Email Sender Reputation Checker
Check your domain's email sender reputation in seconds. We score your SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MTA-STS, reverse DNS, and blacklist status from 0 to 100 - and tell you exactly what to fix. Free, no signup.How the Email Sender Reputation Checker Works
Enter your sending domain and the tool runs a live analysis of the public signals ISPs use to decide whether your mail reaches the inbox - no account needed.
1
Enter your sending domain. Use the root domain you send from (
company.com) - not a subdomain or a full email address.2
We run the reputation checks. The tool inspects SPF (and its DNS-lookup count), DKIM signing, DMARC enforcement, MTA-STS, and reverse DNS on your mail servers, then checks your domain and sending IPs against real blacklists.
3
Get a score and an action plan. See your 0-100 reputation score, which blacklists list you, which records are missing or weak, and exactly what to fix first.
What Is Email Sender Reputation?
Email sender reputation is a trust score that mailbox providers and spam filters assign to your sending domain and IP address. It determines whether your email lands in the inbox, the spam folder, or is rejected outright.
0.1%
Spam-complaint rate at which Gmail starts filtering your mail
4-12 wks
Typical time to recover from a damaged sender reputation
2024
Year Google & Yahoo made DMARC mandatory for bulk senders
80+
Target reputation score for strong inbox placement across ISPs
Domain reputation
Tied to your sending domain - the primary signal Gmail, Microsoft 365, and Yahoo use, and especially important on a shared ESP. Your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records live here.
IP reputation
Tied to your sending IP address. It matters most when you run your own mail server; on shared sending IPs, domain reputation carries far more weight.
What Affects Your Sender Reputation Score
These are the signals with the biggest impact on how ISPs rate your domain. This tool measures the ones visible in public DNS; complaint and bounce rates come from your own sending data and inbox-provider dashboards.
High impact
Blacklist listing
If your domain or sending IP is on Spamhaus, Barracuda, or SORBS, mail is blocked by every server that queries that list. This is the single fastest way to lose deliverability.
How to delist → High impact
Missing or weak DMARC
Without DMARC enforcement your domain can be freely spoofed, and Google and Yahoo penalize or reject bulk mail from unenforced domains.
Set up DMARC → p=none alone gains you little. High impact
Spam complaints > 0.1%
Above 0.1% at Gmail triggers filtering; above 0.3% you may be blocked entirely. This comes from your own sending behavior, not DNS - watch it in Google Postmaster Tools.
Reduce complaints → Medium impact
Missing SPF
Receivers cannot verify which servers may send for you, and SPF is required for DMARC alignment. Watch the 10-lookup limit - exceeding it causes a PermError.
What is SPF? → Medium impact
DKIM not signing
Without DKIM, SPF alone cannot achieve DMARC alignment and it breaks on forwarding. Your mail has no cryptographic identity receivers can verify.
What is DKIM? → Lower impact
Missing reverse DNS (PTR)
A sending IP with no forward-confirmed reverse DNS (FCrDNS) looks less like a legitimate mail server - a weaker, but real, negative signal many receivers check.
Check PTR record → How to Improve Your Email Sender Reputation
A damaged reputation can be repaired, but it takes a structured approach. Here is what to prioritize, in order.
1. Fix authentication first
Deploy SPF, DKIM, and DMARC before anything else - they are the foundational signals ISPs use, and without them good sending habits won't build reputation. Target DMARC
What is DMARC? → p=reject as your end goal.2. Remove blacklist listings
Find every list your domain or IP appears on and submit delisting requests. Major lists like Spamhaus ZEN and Barracuda have self-service portals - fix the root cause before you request removal.
Blacklist removal guide → 3. Build positive history
Send consistently to engaged recipients, keep complaints below 0.1%, honor unsubscribes immediately, and warm up new IPs gradually. Reputation rebuilds over 4 to 12 weeks of clean, authenticated sending.
Deliverability best practices → Frequently asked questions
What is email sender reputation?
Email sender reputation is a trust score that ISPs, mailbox providers, and spam filters assign to your sending domain and IP address. It reflects how trustworthy your sending behavior looks, based on signals like blacklist status, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), spam-complaint rates, bounce rates, and sending consistency. A higher reputation means your mail is more likely to reach the inbox instead of the spam folder.
How do I check my email sender reputation?
Enter your sending domain in the tool above. It runs a live DNS analysis - SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MTA-STS and reverse DNS on your mail servers - checks your domain and its sending IPs against real blacklists, and returns a 0-100 reputation score with specific fixes. For inbox-provider-specific data you can also use Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS.
What causes a bad email sender reputation?
The most common causes are: appearing on blacklists (Spamhaus, Barracuda, SORBS), missing or misconfigured SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records, high spam-complaint rates (above 0.1% triggers filtering at Gmail), high bounce rates from stale or purchased lists, sending bulk mail without authentication, and inconsistent sending patterns. Any one hurts; several together compound quickly.
How long does it take to repair email sender reputation?
Typically 4 to 12 weeks, depending on severity. Some fixes are fast: blacklist delisting takes 24 to 72 hours and DNS record changes propagate within 1 to 48 hours. But rebuilding ISP trust through positive sending history takes several weeks of consistent, authenticated, low-complaint sending. Moving DMARC to enforcement accelerates recovery by proving you actively protect the domain.
Does DMARC affect email sender reputation?
Yes, significantly. Domains enforcing DMARC (
p=quarantine or p=reject) signal to ISPs that they actively fight spoofing and phishing. Google and Yahoo made DMARC a requirement for bulk senders in 2024, so a missing or p=none policy lowers your reputation and increases filtering. Advancing to p=reject is one of the highest-impact steps you can take.What is a good email sender reputation score?
In this tool's model, 80 or above is Excellent - full authentication, clean blacklists, strong inbox placement. 66 to 79 is Good, with only minor gaps. 41 to 65 means Needs Attention: authentication gaps or listings are affecting deliverability. Below 40 is Poor and signals a real risk of mail being blocked. The score is derived from public DNS; always review the individual checks for exact fixes.
Protect and monitor your sender reputation
PowerDMARC gives you complete visibility into your domain's authentication, sending sources, and reputation signals - with alerts the moment anything changes.
