MxToolbox Alternatives for Blacklist & Deliverability Monitoring (2026)
MxToolbox is the reference tool for blacklist lookups and email deliverability, and its free lookups are excellent. But its Delivery Center monitoring starts at $129/month, which is a lot if you mainly want blacklist, SSL and SPF/DKIM/DMARC alerts for a handful of domains. This is a straight comparison of the alternatives on price and coverage only — MxToolbox is a capable product; the question is whether you need everything it charges for.
All prices below are list prices from each vendor’s own materials at the time of writing (July 2026); links are in Sources so you can confirm the current numbers.
What MxToolbox monitors — and what it costs
MxToolbox’s paid monitoring (Delivery Center) is a comprehensive deliverability suite: blacklist monitoring across 100+ lists, DMARC reporting, and email-flow diagnostics.
- Free tier: one monitor with access to the top ~30 blacklists.
- Delivery Center: around $129/month, covering roughly 5 domains, with additional domains billed on top.
(Sources: Capterra, Software Advice, and the MxToolbox products page.)
If you need 100+ blacklists, deep DMARC analytics and managed services, that price buys a lot. If you mainly want to know when something breaks, it’s more than most small teams need.
The alternatives, by price and coverage
| Tool | From | Blacklists | SSL expiry | SPF/DKIM/DMARC | DNS change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MxToolbox Delivery Center | ~$129/mo | 100+ | via add-ons | DMARC reporting | — |
| DHM (this site) | $5/mo | 52 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| HetrixTools | free / ~$5.95/mo | 100+ | ✓ | — | — |
| TrackSSL | $17/mo | — | ✓ | — | — |
Notes on each:
- DHM — the tool behind this blog. Monitors 52 DNSBLs plus SSL, SPF/DKIM/DMARC, domain expiry and DNS, in one report, from $5/month (one domain free). It checks fewer blacklists than MxToolbox but bundles the other four categories at a fraction of the price. Aggressive/collateral lists are shown as advisory so they don’t create false alarms.
- HetrixTools — strong blacklist + uptime monitoring across 100+ lists, popular with server admins, with an unusually generous free tier (32 blacklist monitors free) and paid plans from about $5.95/month. Less focused on SPF/DKIM/DMARC. (See HetrixTools blacklist-monitor pricing.)
- TrackSSL — SSL-only. Its Starter plan is $17/month billed annually ($19 monthly) for 20 certificates, with a free plan for 2 certificates. Great if certificates are your only concern; you’ll still need something else for blacklists and email auth. (See TrackSSL pricing.)
How to choose
- You need 100+ blacklists, DMARC analytics and managed help → MxToolbox is worth its price.
- You want all five signals (blacklist, SSL, SPF/DKIM/DMARC, expiry, DNS) cheaply → an all-in-one like DHM at $5/mo.
- You only care about blacklists/uptime → HetrixTools.
- You only care about certificates → TrackSSL.
There’s no single “best” — it’s about matching coverage to what you’ll actually act on, without overpaying for the rest.
Try before you decide
You don’t need an account to see where your domain stands. Run a free blacklist check across 52 DNSBLs, or the full five-check report, and compare the output to whatever you’re paying for today.
Sources
- MxToolbox products: https://mxtoolbox.com/c/mxtoolboxproducts
- MxToolbox Delivery Center pricing (Capterra): https://www.capterra.com/p/193765/MxToolbox/
- MxToolbox Delivery Center (Software Advice): https://www.softwareadvice.com/email-marketing/mxtoolbox-delivery-center-profile/
- TrackSSL pricing: https://trackssl.com/pricing/
- HetrixTools blacklist-monitor pricing: https://hetrixtools.com/pricing/blacklist-monitor/