SPF, or Sender Policy Framework, is an email authentication protocol that verifies whether an email sender is authorized for your domain. This involves performing a DNS lookup of the sender’s domain to check if the sender’s IP address is listed in the domain’s SPF record. In case the IP address is not listed in the SPF record, the email fails SPF authentication. However, SPF records may contain errors, leading to misconfigurations that weaken email security. An SPF checker can help you look up and verify a domain’s SPF record, making sure it’s up and functioning properly!
Key Takeaways
- SPF checkers help look up and check a domain’s SPF record.
- By making sure SPF is functioning correctly, you can improve email deliverability and better protect your domain against spoofing attacks.
- Important factors to pay attention to when choosing an SPF checker tool are whether it’s free, easy to use, beginner-friendly, instant, and bug-free.
- While there are several SPF checkers in the market, PowerDMARC is the #1 SPF lookup tool for instant and error-free validation capabilities and ease of use.
Top SPF Checkers
Below is a list of the top SPF checkers in the market, along with descriptions of the strengths, weaknesses, and ideal use cases of each.
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PowerDMARC
Price: Free to use
PowerDMARC’s SPF checker tool helps you check your SPF record validity in a matter of seconds while also analyzing your record syntax to find and address potential errors. The tool also enables users to see if they are surpassing the 10 DNS lookup limit or the SPF void limit.
Pros:
- Instant Results: Once you input your domain, the system instantly provides results on SPF status, record checks, and found tags, all in a well-organized and visually appealing way.
- Background Information for Beginners: Right below the results, you can see a clear explanation of what an SPF record is and what SPF lookup tools are used for, along with a section on common SPF configuration mistakes and guidance on how to troubleshoot SPF authentication failures. These bite-sized sections, along with an FAQ section at the end, make it possible for complete beginners in the field to understand how to configure SPF properly.
- Error Highlights: You can now optimize your SPF records more efficiently with PowerDMARC’s helpful suggestions and error highlights.
Cons:
- Limits to SPF validation: PowerDMARC’s SPF checker shows results for only SPF validation and doesn’t provide additional lookup suggestions for DMARC or DKIM lookup on the same page. This, however, keeps the interface clean and decluttered as they have separate tools for DMARC and DKIM checks.
Ideal Use Cases
PowerDMARC is suitable for businesses of all sizes that look for a robust SPF validation and scalable SPF management solutions.
2. MXToolbox SPF Checker
Price: Free to use
MXToolbox’s SPF checker is a simple yet effective tool for validating SPF records. It provides a comprehensive analysis of your SPF record, including SPF syntax checks and detecting deprecated records, multiple records, and recursive loops. The tool ensures that the SPF record is correctly configured and does not contain unnecessary characters after the “ALL” directive. MXToolbox’s SPF checker is part of a broader suite of diagnostic tools, which offers users a one-stop solution for managing DNS, blacklist, and SMTP diagnostics.
Pros:
- Necessary Insights: The tool provides checks for duplicate includes and void lookups, ensuring that the record is optimized for email deliverability.
- Easy-to-Navigate Information: The data is divided in a neat tabular format.
- Varying Test Scenarios: This SPF checker has several test scenarios with corresponding results for each.
- Bonus Information: The tool also displays the domain’s DNS hosting provider.
Cons:
- Limited Background Information: MXtoolbox provides limited background information about Sender Policy framework on their SPF checker page, which may be insufficient for complete beginners.
- Popup Ads: On the right side of the screen, there is a pop-up advertisement for their additional services, which may seem inconvenient for users looking specifically for SPF validation tools.
Ideal Use Cases:
MxToolbox is especially great for small businesses or individuals who require basic SPF record validation, as well as those who need a quick and free tool for occasional SPF checks.
3. SPF Checker by Mimecast DMARC Analyzer
Price: Free to use
DMARC Analyzer’s SPF checker is part of a broader suite focused on DMARC analysis and provides detailed insights into SPF record alignment and issues. It integrates seamlessly with DMARC tools to offer real-time validation and recommendations for optimizing SPF records. The checker helps find and address potential issues such as syntax errors and recursive loops, which ensures your SPF records are optimized for effective email authentication.
Pros:
- Instant Validation of SPF Record: This tool offers real-time validation and error detection.
- Detailed Analysis: DMARC Analyzer’s SPF checker provides in-depth insights into SPF record configuration (e.g., whether or not you are using Macros in your SPF record)
- Real-Time Validation: The platform offers immediate feedback on SPF record issues.
Cons:
- Basic Error Detection: The SPF checker may only highlight syntax errors and not provide deeper insights or recommendations for optimizing SPF records.
- Lack of Real-time Updates: DMARC Analyzer’s SPF validation tool may not update in real time, meaning changes to SPF records might not be immediately reflected.
Ideal Use Cases:
Organizations that already use Mimecast’s DMARC tools and seek integrated SPF validation may find this tool particularly useful. It is also great for businesses that are looking for detailed SPF record analysis.
4. Agari SPF Checker
Price: Free to use
Agari’s SPF checker tool provides an analysis of your SPF records and helps you understand which servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of a domain. Agari’s tool ensures that you can verify whether your SPF record is error-free and provides insights into its configuration.
