ToolTrusted vs MXToolbox in one line: MXToolbox is the go-to catalog of one-off DNS and blacklist lookups (plus paid delivery monitoring), while ToolTrusted is a platform that remembers — it explains every change, turns issues into incidents with lessons, ranks the fixes, and benchmarks you against the real population. Point tool vs. continuous intelligence.
If you are evaluating MXToolbox competitors, ToolTrusted is a modern, independent MXToolbox alternative — a genuinely free MXToolbox alternative for everyday lookups, and a fuller email deliverability tools comparison once you need ongoing monitoring. Both tools read the same public DNS records defined by the email authentication standards (RFC 7489); the difference is what each does with them.
ToolTrusted vs MXToolbox: side by side
| Capability | ToolTrusted | MXToolbox |
|---|---|---|
| Raw DNS & blacklist lookups | Yes — free tools | Yes — very broad catalog |
| Continuous monitoring | Yes, with explained changes | Yes (paid) — alert-based |
| Replayable history & memory | Immutable, reconstructable | Limited |
| Incidents with lifecycle & lessons | Yes | No |
| Impact-ranked recommendations | Yes | No |
| Benchmarking vs a real population | Yes — 10,000 domains | No |
| Deterministic + explainable verdicts | Yes | Partial |
| Breadth of raw tools, brand & scale | Focused | Stronger |
Which to choose
you want to understand and act on how your email posture changes over time — not just look up a record once. You want incidents, ranked fixes, benchmarks and an API, as one platform.
you need the widest possible catalog of one-off network and DNS lookups, or you’re standardized on their long-established brand and toolset.
Pros and cons at a glance
Where ToolTrusted is stronger
- Remembers every check and explains what changed — not one-off lookups
- Incidents with lifecycle and impact-ranked fixes
- Benchmarking against a 10,000-domain adoption study
- Deterministic, explainable verdicts; free tools and Health Check
Where MXToolbox is stronger
- Wider catalog of raw network and DNS lookup tools
- Longer-established brand and scale
How MXToolbox pricing works
MXToolbox’s individual lookups are free through its SuperTool, while continuous monitoring and delivery reporting are paid subscriptions tiered by the number of monitors and domains. You are paying for scale and the breadth of its raw network toolset. Confirm the current tiers on mxtoolbox.com.
Switching from MXToolbox
There is nothing to export — ToolTrusted reads your live DNS and returns a scored, explained posture in about 30 seconds. In a ToolTrusted vs MXToolbox migration, the difference is not the lookups (both do those); it is that ToolTrusted remembers every check, opens incidents, and ranks the fixes. Treated as a dmarc monitoring comparison, ToolTrusted tracks how your DMARC policy changes over time rather than reporting only its current state — so you move from one-off lookups to continuous intelligence, not swapping one lookup tool for another.
Frequently asked questions
How is ToolTrusted different from MXToolbox?
MXToolbox is the broad catalog of one-off DNS and blacklist lookups. ToolTrusted turns those signals into continuous intelligence: it remembers every check, explains what changed, opens incidents, ranks fixes, and benchmarks you against a 10,000-domain study. A lookup answers “what is this now?”; ToolTrusted answers “what changed, why does it matter, and what should I do?”
Does ToolTrusted do blacklist and DNS lookups like MXToolbox?
Yes, for free — SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MX, A, PTR, BIMI, MTA-STS, TLS-RPT and blacklist checks against Spamhaus ZEN, Barracuda and SpamCop. MXToolbox has a wider catalog of raw network tools; ToolTrusted focuses on email posture with memory and explanation layered on top.
Is there a free tier?
Yes. All the lookup tools and the full Email Health Check are free with no sign-up. Paid tiers add continuous monitoring, history, incidents and benchmarking.
Does ToolTrusted monitor changes over time?
Yes — that’s the core difference. It re-checks on a schedule (weekly on Starter, daily on Pro and Agency), records a dated snapshot each time, and raises an incident when something regresses.