Free tool · SpamAssassin + authentication
Email spam checker
Send your email to a one-time test address. We run it through SpamAssassin, check SPF, DKIM, DMARC, reverse DNS and blocklists, and tell you exactly what to fix.
You get a one-time address. Send your real email to it, exactly as your recipients would get it: same account, same tool, same template.
Send your email to
Waiting for your email… this page updates by itself.
The address is valid for two hours and accepts one message. Results are kept for seven days; the message body is never stored.
While you wait: clean your list before you send
Bounces hurt deliverability as much as spammy content. Create a free account and validate 100 addresses every month.
Free email deliverability test: what we check
The spam checker works as a free email deliverability test: it looks at your message the way a receiving mail server does, from the connection to the content.
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| SpamAssassin score | The open-source filter used by countless mail servers, with over 1,000 rules |
| SPF | Is the sending server allowed to send for your domain? |
| DKIM | Is the message signed with your domain and unchanged? |
| DMARC | Does your domain publish a policy, and does the message pass it? |
| Reverse DNS | Does the sending server have a proper host name? |
| Blocklists | Is the sending IP or a linked domain listed as a spam source? |
| List-Unsubscribe | One-click unsubscribe, required by Gmail and Yahoo for bulk senders |
| Content and HTML | Plain-text version, image-to-text ratio, links, size |
How to read your score
The report starts with a grade out of 10, followed by the SpamAssassin score: the sum of all rules that matched. Points for problems are positive, points for good signs negative.
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Below 0 | Excellent: more good signals than bad ones |
| 0 to 1.9 | Good: a few small issues at most |
| 2 to 4.9 | Needs work: fix the listed rules before a large send |
| 5 or more | Classified as spam by SpamAssassin’s default threshold |
Read the authentication results before the score. A failed SPF, DKIM or DMARC check hurts more at Gmail and Microsoft than a few SpamAssassin points, and it is usually quicker to fix. The report explains each rule that matched and how to fix the common ones.
What this test doesn’t cover
- Inbox placement at each provider. This is not a seed-list test that sends to real Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo inboxes. Their filters also weigh your sending history.
- Your reputation over time. Mailbox providers judge your domain and IP by complaints, bounces and engagement. Watch them in Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS, and follow the latest deliverability news for rule changes at Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft and Apple.
- Your list. A perfect message still hurts your reputation when it goes to addresses that bounce. Check your list with the bulk email verifier first.
The most common reasons emails land in spam
- No DKIM signature with your own domain. Set up domain authentication at your email service (then add the DKIM records it gives you to your DNS).
- No DMARC record. Start with
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com: the DMARC generator builds it, and the DMARC checker tests it. - SPF does not include the sending service, or needs more than 10 lookups. Rebuild it with the SPF record generator and test it with the SPF checker.
- Sending from a server without reverse DNS or from a home connection.
- Image-only emails, link shorteners and missing plain-text versions.
- Sending to old or purchased lists. Bounces and spam traps ruin your reputation; validate your list first.
Every rule the test can show is explained in the SpamAssassin rules reference.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if my email will go to spam?
How do I test my email deliverability for free?
What is a good SpamAssassin score?
Why test with a real email instead of pasting text?
Is the test free? What happens to my email?
Does a good score guarantee inbox placement?
Email validation API
Validate emails in your app
emailvalidation.io checks syntax, MX records and the mailbox over SMTP, flags disposable, role and free addresses and returns a quality score, in one request.
/v1/info Email validation API Read the documentation
100 free validations every month. No credit card required.
GET https://api.emailvalidation.io/v1/info?
{
"email": "support@emailvalidation.io",
"user": "support",
"tag": "",
"domain": "emailvalidation.io",
"format_valid": true,
"mx_found": true,
"smtp_check": true,
"catch_all": null,
"role": true,
"disposable": false,
"free": false,
"score": 0.64,
"state": "deliverable",
"reason": "low_quality",
"did_you_mean": "",
"catch_all_resolution": null,
"bounce_probability": null,
"status": "valid",
"sub_status": "role_based",
"explanation": "The mailbox exists, but it is a role address (such as info@ or support@), usually read by a team rather than one person.",
"recommended_action": "send_with_caution"
}