Pros:
- Clean Interface: Agari SPF checker has a neat and clutter-free interface, making it very easy to analyze your results
- Additional Tool Recommendations: The tool also provides easy access to additional DNS record validation tools for those looking for more.
- Instant Results: The tool works smoothly and provides instant results without lags or bugs.
- Discovered Tags Information: The tool provides details on discovered tags, such as mechanism/modifier information, content, number of authorized IP addresses, and accompanying explanations.
Cons:
- Requires Additional Details: In contrast with the other SPF checkers presented above (which you could use simply by entering your domain), the Agari SPF checker requires you to also input your email address and country.
Ideal Use Cases:
The tool is especially great for large organizations with complex email infrastructures and multiple email domains.
5. Kitterman SPF Checker
Kitterman SPF Checker is a free and user-friendly tool that helps domain owners validate their SPF records and ensure they are free from syntax errors. The tool helps identify issues like incorrect syntax or unnecessary duplicates and offers suggestions to optimize SPF records. However, the platform may look unengaging with a more simplistic design compared to other options available online.
Pros:
- Syntax Verification: Kitterman SPF Checker instantly checks for the presence of SPF records in DNS, verifies their syntax, and tests their performance based on the email’s origin.
- Free-of-Charge Service: The tool is completely free of charge, which makes it suitable for small businesses with low budgets
- Easy to Use: Those with minimal technical expertise may enjoy the ease of use and straightforwardness of the tool.
- Quick Checks: Kitterman SPF checker is ideal for on-the-go instant SPF validation needs.
Cons:
- Lack of SPF Limitation Checks: While it provides basic validation, it does not check against the 10 DNS lookup limit, which is a major SPF limitation.
- Lack of Visual Organization: There is no tabular format that could help organize the information better for easy navigation.
- No Error Highlights: There is no dedicated section for error highlights that you could follow to gain insights into what actions you should take for troubleshooting.
Ideal Use Cases:
The Kitterman SPF Checker is good for small businesses that need a basic and quick free SPF check.
Sendmarc SPF Lookup Tool
Sendmarc’s SPF Checker is designed to help businesses analyze, optimize, and manage their SPF records with ease. As part of Sendmarc’s comprehensive DMARC platform, this tool provides detailed insights into your SPF configuration, helping you reduce errors and improve email security. By analyzing includes, eliminating duplicates, and flattening records, Sendmarc simplifies SPF management while ensuring compliance with DMARC policies.
Pros:
- SPF Record Analysis: Instantly checks your SPF record for errors, misconfigurations, and excessive DNS lookups.
- “Analyze” Button for Includes: Provides detailed breakdowns of each “include” entry, showing its expanded values.
- DNS Lookup Count: Displays the total number of DNS, MX, and void lookups to ensure compliance with SPF limits.
- Root Record Size Check: Verifies that the SPF record size is within the acceptable limit to prevent failures.
Cons:
- Not Beginner-Friendly: There is no clear guidance on where or how to find supporting materials (e.g. background information, video tutorials, etc.) to understand the technical details presented on the page.
- Lack of Dedicated Section for the Tags: There is no dedicated section on tags found.
Ideal Use Cases:
Sendmarc’s SPF lookup tool may be good for businesses that are looking for a comprehensive email authentication solution that includes SPF optimization rather than a standalone tool.
How to Choose the Right SPF Checker
To find the best SPF checker for your business, you should ask yourself the following questions:
- The tool is free for use without any limitations on usage.
- The tool is reliable, and the results it provides are accurate.
- It is easy to use and provides quick results.
- It doesn’t lag or contain bugs.
- It has a clean, decluttered interface and proper organization of information for easy analysis.
- The error reports are detailed enough to provide you with all the information you need to fix problems in your SPF records.
- It has a dedicated section for error highlights for easy troubleshooting.
- It has related background information on the SPF protocol, tags, and frequently asked questions to understand the authentication process better.
Why PowerDMARC Stands Out as the Best SPF Checker
PowerDMARC balances advanced features with remarkable ease of use, which makes it the best choice for businesses of all sizes. More specifically, PowerDMARC offers:
- Advanced SPF Record Validation: The tool provides detailed error reporting and instant error-free results without costing a dime.
- User-Friendly Dashboard: PowerDMARC helps simplify SPF record analysis and management with the help of its easy-to-navigate, beginner-friendly dashboard.
- SPF Optimization Services: PowerDMARC provides dynamic SPF optimization services with options for both flattening or using Macros for better results.
- A Complete Email Authentication Suite: PowerDMARC does much more than SPF validation, with a whole host of managed email authentication services, including DKIM, DMARC, MTA-STS, TLS-RPT, and BIMI.
Final Words
Given the necessity of an SPF checker in modern business processes and email communications, the 2025 market is now full of solutions that offer SPF lookup services. Many of them do so for free, making the decision even harder since there is no cost-driven motivation behind the decision-making. In this article, we analyzed some of the top SPF checkers in the market. While some organizations may find a given tool enough for their basic SPF lookup needs, some larger enterprises may require more advanced solutions. PowerDMARC is an ideal choice for organizations of all sizes, with a comprehensive analysis merged with a beginner-friendly approach!
To ensure robust SPF implementation and avoid costly email authentication errors, try PowerDMARC’s SPF checker today!
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