Run a test

Will your email reach the inbox, or land in spam?

Send one email to the address below and get a score out of 10, with checks for SPF, DKIM, DMARC, blocklists and the message itself.

  2. Then check your score

The address works for 2 hours. Your message is deleted as soon as it has been scored.

How it works

One email, one spam score, a clear list of fixes

Find out why your newsletters, invoices or contact-form emails land in spam, before your customers tell you. This free email spam checker reads your message the way Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo would.

Send one email

Copy the one-time address and send your real newsletter, invoice or contact-form message to it, from the same tool and address you normally use.

We check how it arrived

The tester reads the message as a receiving mail server would: who sent it, whether it is signed, whether the server is trusted, and what the message contains.

Get a score and a to-do list

You get a spam score out of 10 and a plain list of what passed and what to fix, with the exact DNS records that were found.

What we check

Everything a mail server looks at before it picks inbox or spam

Each check is shown in your report with the points it cost, so you know exactly what is pulling your spam score down.

SPF

A DNS record that lists the servers allowed to send email for your domain. We check that the server that sent your message is on the list.

DKIM

A digital signature on each message. We verify it against the public key in your DNS, so you know the message was not changed on the way.

DMARC

Tells receivers what to do when SPF and DKIM fail, and requires one of them to match your From address. Gmail and Yahoo expect it from bulk senders.

Sending server

Whether the server has reverse DNS that points back to it, introduces itself with a real name and delivers with TLS encryption.

Blocklists

An email blacklist check of the sending server's address against well-known spam blocklists such as Spamhaus, SpamCop and UCEPROTECT.

Headers and content

Required headers, unsubscribe headers, a plain-text version, image-only messages, link shorteners, mismatched links and risky attachments.

Raise your score

The fixes that matter most

Most low spam scores come from the same few problems. Fix these first, then run the email spam test again. It’s free and unlimited, so retest after every change.
Test an email

01

Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC

Add the SPF and DKIM records your email provider gives you, then add a DMARC record starting with p=none. These three account for most of the score.

02

Send from a real address on your own domain

Use an address such as hello@yourdomain.com with your provider’s mail server. Email sent straight from a web server, or from a free address, is far more likely to be junked.

03

Write like a person

Include real text, add a plain-text version, link to full addresses instead of shortened links, and keep images as a supplement, not the whole message.

04

Warming up a new domain? Test at every step:

New domains and inboxes start with no sending reputation. Raise your sending volume slowly over a few weeks, and run a mail test before you start and after every DNS change. That way you catch setup problems before your volume goes up, not after your emails start landing in spam.

Compare

A mail-tester.com and MXToolbox alternative with no daily limit

mail-tester.com made the spam score out of 10 famous, and MXToolbox is the go-to for email DNS and blacklist lookups. Our mail tester gives you both in one report, with no cap on how often you test and no copy of your email left behind.
Features DownForEveryone mail-tester.com MXToolbox
Free tests Unlimited 3 per 24 hours Free deliverability test
Sign-up None None for free tests None for the free test
Paid plans None, always free From $10/month for 50 tests From $129/month
Spam score out of 10 ✓ Yes ✓ Yes Not listed
SPF, DKIM, DMARC ✓ Yes ✓ Yes ✓ Yes
Blocklist check ✓ Yes ✓ Yes ✓ Yes
Content checks ✓ Yes ✓ Yes Not listed
Where you see results On the page On the page Link emailed back to the sender
What happens to your email Deleted as soon as it is scored Results visible to anyone with the test address for 7 days Not listed

mail-tester.com and MXToolbox are trademarks of their respective owners. DownForEveryone is independent and not affiliated with either. Comparison based on their public pages as of October 2026: mail-tester.com FAQ, mail-tester.com pricing roundup, MXToolbox deliverability tool, MXToolbox plans.

Questions

Email deliverability, explained

Something else? Get in touch and we’ll answer.

9 or 10 means the technical setup is right. Between 7 and 9, fix the items marked in the report. Below 7, some mail providers are likely to put the message in spam.

They are three DNS records that prove an email really comes from your domain. SPF lists the servers allowed to send for you, DKIM adds a signature to each message, and DMARC tells receivers what to do when those checks fail. Gmail and Yahoo now expect all three from bulk senders.

The most common reasons are missing or broken SPF, DKIM or DMARC records, a sending server on a blocklist, sending from a free or unmatched address, and content that looks like spam, such as image-only emails or shortened links. Run a test and the report shows which ones apply to you.

Yes. An email warm-up service builds your sender reputation over time by sending and replying to emails gradually. A mail tester checks that your setup is right, covering SPF, DKIM, DMARC, blocklists and content. Use both: run a test before you start warming up, after any change to your DNS records, and before your first real campaign. Warm-up can’t fix a broken setup, but a quick test will catch one.

Every message starts at 10. Each failed check takes points off, and the report shows exactly how many. Authentication (SPF, DKIM and DMARC) carries the most weight, followed by blocklists, the sending server, headers and content.

No. Your message is deleted as soon as it has been scored, and the test address expires after 2 hours. Nothing is kept for anyone else to view.

Give it a minute or two, since some providers queue outgoing mail. Then check that you copied the full address and that the email left your outbox. If it still hasn’t arrived after 10 minutes, get a new address and send it again.

It combines a spam score out of 10 with full SPF, DKIM, DMARC, server and blocklist checks in one report. It’s free with no daily limit and no sign-up, and your message is deleted as soon as it’s scored.

Try it

Check your email before your customers do.

Send one message to your test address and get your spam score in about a minute. Free and unlimited.
Test an email now

More tools: Website checker · DNS checker · SPF checker · DKIM checker · DMARC checker