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Head-to-head · Email Security Gateways

Sophos Email vs Rspamd

  • Updated Sep 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Sophos Email #2 in Email Security Gateways 8.2/10 Pricing on request · 30-day trial ✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Sophos Email
Rspamd #21 in Email Security Gateways 5.7/10 Free plan · paid from £100/mo Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Rspamd

Sophos Email leads on 3 checks, Rspamd on 1, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreSophos Email · 8.2/10
  • Free planonly Rspamd
  • Most featuresSophos Email · 5 of 5

Sophos Email scores higher on our rubric for email security gateways: 8.2 against 5.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #21.

Rspamd offers free plan; Sophos Email doesn't. Sophos Email offers malware sandboxing; Rspamd doesn't publish it. On deployment model, Rspamd gives you Gateway where Sophos Email offers Cloud. Sophos Email offers microsoft 365 support; Rspamd doesn't publish it. Sophos Email offers google workspace support; Rspamd doesn't publish it.

Sophos Email is the better fit for microsoft 365 and Google Workspace security. Rspamd is the better fit for technical teams wanting free open-source control.

  • Sophos Email fits best

    Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace security

  • Rspamd fits best

    Technical teams wanting free open-source control

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you click some links. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Sophos Email 8.2/10 Visit ↗ Rspamd 5.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.2 5.7
Ranking #2 in Email Security Gateways #21 in Email Security Gateways
Best for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace security Technical teams wanting free open-source control
Pricing model Paid Free plan + paid
Starting price Not published Not published
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Desktop, Self-hosted
Platforms Web Linux, macOS
Integrations 5 integrations 11 integrations
Features Sophos Email 5/5 · Rspamd 2/5
Outbound filtering ✓ ✓
Impersonation protection ✓ ✓
Malware sandboxing ✓ (best) Not published
Microsoft 365 support ✓ (best) Not published
Google Workspace support ✓ (best) Not published
Specs
Deployment model Cloud Gateway
Our review
Pros
  • Covers phishing, malware, impersonation, URLs, QR codes, and clawback
  • Supports SPF, DKIM, DMARC, DLP, encryption, and sandboxing
  • Integrates with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Sophos MDR, and XDR
  • Free open-source edition with programmable filtering and scoring
  • Broad mail-server integration through HTTP API and Milter
  • Supports inbound and outbound scanning, rate limiting, and authentication checks
Cons
  • Pricing is quote-based rather than published as numerical plans
  • No perpetual free plan is offered
  • Advanced capabilities depend on the higher Sophos Email Plus tier
  • Requires technical administration of mail-server integrations
  • Paid Scale plan starts at £100 per month for 5K mailboxes
  • Uses antivirus integration rather than an isolated malware sandbox
Our verdict

Sophos Email is a cloud-managed email security product for business, educational, and government organizations. It is designed for teams using Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace that need protection against phishing, business email…

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 using spam scoring, Bayesian classification, machine…

Read the review →
  1. Sophos EmailEmail Security Gateways 8.2Pricing on request · 30-day trial
  2. RspamdEmail Security Gateways 5.7Free plan · paid from £100/mo

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Sophos Email — where it wins

    • Covers phishing, malware, impersonation, URLs, QR codes, and clawback
    • Supports SPF, DKIM, DMARC, DLP, encryption, and sandboxing
    • Integrates with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Sophos MDR, and XDR

    Where it doesn't

    • Pricing is quote-based rather than published as numerical plans
    • No perpetual free plan is offered
    • Advanced capabilities depend on the higher Sophos Email Plus tier

  • Rspamd — where it wins

    • Free open-source edition with programmable filtering and scoring
    • Broad mail-server integration through HTTP API and Milter
    • Supports inbound and outbound scanning, rate limiting, and authentication checks

    Where it doesn't

    • Requires technical administration of mail-server integrations
    • Paid Scale plan starts at £100 per month for 5K mailboxes
    • Uses antivirus integration rather than an isolated malware sandbox
  • Sophos Email8.2/10 · Pricing on request · 30-day trial

    A broad cloud gateway for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace email protection.

    Visit Sophos EmailFull verdict →
  • Rspamd5.7/10 · Free plan · paid from £100/mo

    A configurable, self-hosted email security engine for technical mail teams.

    Visit RspamdFull verdict →

More comparisons

All email security gateways comparisons → · Full ranking →

Guides on email security gateways

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026

Last updated · How we research and update