. DMARCLY Safe SPF

DMARCLY is an email authentication platform positioned for teams that want simple, guided setup without deep technical overhead. Safe SPF is its SPF optimization feature, designed around automatic SPF flattening with minimal ongoing management. 

The focus here is usability. DMARCLY abstracts most of the mechanics behind SPF flattening so teams can stay within SPF evaluation limits without manually rebuilding records each time a sender changes.

Standout features

• Automatic SPF flattening to help reduce lookup-related SPF failures 
• Automatic vendor IP updates, reducing the need for manual SPF edits 
• Beginner-friendly UI with clear explanations of SPF status and changes
• Transparent documentation around plan limits and functionality

Best for

Small teams or first-time SPF implementers who want a low-friction, easy-to-use SPF solution without advanced configuration or custom optimization methods.

Pricing

• 14-day free trial available
• Paid plans start at $17.99/month (billed annually), with Safe SPF usage governed by plan limits

Pros

• Very little manual intervention once Safe SPF is enabled
• Simple, guided configuration suitable for non-technical users
• Clear pricing and feature descriptions, which helps with planning and onboarding
• Cost-effective entry point compared to enterprise-focused platforms

Cons

• Uses traditional SPF flattening only; no alternative optimization approaches are offered
• In very complex SPF setups, flattened records can still grow long, which may introduce record-length or maintenance constraints depending on the environment

Why choose DMARCLY Safe SPF if you’re evaluating AutoSPF-style tools

If your SPF pain is mainly simplicity and low maintenance, you want SPF flattening that’s easy to set up, easy to manage, and doesn’t require deep SPF expertise, DMARCLY Safe SPF is positioned as a beginner-friendly alternative. It’s a good fit when your priority is minimizing manual SPF work while keeping SPF evaluation failures under control in everyday use.

4. Fraudmarc Universal SPF

Fraudmarc is primarily positioned around fraud prevention and DMARC analysis, with Universal SPF offered as an SPF optimization service for teams that want a simple, low-touch setup. The product is designed to reduce SPF maintenance effort through dynamic SPF flattening and automatic updates, without requiring deep configuration. 

Universal SPF is commonly evaluated by small teams that want SPF optimization to “just work,” especially when their sender landscape is relatively stable and not highly complex.

Standout features

• Universal SPF with dynamic SPF flattening to help stay within SPF evaluation limits 
• Automatic vendor IP updates, reducing manual SPF changes 
• SPF management panel for viewing and adjusting SPF-related policies
• Additional services around email fraud prevention, including SPF compression and outbound protection features 

Best for

Small businesses that want an economical, straightforward SPF optimization option without advanced configuration or enterprise-level controls.

Pricing

• Universal SPF Basic: $21 per domain/month (billed annually)
• Higher tiers available with expanded functionality

Pros

• Very quick onboarding with a single-step setup
• Automatic updates reduce ongoing SPF maintenance
• Cost-effective entry point for basic SPF optimization
• Simple UI for managing SPF-related changes

Cons

• Relies on dynamic SPF flattening, not alternative optimization approaches
• Dynamic flattening may not always control SPF record length in more complex setups
• Teams with many senders or frequent changes may outgrow the feature set

Why choose Fraudmarc Universal SPF if you’re evaluating AutoSPF-style tools

Fraudmarc Universal SPF is a reasonable choice when traditional flattening is sufficient and you don’t need advanced SPF optimization methods or a deeply integrated email authentication platform.

Why PowerDMARC is the Best AutoSPF Replacement

PowerDMARC is best positioned as an AutoSPF replacement when your SPF problem isn’t just “make the record shorter,” but keep SPF stable over time as your sender stack changes. With Hosted SPF (PowerSPF), the goal is to reduce lookup-limit failures and SPF breakage risk through a managed optimization approach, so you’re not constantly rebuilding SPF by hand every time a vendor changes. 

It’s also a better fit when SPF is only one part of your email authentication program and you want SPF optimization to sit alongside broader authentication management in the same ecosystem. 

What you get with PowerDMARC Hosted SPF (PowerSPF)

• SPF optimization designed to help keep records within the 10 DNS lookup evaluation limit and reduce SPF-related errors. 
• A managed approach that reduces ongoing manual SPF maintenance as vendors and senders change. 
• A broader ecosystem of hosted/authentication services if you’re consolidating email auth tooling (platform + add-ons). 

Bottom line

To maintain the health of your domain’s SPF record, make sure you choose a vendor who caters to all SPF best practices. Try to include each of your authorized sources/IP ranges in your record so that receiving servers can easily authenticate them. This will also help you reduce spam and improve your email’s deliverability. 

Lastly, you can pair your SPF authentication with DKIM and DMARC. The combination of these protocols forms a powerhouse that can help prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks!

FAQs:

1) What are the best alternatives to AutoSPF?

PowerDMARC Hosted SPF (PowerSPF), MxToolbox (Delivery Center Plus SPF Flattening), DMARCLY Safe SPF, and Fraudmarc Universal SPF are commonly evaluated alternatives, depending on whether you want managed SPF services or simple SPF flattening.

2) Why do teams look for alternatives to AutoSPF?

Teams usually look for alternatives when they need better long-term SPF stability, broader email authentication capabilities (DMARC, DKIM, MTA-STS, BIMI), clearer pricing at scale, or simpler day-to-day SPF maintenance.

3) What is the difference between SPF flattening and other SPF optimization approaches?

SPF flattening expands include mechanisms to reduce lookup failures. Other approaches, such as hosted or macros-based SPF optimization, are designed to keep SPF compliant while reducing ongoing manual updates and operational risk.

4) Which AutoSPF alternative is easiest for beginners?

DMARCLY Safe SPF is often chosen by beginners because it offers an easy setup, automatic updates, and a simple interface with minimal SPF expertise required.

5) How much do AutoSPF alternatives cost?

Pricing varies by tool. AutoSPF starts around $37/month. MxToolbox SPF Flattening is included in Delivery Center Plus at $399/month. DMARCLY plans start around $17.99/month (annual billing). Fraudmarc Universal SPF starts at $21 per domain per month (annual billing). PowerDMARC offers a 15-day trial, with Hosted SPF available as an add-on.

6) How do I migrate from AutoSPF to another SPF optimization tool?

Migration usually involves copying your existing SPF record, importing it into the new tool, validating the generated SPF output, and then updating your DNS SPF TXT record. Most vendors provide guided setup to help avoid SPF errors during the switch.

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Milena Baghdasaryan

Content Specialist at PowerDMARC

Milena is a skilled writer and content creator with 7+ years of experience in crafting engaging content on IT, cybersecurity, virtual events, and more. She has a proven track record of delivering high-quality work for international magazines and is a graduate of prestigious institutions such as New York University Abu Dhabi, UWC China, and the College of Europe.

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