Inbox placement test

The only reliable way to measure inbox placement is to send an actual email. Our email deliverability test checks where your message lands across multiple mailbox providers, giving you a clear picture of your sender reputation before you launch a campaign.

What does this email deliverability test measure?

Our free email deliverability test shows where your email actually lands after it's delivered. Instead of only confirming that a message reached a mail server, it checks whether it arrives in the inbox, Promotions tab, or spam folder across multiple mailbox providers.

To do this, we send your email to a network of seed inboxes. These are real email accounts hosted by providers such as Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, Apple Mail, AOL, Proton Mail, Zoho Mail, Fastmail, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and other business mail services.

Each provider uses different filtering rules, so the same email may reach the inbox in one provider while landing in spam or Promotions in another. Testing across multiple inboxes reveals those differences before you send a campaign to your subscribers.

How to run your free inbox placement test

Running an inbox placement test takes just a few minutes.

For the most accurate results, test the same email your subscribers will receive instead of a sample message.

How to read your deliverability results

When your test is complete, you'll receive a result for each mailbox provider.

• 🟢 Green: Inbox
  Success! Your email landed in the primary inbox. Recipients are likely to see your message alongside their regular emails.
• 🟡 Yellow: Promotions or Secondary Tab
  Your email was delivered successfully but placed in a secondary tab, such as Gmail Promotions or another filtered inbox. While the message is still accessible, visibility and engagement may be lower.
• 🔴 Red: Spam or Junk
  Your email landed in the spam or junk folder or was blocked before reaching the inbox. This usually points to deliverability issues that should be investigated before sending a larger campaign.

Note: Don't be surprised if results differ between providers. An email might reach the inbox in Gmail while landing in spam in Outlook or another mailbox.

Email deliverability testing vs. spam content scoring

An inbox placement test and a spam content checker solve different problems. One measures where your email actually lands after it's sent, and the other reviews the message itself for elements that could affect deliverability.

Inbox placement test	Spam content checker
Sends your email to real seed inboxes	Analyzes your email before it's sent
Shows whether emails reach the inbox, Promotions, or spam	Reviews subject lines, links, images, and formatting
Measures sender reputation and email authentication	Highlights content that could trigger spam filters
Tests multiple mailbox providers	Doesn't show actual inbox placement
Best for verifying real-world deliverability	Best for improving email copy before sending

To get the best results, use both together. Start with an inbox placement test to verify where your emails land, then use a spam content checker to improve the message before your next campaign.

Why are my emails going to spam?

If your inbox placement test shows emails landing in spam, the problem is rarely just one thing. Mailbox providers evaluate your sending reputation, technical setup, mailing list quality, and email content before deciding where a message belongs.

• Poor sender reputation
  Mailbox providers build a reputation score for your sending domain and IP address over time. High bounce rates, spam complaints, low engagement, and inconsistent sending patterns all hurt trust and increase the chances of emails being filtered into spam. Building a good sender reputation takes time. Sending to engaged subscribers, maintaining a clean mailing list, and gradually increasing email volume all improve long-term deliverability.
• Missing or broken authentication
  Email authentication proves that your messages come from an authorized sender. The three most important authentication methods are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. If these records are missing, misconfigured, or fail validation, mailbox providers may reject your emails or treat them as suspicious. Correct authentication is one of the first things to verify when troubleshooting deliverability problems.
• Poor email list hygiene
  Sending emails to invalid or outdated addresses increases bounce rates and hurts your sender reputation. Over time, mailbox providers become less likely to place your emails in the inbox. Cleaning your mailing list regularly removes risky addresses and gives your campaigns a better chance of reaching real subscribers.
• Spammy content and links
  Even with a good sender reputation, email content can still influence where messages land. Excessive promotional language, suspicious links, broken URLs, misleading subject lines, or poorly formatted HTML may increase the likelihood of spam filtering. Reviewing your email before sending can identify content issues that affect deliverability, especially when launching a new campaign or contacting recipients for the first time.

Fix your deliverability: the ultimate tool hub

Your inbox placement test tells you what happened. Our suite of free tools help you find the cause and improve future campaigns.

• Email List Cleaner
  High bounce rates can damage your sender reputation over time. Use the Email List Cleaner to remove invalid, disposable, and risky email addresses before your next campaign.
• Email Blacklist Checker
  If your emails consistently land in spam, your sending IP or domain may be on one or more blocklists. The Email Blacklist Checker helps you identify blacklist issues that could affect deliverability.
• Email Health Checker & MX Lookup
  Authentication and DNS problems can prevent emails from reaching the inbox. Use the Email Health Checker and MX Lookup to verify your email configuration and identify potential issues.
• SPF Generator & SPF Flattening
  SPF records help mailbox providers verify that your emails come from authorized servers. The SPF Generator creates a valid SPF record, while SPF Flattening helps keep complex records within DNS lookup limits.
• Email Spam Tester
  Even with a good sender reputation, email content can influence inbox placement. Run your message through the Email Spam Tester to identify wording, links, formatting, and other content that may trigger spam filters.

Whether you're troubleshooting a single issue or improving your overall email infrastructure, these tools work together to help you reach more inboxes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an inbox placement rate?

An inbox placement rate is the percentage of emails that reach recipients' inboxes instead of the spam folder or another filtered location. A higher inbox placement rate generally means more subscribers are likely to see your emails.

How often should I test my email deliverability?

Test your deliverability before sending important campaigns, after changing your email infrastructure, or whenever you notice lower open rates or engagement. Regular testing catches problems before they affect your subscribers.

Why do my emails go to spam only in Outlook but not Gmail?

Every mailbox provider uses its own filtering algorithms and reputation signals. An email that reaches the inbox in Gmail may still be filtered into spam by Outlook or another provider.

Does this test affect my sender reputation?

No. The test sends your email to controlled seed inboxes created specifically for inbox placement testing. Running a deliverability test does not harm your sender reputation.

What is a good inbox placement rate?

While there's no universal benchmark, consistently reaching the inbox across major mailbox providers is a good sign that your authentication, sender reputation, and email practices are healthy.

How long does the inbox placement test take to show results?

Most tests are completed within a few minutes, although timing can vary depending on the mailbox provider and email processing times.

Can I test cold outreach emails with this tool?

Yes. You can test newsletters, marketing campaigns, transactional emails, and cold outreach messages. Using the same email you plan to send provides the most accurate results.

How do I improve my sender reputation?

Maintain a clean email list, authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, avoid sending to invalid addresses, and send relevant emails to engaged subscribers. Regular inbox placement testing also helps identify problems before they affect larger campaigns.

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