🛰️ Live DNS test - no signup

Free ESP Checker

Type any domain or email address and run a real, live DNS test. The checker reads the domain's SPF, MX, and DMARC records and tells you which email service provider sends its mail, which provider hosts its inbox, and which vendor monitors its DMARC.

The test runs entirely in your browser using public DNS-over-HTTPS resolvers (Google and Cloudflare). Only public DNS records are read - no mailbox, no email body, nothing private. SPF, MX, and DMARC are public information for every domain.

Quick answer

How do you check which ESP a domain uses?

TL;DR. A domain's DNS leaks its entire email stack. The SPF record (v=spf1 ... ~all) lists every platform allowed to send mail - include:sendgrid.net is SendGrid, include:servers.mcsv.net is Mailchimp, include:mktomail.com is Marketo. The MX record shows the mailbox provider (aspmx.l.google.com = Google Workspace, *.mail.protection.outlook.com = Microsoft 365). The DMARC rua address often names the monitoring vendor. The checker reads all three live and matches them against 50+ providers.

Methodology

What the checker actually reads

Three public DNS signals, queried live every time you run a test.

1

SPF: the sending ESPs

The SPF record lists every host and include: authorised to send mail for the domain. Each include maps to a sending platform. The checker expands nested includes recursively, so it finds ESPs hidden one or two levels deep.

2

MX: the mailbox host

MX records point at whoever receives mail for the domain - Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Proofpoint, Mimecast, Zoho. This is the inbox provider, separate from the marketing sender.

3

DMARC: policy and vendor

The DMARC record shows the enforcement policy (p=none / quarantine / reject) and its rua report address often reveals the monitoring vendor - Valimail, Red Sift, dmarcian, Postmark.

4

Recursive expansion

Big brands hide their real ESPs behind a single include (include:spf1.stripe.com). The checker follows those references, bounded to a safe lookup budget, to surface the platforms underneath.

5

Signature matching

Every host found is matched against a table of 50+ providers - marketing ESPs, transactional infrastructure, CRMs, help desks, mailbox hosts, and DMARC vendors - each with the exact record that matched it.

6

Live, never cached

Each run performs fresh DNS-over-HTTPS lookups in your browser. The result is the domain's real configuration at the moment you check it - a genuine test, not a lookup from a stale database.

Signals

What the records reveal

A sample of the signature table. The full set covers 50+ providers.

Record Example What it identifies
SPF includeinclude:sendgrid.netSendGrid (Twilio)
SPF includeinclude:servers.mcsv.netMailchimp
SPF includeinclude:_spf.klaviyo.comKlaviyo
SPF includeinclude:mktomail.comMarketo
SPF includeinclude:amazonses.comAmazon SES
SPF includeinclude:mail.zendesk.comZendesk
MXaspmx.l.google.comGoogle Workspace
MX*.mail.protection.outlook.comMicrosoft 365
DMARC ruarua=mailto:[email protected]Valimail monitoring
Who it is for

Use the ESP checker when you need to

Qualify sales prospects

Confirm a prospect's sending stack before outreach - pitch the right integration, or time a migration play when their SPF changes.

Scout a competitor

See which platform powers a competitor's email, who hosts their inbox, and whether they run DMARC at enforcement.

Audit your own domain

Spot forgotten senders still authorised in your SPF, a missing DMARC policy, or a record creeping toward the 10-lookup limit.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is an ESP checker?

A tool that identifies which email service provider a domain uses by reading its public SPF, MX, and DMARC DNS records and matching them against a table of known providers.

Is this a real test?

Yes. Every run performs live DNS-over-HTTPS lookups from your browser and reads the domain's actual current records. Nothing is cached.

Why do I see several providers?

Companies authorise multiple senders - marketing, transactional, CRM, help desk. SPF lists them all, so the checker reports each one separately.

What if nothing matches?

The domain may send in-house, use IP-only SPF, or have no SPF at all. The checker still shows the raw records so you can read them yourself.

Does it read my email?

No. It only reads public DNS records - SPF, MX, DMARC. No mailbox is accessed and no message content is ever inspected.

SPF vs header detection?

SPF shows who is authorised to send. To confirm who actually sent a specific email, read its headers - that is what the signed-in ESP detector does.

Related reading

Get started

Stop guessing. Start winning.

Join newsletter creators using AI-powered competitor intelligence to ship better content, faster.

No credit card required  ·  Cancel anytime  ·  All features on every plan