Jun 30, 2025

Security Boulevard Community Chats Webinars Library The Best Email Security Companies: Rankings and Reviews The Best Email Security Companies: Rankings and Reviews Choosing an email security provider shouldn’t be this complicated. The market for email security vendors can be overwhelming. We get it. You’ve got AI-driven platforms, secure email gateways (SEGs), and bold claims from every vendor promising to stop phishing, business email compromise (BEC), and ransomware. So how do you cut through the noise and find the right vendor that actually fits your business? This assessment is built to help you make that decision. Company Proofpoint IRONSCALES IRONSCALES delivers an AI‑driven, mailbox‑level cloud email security solution that combines computer vision, natural language processing (NLP), and a global analyst community to automatically detect and remediate advanced phishing attacks, like BEC and deepfake attacks for enterprises and managed service providers (MSPs) alike. The API solution integrates directly into Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. IRONSCALES builds a security-first culture with integrated phishing simulation testing (PST) and security awareness training (SAT) that sharpen employee instincts against relevant, real-world threats. IRONSCALES also supports full DMARC management and enforcement tools to safeguard your domain against spoofing and ensure email authenticity. Pros and Cons Customers consistently praise IRONSCALES on the quick implementation, ease of use, and integrated training offerings. Users consistently praise IRONSCALES for its intuitive dashboard that makes threat management simple, with one CISO noting it “cut the number of man hours down by 95%.” The platform’s automated remediation capabilities are a standout feature, reducing incident response time from 30 minutes to just 30 seconds. Customers also appreciate the innovative AI approach that catches sophisticated attacks others miss, and the excellent return on investment. However, some users report limited on-prem Exchange support as well as a desire for currently unavailable features like email encryption and archiving. Check Point Avanan Avanan is a cloud email security provider with an API-enabled solution that was acquired by Check Point in 2021. The company uses AI and ML to analyze emails after default layers, but before the inbox, providing what they call inline protection that doesn’t disrupt mail flow while still catching advanced threats. Pros and Cons Avanan customers consistently highlight the comprehensive interface and intuitive UI as advantages, along with reporting capabilities that provide visibility into threats. The easy deployment process and continued detection improvement through machine learning are frequently praised. On the downside, several customers have reported challenges with customer support responsiveness, particularly after the Check Point acquisition. Others mention a large amount of tuning and adjustments necessary to reduce false positives, expensive subscription costs that can surprise during renewal, and service downtime that impacts email flow. Abnormal AI Abnormal AI uses behavioral AI baselines user activity to detect vendor fraud and advanced impersonation threats. Abnormal AI ingests signals across multiple platforms to build a baseline of known-good behavior for every employee and vendor, then applies advanced AI models including NLP to detect behavioral anomalies. Pros and Cons Reviewers appreciate Abnormal’s intuitive dashboard and the fact that it works in the background with minimal administrative overhead. The automatic remediation of dangerous emails is frequently cited as saving security teams time, with one user stating it “gives you a lot of insight into your threat landscape.” However, some users and MSPs, particularly those in Google Workspace environments, report that detection accuracy has declined over time and have expressed interest in more incident classification reporting than currently provided. A few customers express frustration with occasional false positives and note that the platform seems more optimized for Microsoft 365 than Google Workspace. Proofpoint Proofpoint’s primary email protection offering is its SEG, sold both as an on-premises solution and as a cloud-based service. The company emphasizes multilayered detection focusing on email content analysis and sender reputation, with specialized solutions tailored for both enterprise customers and SMBs using Microsoft 365. Pros and Cons Enterprise customers particularly value Proofpoint’s custom firewall rules and granular policy controls that allow for precise security configurations. The data loss prevention (DLP) encryption capabilities and breadth of offerings across the security portfolio make it attractive for large organizations seeking vendor consolidation. Users also praise the Targeted Attack Protection (TAP) module and threat intelligence feeds. However, many reviewers express frustration with missed attacks that slip through despite the high price point. The product interface is frequently described as overly complex and “antiquated,” with an arduous setup and login process. Some users also report that the search functionality in the admin portal often fails to return accurate results, making incident investigation challenging. SpamTitan SpamTitan is a budget‑friendly spam and malware filtering solution for SMBs and MSPs, deployable in