Best Email Security Gateways in 2026
Updated
In short: VM Backup is ranked #1 of 31 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Check Point Harmony SASE and Mailprotector. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Mailprotector. The lowest first paid tier on this page is SpamHero Business Email Security at $5/mo.
Email security gateways help protect email as it moves into and out of an organization. Compared on deployment model, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 support, and outbound filtering, the entries offer useful distinctions in platform fit and mail-flow controls. Impersonation protection and malware sandboxing are separate capabilities to weigh, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost context. VM Backup, Check Point Harmony SASE, and Mailprotector are among the named options to consider. Check which services align with your email environment, then compare the protections and deployment choices that matter to your organization.
31 email security gateways ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Email Security Gateways, ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going. 9 of the 25 on this page can be tried for free.
- 1 VM BackupFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 2 Check Point Harmony SASE
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 3 MailprotectorFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 4 IRONSCALES Email Protect
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 5 LevelBlue AppDetectivePRO
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 6 Libraesva Email Security
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 7 SpamHero Business Email SecurityPaid from $5/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 8 SpamTitan Gateway
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 9 Mimecast Data Leak Prevention
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 10 Proxmox Backup ServerPaid from €46.67/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 11 Abnormal Email Security
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 12 Sophos Secure Message
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 13 Darktrace / EMAIL
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 14 Sublime Security
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 15 Symantec IT Management Suite
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 16 XeamsPaid from $25/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 17 Fortra Data Security Posture Management
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 18 Proxmox Mail GatewayPaid from €15.83/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 19 Cloudflare Email Security
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 20 FortiMail Email Security
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 21 INKY Email Security
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 22 Paubox Email EncryptionPaid from $29/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 23 Hermes Secure Email Gateway
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 24 Perception Point Advanced Email Security
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 25 Rspamd
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Outbound filtering | Impersonation protection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VM Backup | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 2 | Check Point Harmony SASE | 7.2 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 3 | Mailprotector | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 4 | IRONSCALES Email Protect | 6.8 | No | — | No | — | No | Yes |
| 5 | LevelBlue AppDetectivePRO | 6.6 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 6 | Libraesva Email Security | 6.6 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 7 | SpamHero Business Email Security | 6.6 | No | $5/mo | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 8 | SpamTitan Gateway | 6.6 | No | — | No | 1.95 /user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 9 | Mimecast Data Leak Prevention | 6.4 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 10 | Proxmox Backup Server | 6.4 | No | €46.67/mo | No | — | Yes | — |
| 11 | Abnormal Email Security | 6.3 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 12 | Sophos Secure Message | 6.1 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 13 | Darktrace / EMAIL | 6.0 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 14 | Sublime Security | 6.0 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 15 | Symantec IT Management Suite | 6.0 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 16 | Xeams | 6.0 | Free plan | $25/mo | Yes | 1.67 /user/mo | Yes | — |
| 17 | Fortra Data Security Posture Management | 5.9 | No | — | — | — | Yes | — |
| 18 | Proxmox Mail Gateway | 5.9 | No | €15.83/mo | No | — | Yes | — |
| 19 | Cloudflare Email Security | 5.8 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 20 | FortiMail Email Security | 5.8 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 21 | INKY Email Security | 5.8 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 22 | Paubox Email Encryption | 5.8 | No | $29/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 23 | Hermes Secure Email Gateway | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 24 | Perception Point Advanced Email Security | 5.7 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 25 | Rspamd | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which email security gateway is ranked first on The Geeks Club?
VM Backup is ranked #1 of 31 with a score of 7.8. Check Point Harmony SASE is second and Mailprotector third.
How many of these have a free plan?
3 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, SpamHero Business Email Security has the lowest first paid tier we found: $5/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on.