If you’re in charge of making sure your B2B emails actually land in inboxes (not spam folders), you already know the stakes. Maybe you’ve heard about Glockapps or have been bombarded by sales pitches for other deliverability tools. But sorting through feature lists and marketing fluff isn’t how most teams want to spend their day. This guide is for the folks who want to cut through the noise and pick the tool that’ll actually help their B2B team get results.
Let’s break it down step by step—what really matters when comparing deliverability tools like Glockapps, what to ignore, and how to avoid wasting time or money.
1. Get Clear on What B2B Teams Actually Need
Before you even start comparing tools, get honest about what your team needs. B2B email is different from B2C—your lists are usually smaller, the stakes are higher, and you probably care more about hitting decision-makers than blasting the masses.
What usually matters for B2B teams: - Inbox placement: Are your emails making it to the primary inbox, or are they stuck in Promotions/Spam? - Spam trap detection: Are you accidentally emailing spam traps and risking blacklists? - Authentication checks: Do you have SPF, DKIM, and DMARC set up right? If not, you’re just asking for trouble. - Blacklist monitoring: Is your domain or IP on a blocklist? - Real-world reporting: Can you see how your emails land with actual ISPs (Gmail, Outlook, etc.), not just “simulated” results? - Ease of use: Are your less-technical team members able to run tests and understand the results? - Integration with your stack: Does the tool play nice with your email platform, CRM, or workflow?
What usually doesn’t matter: - Fancy dashboards that look good in a board meeting, but tell you nothing actionable. - Overly technical diagnostics you’ll never use (unless you have a full-time deliverability expert on staff).
Pro tip: Write down your top 3-5 must-haves before you look at a single demo. It’ll keep you focused.
2. Break Down Glockapps: What It Does Well (and Where It’s Weak)
Let’s be real—Glockapps is one of the better-known names in deliverability testing, especially for smaller B2B teams. Here’s the honest rundown:
Strengths: - Inbox placement tests: Glockapps uses real seed email addresses across major ISPs. You send a test campaign, and it shows you exactly where your email lands (Primary, Promotions, Spam, Updates, etc.). - Spam score analysis: It checks your messages against common spam filters (SpamAssassin, Barracuda, etc.), so you can see what’s tripping alarms. - Authentication checks: Glockapps makes it easy to verify if SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are set up, and flags issues. - Blacklist and reputation monitoring: Ongoing checks to see if your sending IP/domain is on any major blacklists. - Simple reporting: Not much fluff. Results are clear enough for non-technical folks.
Weaknesses: - Seed list limitations: The “seed list” method (sending to test inboxes) isn’t perfect. It shows trends, but it’s not a perfect mirror of your real recipients’ inboxes. - Integrations: Glockapps is mostly a standalone tool. If you want deep integrations with marketing automation or CRMs, it’s pretty basic. - Enterprise features: Don’t expect fancy user roles, SSO, or audit trails. It’s built for smaller teams. - Actionable advice: The reports are clear, but don’t expect a step-by-step fix for every issue. You’ll still need to know a bit about email best practices.
In short: Glockapps is good for teams who need a straightforward look at inbox placement and basic deliverability diagnostics—without a lot of setup or fuss.
3. Identify the Main Competitors & What Sets Them Apart
You’re going to run into a handful of other tools in this space. Here’s how they stack up, minus the sales fluff:
Inbox Monster
- Strengths: More advanced reporting, better for agencies or teams managing multiple brands. More integrations.
- Weaknesses: Pricier. Interface is a bit overwhelming for small teams. Some features you’ll never use.
MailTester
- Strengths: Free, dead simple, instant feedback on spamminess.
- Weaknesses: Very limited—no inbox placement, no ongoing monitoring, no real-world testing.
MailReach
- Strengths: Focuses on warm-up and reputation management, not just testing. Good for teams who are ramping up new domains.
- Weaknesses: Not a full deliverability suite—think of it as a supplement, not a replacement.
Postmark’s DMARC Digests
- Strengths: Great for monitoring DMARC compliance and alerts.
- Weaknesses: Doesn’t do inbox placement or spam testing.
SendForensics
- Strengths: Deep analytics, predictive scoring, lots of data for technical users.
- Weaknesses: Can be overkill for most B2B teams. More expensive.
There are others, but most smaller tools are just clones or basic spam testers. Focus on the big names unless you have a very niche need.
4. Compare Features That Actually Move the Needle
Here’s a side-by-side look at features you should care about (and a few you shouldn’t):
| Feature | Glockapps | Inbox Monster | MailReach | SendForensics | |----------------------------|:---------:|:-------------:|:---------:|:-------------:| | Inbox Placement Testing | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Spam Filter Analysis | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Blacklist Monitoring | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Authentication Checks | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Warm-up Capabilities | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | | Integrations (CRM/ESP) | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Pricing (B2B-friendly) | 👍 | 👎 | 👍 | 👎 | | Ease of Use | 👍 | 👎 | 👍 | 👎 |
What to ignore: - “AI-powered” scoring — usually just a fancy label slapped on basic rules. - Social proof (“Trusted by Fortune 500 companies!”) — means nothing for your use case. - Feature bloat — 15 dashboards you’ll never open.
5. Run a Real-World Test, Not a Demo
Don’t just watch a sales demo. Here’s how to actually test these tools:
- Sign up for free trials (or use free versions if available).
- Send your real marketing or sales email to the tool’s seed list or testing address, just like you would a prospect.
- Check for:
- Did your email land in the inbox, or in spam/promotions?
- Are authentication results clear and actionable?
- Can you understand and act on the blacklist results?
- How easy is it to repeat the test with future campaigns?
- Are there false positives/negatives that don’t match your real-world results?
- Try it with a few different templates/lists. Testing once isn’t enough—one-off results can be misleading.
Pro tip: Don’t get hung up on a single test result. Look for patterns over several sends.
6. Get a Feel for Support and Documentation
When something goes sideways (and it will), you want a tool that won’t leave you hanging.
- Is there live chat or just a support ticket black hole?
- Are the docs actually helpful, or just marketing copy?
- Is there a real human behind the brand, or is it all bots and “community forums”?
Glockapps generally does okay here—they have live chat, and their docs are better than average. Some competitors (especially newer ones) are basically a “contact us” form and a prayer.
7. Factor In Price (But Watch for Traps)
Most deliverability tools price by number of tests, domains, or seats. Glockapps is pretty affordable for small B2B teams, but costs can add up if you test a lot or have multiple brands.
Watch out for: - Hidden overage fees (sometimes called “credits”). - Annual contracts you can’t escape. - Features locked behind higher tiers (like blacklist monitoring or additional users).
It’s usually worth paying a bit more for something your whole team can use—don’t cheap out and end up with a bottleneck.
8. Don’t Overthink It—Pick Something and Iterate
Here’s the truth: No tool is going to magically fix all your deliverability problems. Most B2B teams just need something that’s reliable, easy to use, and clear enough to help them spot red flags before a big send.
- Start with a tool like Glockapps if you want quick, no-nonsense deliverability checks.
- If you need deeper integrations or manage a ton of domains, look at Inbox Monster or SendForensics.
- Don’t waste time comparing every possible feature—just make sure you can test inbox placement, authentication, and blacklist status.
Keep it simple: Pick a tool, use it consistently, and pay attention to what actually moves the needle for your team. If you outgrow it, switch. Nobody ever won an award for “Best Deliverability Tool Comparison Spreadsheet.” Just get your emails where they need to go.