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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- False positives are few
- A million people identifying spam
- $40 annual fee
- No Vista Windows Mail or Mac support
Cloudmark Desktop 5.3/3.2.2 is different from most anti-spam products in a fundamental way, and reviewers seem impressed despite its yearly $40 subscription fee. When multiple users among the software's million-plus subscribers identify an e-mail address as spam, its e-mails are blocked from everyone else in the future. Almost any anti-spam program will have some false positives (legitimate e-mails mistakenly identified as spam) but a March 2008 review by PC Magazine's Neil J. Rubenking says Cloudmark Desktop 5.3/3.2.2 "virtually never blocks a valid mail in error" and gives it an Editors' Choice award. Price is the major criticism in reviews; another is the lack of Vista Windows Mail and Mac support. If you'd prefer not to use hard-drive space to install anti-spam software, reviews suggest OnlyMyEmail (*est. $4 per month), in which your e-mail automatically goes to OnlyMyEmail to be filtered there.
PC Magazine has the best review of Cloudmark Desktop because it is the most recent at this writing, while other reviews evaluate a previous version. Ratings in Consumer Reports, WhichSpamFilter.com and the United Kingdom's Computer Shopper and Practical PC are credible and interesting but are out of date in varying degrees.
Our Sources
PC Magazine does extensive laboratory and hands-on testing of the products it reviews, and it gives Cloudmark Desktop an Editors' Choice. It says the community-based spam-catching "virtually never blocks a valid mail in error."
Review: Cloudmark Desktop 5.3.3 for Microsoft Outlook Review, Neil J. Rubenking, Mar. 28, 2008
2. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
Consumer Reports' laboratory tests 13 anti-spam programs, including Cloudmark Desktop 3.0.2, indicating the report is somewhat dated. You must be a subscriber to view this report.
Review: Ratings: Anti-spam Software, Editors of Consumer Reports, Sept. 2007
Great Britain's Computer Buyer does credible reviews based on hands-on testing. It says Cloudmark was surprisingly effective and gives it a "Best Buy" rating but reviewer Simon Edwards says "if you use an alternative e-mail client or want an all-in-one security package with a top anti-spam engine, Trend Micro's PC-cillin 14 is the best option. But Allume's SpamCatcher will do the job for less cash."
Review: Cloudmark Desktop for Outlook, Simon Edwards, Oct. 2006
This report is outdated but it's still detailed and helpful, and there's an indication that hands-on testing was performed. Cloudmark SafetyBar (Cloudmark Desktop's former name) "returned a very impressive accuracy rate (one of the best we have seen) of over 96 percent," according to reviewer Alan Hearnshaw, but price is a negative.
Review: Cloudmark SafetyBar Review, Alan Hearnshaw
5. Practical PC
The United Kingdom's Practical PC Online reviews a variety of software and gives Cloudmark Desktop a score of 9 out of 10, The spam-blocker's accuracy earns praise, performing "brilliantly," but its $40 USD annual fee is viewed as a negative.
Review: Review: Cloudmark Desktop Spam Blocker, Kai Chandler, Dec. 2007
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