EmailBest Reviewed
Spam Filters
- Best web-based spam-filtering service ClearMyMail *Est. $3
- Best anti-spam software Cloudmark Desktop *Est. $40
- Free spam blocker BullGuard Spamfilter *Est. $0
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Free spam blocker
- Easy to install
- Good online support
- Performance improves with training
- Multiple filtering techniques
- Free
- Mediocre scan speed
- Takes time to train
Reviewers say BullGuard Spamfilter works well -- for a free program. Independent testing puts it behind top-rated commercial software like Cloudmark Desktop (*est. $40 per year) and online services like ClearMyMail (*est. $3.50 per month or $25 per year). Negatives include relatively slow scanning speed and the fact that it takes some time to train the program to correctly recognize spam. Still, if you're willing to invest the time to train it, reviewers say Spamfilter picks up the vast majority of spam and that performance improves over time as it "learns."
Two non-U.S. consumer magazines offer the best coverage of BullGuard Spamfilter: Australia's Choice and U.K.-based Which? magazines. Britain's WebUser also has a very short test-based review. About.com covers BullGuard Spamfilter in a reasonably balanced review that we'd like much better if testing were explained.
Our Sources
1. Choice magazineDetails/Subscribe
Choice magazine is Australia's equivalent to Consumer Reports. Editors evaluate seven free spam filters and four email clients in its latest review. Software is rated on how well it identifies spam, how much legitimate email it blocks, and how easy it is to set up and use. Testing is comprehensive, but discussion is thin. BullGuard Spamfilter is among the standalone filters that are recommended.
Review: Spam Filtering: Review & Compare, Editors of Choice magazine, Feb. 2009
2. Which? magazineDetails/Subscribe
Which? magazine covers suites and standalone products in its latest report, including BullGuard Spamfilter. Which? magazine, much like Consumer Reports, has a reputation for balance and objectivity. However, while the conclusions reached are backed by testing, discussion is brief. The editors award Spamfilter Best Buy status ahead of the other two free spam-blockers reviewed.
Review: Security Software Reviewed, Editors of Which? magazine
3. About.com
About.com has a balanced review of BullGuard Spamfilter. While Heinz Tschabitscher, About.com's guide to email, doesn't mention how he tests, he does adequately and fairly address strengths and weaknesses. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
Review: BullGuard Spamfilter Review, Heinz Tschabitscher
4. WebUser
Reviews tend to be short at this U.K.-based computer magazine. Author Robin Nixon reports a 98 percent success rate on performance testing -- a respectable result that doesn't quite measure up to top-rated commercial software.
Review: BullGuard Spamfilter, Robin Nixon, March 27, 2008
Spam Filters Runners Up:
3 picks including: About.com, Softpedia.com…
3 picks by top review sites.
