--- title: "Free SPF Validator - Check SPF Record Syntax and Compliance | DMARC Report" description: "Validate any SPF record for syntax errors, DNS lookup limit violations, void lookups, and RFC 7208 compliance. Free, no signup required." image: "https://dmarcreport.com/images/og-default.png" canonical: "https://dmarcreport.com/tools/spf-validator/" --- ## What Does This SPF Validator Check? **Syntax validation** Correct v=spf1 prefix, valid mechanisms, proper qualifiers **DNS lookup count** Must be ≤ 10 per RFC 7208 §4.6.4 **Void lookup detection** Includes resolving to empty responses (≤ 2 allowed) **Deprecated mechanism warnings** Flags ptr usage (not recommended by RFC 7208 §5.5) **Macro detection** Identifies SPF macro syntax for dynamic resolution **Recursive include expansion** Full mechanism tree showing nested lookup chains ## SPF validation failed? DMARC Report monitors your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC results so you can catch and fix failures before they impact deliverability. [Start Free Trial](https://app.dmarcreport.com/login) ## Trusted by Professionals ![G2 Leader - DMARC](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/g2-badges/DMARC_Leader_Leader.png) Rated 4.8/5 on G2 · 469 verified reviews ![G2 Momentum Leader - DMARC](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/g2-badges/DMARC_MomentumLeader_Leader.png) DG Dave G. Owner 5/5 ### "DMARC Report has been invaluable in fixing email deliverability issues for our clients" DMARC Report dashboard allows us to see easily what is compliant and what isn't compliant so we can quickly fix issues. 9/27/2022Verified on G2 AL Antoine L. 5/5 ### "Incredible Service for an affordable price" The software is easy to use and has also an entry friendly free plan up to 1,000 mails per month. 9/12/2023Verified on G2 ZK Zunaid K. Director 5/5 ### "Essential tool for email delivery" This tool helps us to implement DMARC reporting for our domains in an easy to use manner. 8/8/2024Verified on G2 [Read all 469 reviews on G2 →](https://www.g2.com/products/dmarc-report/reviews) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://dmarcreport.com/images/dmarcreport-logo.png"},"description":"DMARC reporting and email authentication management. Monitor aggregate and forensic DMARC reports, analyze authentication results, and enforce DMARC policies across all your domains.","parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc","https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://github.com/duocircle"],"subOrganization":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897912","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://www.phishprotection.com"}]},"sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://x.com/duocirclellc","https://www.g2.com/products/dmarc-report/reviews","https://github.com/duocircle","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc","https://www.trustradius.com/products/duocircle/reviews"],"aggregateRating":{"@type":"AggregateRating","ratingValue":"4.8","reviewCount":"470","bestRating":"5","worstRating":"1","url":"https://www.g2.com/products/dmarc-report/reviews"},"contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer support","url":"https://dmarcreport.com/support/"},"knowsAbout":["DMARC","DMARC Reporting","DMARC Aggregate Reports","DMARC Forensic Reports","Sender Policy Framework","DKIM","Email Authentication","Email Security","DNS Management","Email Deliverability"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebSite","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com","description":"DMARC reporting and email authentication management. Monitor aggregate and forensic DMARC reports, analyze authentication results, and enforce DMARC policies across all your domains.","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://dmarcreport.com/images/dmarcreport-logo.png"},"description":"DMARC reporting and email authentication management. Monitor aggregate and forensic DMARC reports, analyze authentication results, and enforce DMARC policies across all your domains.","parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc","https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://github.com/duocircle"],"subOrganization":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897912","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://www.phishprotection.com"}]}}} ``` ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What does an SPF validator check?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"An SPF validator checks: syntax correctness (starts with v=spf1, valid mechanisms, proper qualifier), DNS lookup count (RFC 7208 limit of 10), void lookup count (limit of 2), deprecated mechanisms (ptr), multiple SPF records on the same domain (PermError), and proper use of the all qualifier."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the difference between an SPF checker and an SPF validator?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"They are functionally the same tool. \"SPF checker\" typically emphasizes looking up the record, while \"SPF validator\" emphasizes checking it for errors. This tool does both - it retrieves the live record from DNS AND validates it against RFC 7208 rules."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I fix an invalid SPF record?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Common fixes: merge multiple SPF records into one (RFC 7208 requires exactly one per domain), reduce DNS lookups below 10 by flattening includes into IP addresses, remove deprecated ptr mechanisms, and ensure the record starts with v=spf1 and ends with a qualifier (-all, ~all, or ?all)."}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"SoftwareApplication","name":"Free SPF Validator - Check SPF Record Syntax and Compliance","applicationCategory":"WebApplication","operatingSystem":"Web","description":"Validate any SPF record for syntax errors, DNS lookup limit violations, void lookups, and RFC 7208 compliance. Free, no signup required.","url":"https://dmarcreport.com/tools/spf-validator/","offers":{"@type":"Offer","price":"0","priceCurrency":"USD"},"provider":{"@type":"Organization","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},"aggregateRating":{"@type":"AggregateRating","ratingValue":"4.8","reviewCount":"470","bestRating":"5","worstRating":"1"}}] ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://dmarcreport.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Tools","item":"https://dmarcreport.com/tools/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"SPF Validator","item":"https://dmarcreport.com/tools/spf-validator/"}]} ```