the cloud or on‑premises. The platform is particularly popular among MSPs and SMBs due to its competitive pricing and multi-tenant capabilities, offering dual anti-virus engines, sandboxing, and comprehensive threat intelligence. Pros and Cons MSPs and IT administrators praise SpamTitan’s effectiveness and configuration options that allow fine-tuning for different client needs. The solution offers “many switches and tools to achieve your goal” according to users, at a reasonable price point that makes it accessible for smaller organizations. On the negative side, some users experience frustration with legitimate emails being blocked, requiring manual intervention to release them. Others report challenges when managing multiple email addresses and domains, and inconsistencies in spam filter notifications that can confuse end users. Mimecast Mimecast is an established email security provider primarily known for its SEG, which integrates with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace across hybrid or on-premise environments, and its cloud email security offering is built to layer on top of Microsoft 365’s native protections. Pros and Cons Long-time Mimecast users appreciate the platform’s malware detection and URL protection capabilities, which have proven effective in large, complex email environments. The email archiving feature with 99-year retention is particularly valued by organizations with strict compliance requirements. However, customer satisfaction has declined in recent years, with many reviewers reporting an increase in missed attacks and expressing frustration with the overly complex setup and administration. The interface is frequently described as clunky and outdated, requiring significant time investment to navigate. Perhaps most concerning are widespread complaints about deteriorating customer support and service outages. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is the native email security solution for Microsoft 365 environments, providing protection against phishing, malware, and BEC. Pros and Cons Organizations already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem appreciate the seamless integration and unified management console that Defender for Office 365 provides. Users value the included SAT and PST capabilities. However, many security teams find that native protection alone isn’t sufficient for sophisticated threats, often requiring additional third-party solutions. The licensing model can be complex and expensive, particularly for organizations that need Plan 2 features. Some users also report that the interface can be overwhelming, with too many places to configure settings across different admin centers. What is your real-world phishing detection rate, and how do you measure it? Don’t accept marketing claims at face value. Ask vendors for their actual detection rates based on customer data, not just lab tests. Request specifics on how they detect zero-day phishing attacks that don’t contain malicious links or attachments. The best vendors will share metrics like false positive rates alongside detection rates, as both impact your team’s efficiency. Look for solutions that can demonstrate effectiveness against sophisticated attacks like spear phishing and BEC, not just bulk spam. How much will this actually cost my organization over 3 years? Email security pricing can be deceptive. Beyond per-user licensing, consider costs for professional services, training, additional modules, and support tiers. Ask about price increases at renewal—some vendors offer attractive first-year pricing then significantly increase costs. Factor in hidden costs like the time your team will spend on administration, investigating false positives, and managing quarantines. Request references from similar-sized organizations to understand their true total cost of ownership. What happens when your solution fails to catch a threat? No solution catches 100% of threats, so incident response capabilities are crucial. Evaluate how quickly the solution can identify and remediate threats post-delivery across all mailboxes. Ask about automated response capabilities, API limitations for remediation, and integration with your existing security stack. The best solutions offer one-click remediation across your entire environment and automatic threat hunting for similar attacks. How will this impact my security team’s daily workload? Email security shouldn’t create more work for your team. Ask for specific metrics on administrative overhead, including time spent on policy management, incident investigation and response, and user support. Request data on alert volumes and automation capabilities. Solutions like IRONSCALES can reduce workload by 90% or more through intelligent automation and user self-service capabilities. Can you demonstrate ROI beyond just threat prevention? Modern email security should deliver measurable business value beyond blocking attacks. Look for vendors who can quantify benefits like reduced help desk tickets, improved employee productivity from fewer false positives, decreased cyber insurance premiums, and faster security incident response times. Ask for case studies showing hard ROI metrics from current customers, not just testimonials about features. *** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Blog authored by IRONSCALES . Read the original post at: https://ironscales.com/blog/the-best-email-security-companies-rankings-and-reviews