SimpleDMARC vs Valimail

Valimail takes a gateway approach to DMARC. SimpleDMARC takes a DNS approach. See which model is right for your organization.

Valimail vs SimpleDMARC: a different philosophy

Valimail built its reputation on "automated DMARC enforcement" — a service that routes your email through their infrastructure to authenticate it before delivery. For large enterprises with complex, multi-vendor sending environments and a dedicated IT team, this approach has appeal. But it comes with significant trade-offs: mandatory mail re-routing, enterprise-only pricing, and dependency on Valimail's infrastructure for your email to flow.

SimpleDMARC takes the pure DNS approach. Your email flows exactly as it does today — no MX re-routing, no mail gateway changes. SimpleDMARC reads your DMARC aggregate reports, maps your sending sources, and guides you through tightening your policy from monitoring (p=none) to full enforcement (p=reject). The result is the same — authenticated, spoofing-resistant email — with none of the infrastructure risk.

For most organizations — including mid-market companies, MSPs managing multiple clients, and businesses that need BIMI and MTA-STS alongside DMARC — SimpleDMARC provides complete email authentication at transparent, predictable pricing without requiring a procurement process.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Feature SimpleDMARC Valimail
DMARC Monitoring ✔️ ✔️
SPF Record Management ✔️ ✔️
DKIM Record Management ✔️ ✔️
BIMI Support ✔️ ❌
MTA-STS Hosting ✔️ ❌
Aggregate Report Parsing ✔️ ✔️
Forensic Report Analysis ✔️ ✔️
Threat Intelligence ✔️ ✔️
Managed DMARC Service ✔️ ✔️
White-Label Portal ✔️ ❌
Unlimited Users ✔️ ❌
Self-Service Signup ✔️ ❌
Free Plan Available ✔️ ❌
DNS-Only (No Mail Re-routing) ✔️ ❌
Transparent Pricing ✔️ ❌
API Access ✔️ ❌
Enterprise only ❌ ✔️

Where SimpleDMARC wins

No mail re-routing required

Valimail's enforcement product requires your email to pass through their infrastructure — which means changing your MX records or SPF to route mail through Valimail's systems before it reaches your recipients. SimpleDMARC is DNS-record-only. Your mail flow doesn't change. There's no risk of email disruption, no reliance on a third-party mail gateway, and no infrastructure change that needs sign-off from your IT or security team.

BIMI and MTA-STS included

Valimail focuses on DMARC enforcement and does not offer BIMI readiness support or MTA-STS policy hosting on standard plans. SimpleDMARC covers the full email authentication stack: DMARC, SPF flattening, DKIM management, BIMI logo verification, and MTA-STS policy hosting — all in a single platform. If you want your brand logo visible in Gmail and Apple Mail, SimpleDMARC has you covered.

Transparent pricing and self-service trial

Valimail is an enterprise product with no published pricing — you need a sales conversation to get a quote, and contracts typically run into the thousands annually. SimpleDMARC starts at $99/year with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required. You can sign up, connect your domain, and start seeing DMARC data within minutes — no demo call, no waiting for a provisioning email.

White-label for MSPs and agencies

If you manage DMARC for multiple clients, SimpleDMARC's white-label portal lets you present the DMARC dashboard under your own brand. Valimail does not offer white-labeling for resellers. For MSPs looking to add email security to their service portfolio, SimpleDMARC's white-label plus unlimited users model makes it straightforward to onboard and manage clients at scale.

Transparent Pricing vs. Enterprise Contracts

SimpleDMARC Valimail
$99/yr —
Starting price — published publicly Enterprise pricing — contact sales
No mail re-routing required Requires mail re-routing
BIMI + MTA-STS included No BIMI or MTA-STS hosting
14-day free trial, no CC needed No self-service trial

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Valimail require changes to my email routing?
Valimail's core enforcement product works by re-routing your email through their infrastructure to apply authentication. This means DNS changes beyond just your DMARC record — MX and/or SPF records need to point to Valimail's systems. SimpleDMARC is a pure DNS-record approach: you add SimpleDMARC's reporting endpoints to your DMARC rua/ruf tags. There is no mail flow change, no MX re-routing, and no risk of email disruption during setup.

How does SimpleDMARC pricing compare to Valimail?
Valimail does not publish pricing publicly and positions itself as an enterprise product — expect four-to-five-figure annual contracts. SimpleDMARC starts at $99/year with a self-service free trial and no sales call required. For SMBs and MSPs who need full DMARC enforcement without enterprise overhead, SimpleDMARC delivers the same outcome at a fraction of the cost.

Can I migrate from Valimail to SimpleDMARC?
Yes, and it's straightforward. If you're currently using Valimail's DNS-based monitoring, switching means updating your DMARC record's rua and ruf tags to SimpleDMARC's endpoints — a single DNS change. If you're using Valimail's enforcement gateway (mail re-routing), you'll want to work through the switch carefully to avoid email disruption, but the SimpleDMARC setup itself is a simple DNS update. Our team can walk you through it.

Does SimpleDMARC offer the same managed enforcement as Valimail?
SimpleDMARC includes a managed DMARC service where our team monitors your sending sources, flags unauthorized senders, and guides you through policy tightening from p=none to p=reject. The key difference is approach: Valimail enforces via infrastructure; SimpleDMARC enforces via DNS records that you own and control. Our approach means no vendor lock-in and no email infrastructure dependency.

Get Full DMARC Enforcement Without the Complexity

SimpleDMARC delivers the same enforcement outcomes as Valimail — without changing your mail infrastructure. Start your free trial today.