Best Reviewed
Spam Filters
- Best web-based spam-filtering service ClearMyMail *Est. $25
- Best anti-spam software Cloudmark Desktop *Est. $40
- Free spam blocker Spamfighter *Est. $0
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Best anti-spam software
- Does not block legitimate email
- No training needed
- No system drag
- Ongoing costs
- Occasional errors when processing large volumes of mail
- Limited mail client support
Cloudmark Desktop uses a community of more than a million users to identify spam. Though it is a little more expensive than some similar spam blockers, reviewers give Cloudmark the edge for its ease of use and light system load. Additionally, reviewers like that legitimate emails are almost never blocked. BullGuard Spamfilter, a free spam filter, also uses community input to identify spam, but includes a rules-based filter as well, which has to be trained by the user for best results. While that makes Spamfilter harder to use -- and reports say that Spamfilter doesn't quite match Cloudmark Desktop in effectiveness -- BullGuard Spamfilter does have the advantage of being free.
PCMag.com has consistently credible Internet security reviews, and Neil Rubenking's coverage of Cloudmark Desktop is based on considerable testing and analysis. TheTechHerald.com covers spam filters only on occasion, but Steve Ragan's review is based on months of testing. About.com's write-up doesn't reveal what, if any, testing was done, but is still appropriately balanced.
Our Sources
PC Magazine does extensive laboratory and hands-on testing of the products it reviews, and it gives Cloudmark Desktop an Editors' Choice award. Neil J. Rubenking says the community-based spam-catching "virtually never blocks a valid mail in error."
Review: Cloudmark Desktop Review, Neil J. Rubenking, March 28, 2008
Steve Ragan tests Cloudmark Desktop over a period of several months. Test results are presented and explained, and some comparisons with another spam filter are made. Ragan reports a 97.99 percent detection rate in tests using over 20,000 emails.
Review: Review: Cloudmark Desktop, Steve Ragan, Jan. 5, 2009
3. About.com
Cloudmark Desktop gets reasonably thorough coverage in this report at About.com. Email guide Heinz Tschabitscher likes Cloudmark's accuracy and ease of use, plus the fact that it blocks phishing attempts. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
Review: Cloudmark Desktop 5.3, Heinz Tschabitscher, Not Dated
4. Practical PC
The U.K.'s Practical PC Online reviews a variety of software and gives Cloudmark Desktop a score of 9 out of 10 in this older review. The spam-blocker's accuracy earns praise, performing "brilliantly," but its $40 annual fee is viewed as a negative.
Review: Review: Cloudmark Desktop Spam Blocker, Kai Chandler, Dec. 2007
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