Head-to-head · Email Anti-Spam Software
MX Guarddog vs Rspamd
MX Guarddog leads on 0 checks, Rspamd on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.
Our verdict
- Highest scoreMX Guarddog · 8.7/10
- Free planboth
- Free trialonly MX Guarddog
- Most featuresMX Guarddog · 2 of 3
MX Guarddog scores higher on our rubric for email anti-spam software: 8.7 against 7.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #7.
MX Guarddog is the better fit for budget-conscious domain owners. Rspamd is the better fit for technical teams building programmable filtering.
- MX Guarddog fits best
Budget-conscious domain owners
- Rspamd fits best
Technical teams building programmable filtering
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Side by side
| Feature | MX Guarddog 8.7/10 Visit ↗ | Rspamd 7.9/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 8.7 | 7.9 |
| Ranking | #3 in Email Anti-Spam Software | #7 in Email Anti-Spam Software |
| Best for | Budget-conscious domain owners | Technical teams building programmable filtering |
| Pricing model | Free plan + paid | Free plan + paid |
| Starting price | $0.25/unit/mo | £100/mo |
| Free plan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free trial | 30 days | — |
| Deployment | Cloud | Desktop, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web | Linux, macOS |
| Integrations | 3 integrations | 11 integrations |
| Features MX Guarddog 2/3 · Rspamd 0/3 | ||
| Phishing detection | ✓ (best) | Not checked yet |
| Malware scanning | ✓ (best) | Not checked yet |
| Attachment scanning | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Specs | ||
| Quarantine access | User_and_admin | Not checked yet |
| Supported mail platforms | Standard SMTP email servers for owned domains; not consumer Gmail or Hotmail accounts | Not checked yet |
| Quarantine retention | 7 days | Not checked yet |
| Deployment type | Cloud_gateway | Not checked yet |
| Our review | ||
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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| Our verdict | MX Guarddog is a hosted email security service for organizations, individuals and domain owners operating their own email servers. It routes incoming mail through MX Guarddog data centers, scans messages for spam, phishing, malware and… Read the review → |
Rspamd is an open-source email filtering engine for enterprises, email service providers, hosting providers, and mail-server operators. It analyzes inbound and outbound messages through statistical learning, reputation checks,… Read the review → |
Strengths and trade-offs
MX Guarddog — where it wins
- Spam, phishing, malware and virus scanning
- Quarantine access with message release and reports
- 168-hour outage spooling with TLS encryption
Where it doesn't
- Does not support consumer Gmail or Hotmail accounts
- Designed for owned domains using standard SMTP servers
- Free access requires visible website text links to earn tokens
Rspamd — where it wins
- Open-source scoring with Bayesian and machine learning classification
- SPF, DKIM, DMARC, phishing, antivirus, and outbound controls
- HTTP API, Milter, Lua rules, and broad mail-server integrations
Where it doesn't
- Requires technical administration of rules, protocols, and deployment
- Scale starts at £100/month for 5K mailboxes
- Custom configuration may be more than small teams need
- MX Guarddog8.7/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial
A low-cost cloud gateway for domain owners who run their own email servers.
Visit MX GuarddogFull verdict → - Rspamd7.9/10 · Free plan
A configurable gateway for teams building spam, phishing, and malware controls.
Visit RspamdFull verdict →
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All email Anti-Spam software comparisons → · Full ranking →
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update






