The short answer
MailChannels Inbound suits web hosts that want to protect many customer domains, with a host console, a provisioning API and a cPanel plugin, and domain owners whose host already offers it. iBlockSpam suits businesses that want to buy filtering directly at a published price, with personal quarantines, flexible digests, an outbound relay and DNS monitoring included.
Competitor details below were checked on MailChannels' own documentation and pricing pages in October 2026.
Side by side
| Item | MailChannels Inbound Filtering | iBlockSpam |
|---|---|---|
| Who it's sold to | Hosting providers; domain admins through their host | Businesses directly; partners (MSPs and web hosts) by conversation |
| Pricing model | Per domain per month, with volume discounts | Per domain, unlimited mailboxes (mailbox count, not message volume) |
| Published price | None for Inbound; quotes from sales | Protect $12 per domain/month billed annually ($144/year) or $15 month-to-month; Protect Plus $19 annually or $24 monthly. Beta pricing, USD, excluding tax |
| Minimum and contract | No minimum on month-to-month; cancel any time; longer terms available | 1 domain; annual or month-to-month; cancel any time in the billing portal, effective at period end |
| Trial or guarantee | 30-day trial at no upfront cost, started through sales; full refund within the first 30 days of a paid subscription | No free trial; 30-day money-back guarantee on a domain's first annual subscription |
| Spam handling | Block, quarantine or flag (header) per domain | Quarantine with per-user and admin views, sender lists and advanced filters |
| Quarantine and digests | Quarantine kept up to 7 days; one digest a day per user, sent at a system-chosen time; release from the digest without signing in | Personal quarantine for every user; digests hourly, daily, on a chosen weekday or custom; shared admin quarantine; 30-day message history |
| If your server is down | Messages may stay queued longer while the server is unavailable; no period stated in the documentation we read | Mail spooled for up to 5 days, then delivered |
| Maximum message size | 40 MB | 400 MB |
| Outbound mail | Outbound Filtering is a separate product for hosts, from $99.99 a month | Outbound relay with DKIM signing and outbound filtering, 500 messages a month included |
| Integrations | Provisioning API, WHM/cPanel plugin, domain aliases | Guided setup for Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, cPanel/WHM and Exchange; unlimited domain aliases |
| Data location | United States | Processed in the United States |
| Free tools | Not listed on the pages we checked | Email Health Check, MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, blacklist, PTR, MTA-STS, BIMI, header analyzer, SPF and DMARC generators |
What it costs at 1 and 10 domains
Assumptions: published prices only, USD, excluding tax. Mailbox count doesn't change either price.
| Item | 1 domain | 10 domains |
|---|---|---|
| MailChannels Inbound | Quote only (often bundled by your host) | Quote only, with volume discounts |
| iBlockSpam Protect, annual | $12/month ($144/year) | $120/month ($1,440/year) |
| iBlockSpam Protect, month-to-month | $15/month | $150/month |
If you run many domains as a host or agency, MailChannels' volume tiers may beat a per-domain list price; talk to us about partner pricing too. If your host already includes MailChannels in your plan, the extra cost may be nothing.
When MailChannels Inbound is the better choice
- You're a web host protecting many customer domains. The host console, bulk provisioning, Provisioning API and WHM/cPanel plugin are built for that.
- Your host already offers it. Turning on a filter your host supports is simpler than adding another vendor.
- You want to try before paying. MailChannels offers a 30-day trial through its sales team; iBlockSpam doesn't offer a trial.
- You want simple release from the digest. Users can release held mail straight from the daily digest without signing in.
- You also need outbound filtering for shared servers. MailChannels' Outbound Filtering product is built for hosting providers' sending infrastructure.
When iBlockSpam is the better choice
- Your host doesn't offer MailChannels, or you don't want to depend on your host. You can sign up and pay per domain yourself.
- You want prices you can read. Prices and limits are on the pricing page.
- You want users to choose when they hear about held mail. Digests can be hourly, daily, on a chosen weekday or custom.
- You receive large attachments. iBlockSpam accepts inbound messages up to 400 MB.
- You want a stated outage window. iBlockSpam spools mail for up to 5 days when your server is down.
- You want an outbound relay for one business, not a hosting platform. 500 relay messages a month with DKIM signing are included.
- You want DNS monitoring and free tools. Domain monitoring is included, and our tools need no sign-up.
How to switch from MailChannels Inbound
- If your host provides MailChannels, tell them you're moving filtering and ask them to remove the domain from their account after the cutover.
- Export your domain and user safelists and blocklists.
- Save your current DNS with the Email Health Check and lower the MX TTL a day or two ahead.
- Add your domain in iBlockSpam and follow the guided setup for your platform.
- If your server restricts inbound connections to MailChannels' delivery IPs, allow iBlockSpam's servers before you change MX.
- Change MX, test with the Email Header Analyzer, and keep MailChannels active until the old TTL has passed and no new mail arrives there.
Our migration plan covers each step and the rollback.
MailChannels is a trademark of its owner; iBlockSpam is not affiliated with MailChannels.
Sources
Checked October 2026.
- MailChannels documentation: Inbound Filtering overview (MX filter, block/quarantine/flag, available through hosting provider partners)
- MailChannels documentation: pricing and billing (per domain per month, quotes, 30-day trial, satisfaction guarantee, month-to-month, no minimum)
- MailChannels documentation: quarantine (kept up to 7 days, one daily digest, release without signing in)
- MailChannels documentation: FAQ (data stored in the United States, queuing during outages, Provisioning API)
- MailChannels documentation: attachment restrictions (40 MB maximum message size)
- MailChannels documentation: set up as a domain admin (confirm with your hosting provider)
- MailChannels: pricing (Outbound Filtering from $99.99 a month)
Frequently asked questions
Can I sign up for MailChannels Inbound without a web host?
MailChannels' documentation says Inbound Filtering is currently available through hosting provider partners, and asks domain admins to confirm with their host that it's enabled for their domain. iBlockSpam sells directly to businesses at published per-domain prices, whoever hosts your mail.
How often does MailChannels send quarantine digests?
Its documentation says each mailbox user gets one digest a day while quarantine is on, at a time the system chooses, and messages can be released from the digest without signing in. iBlockSpam lets each user choose hourly, daily, a chosen weekday or a custom schedule.
Is MailChannels Inbound priced per domain like iBlockSpam?
Yes. MailChannels prices Inbound Filtering per domain per month with volume discounts, and gives quotes rather than a public price list. iBlockSpam publishes its per-domain prices: Protect is $12 a month billed annually or $15 month-to-month.
Where does each service process mail?
MailChannels' FAQ says all data is stored in the United States and quarantined messages are kept for up to 7 days. iBlockSpam also processes mail in the United States, and keeps 30 days of message history for tracing and releasing mail.
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