How Many of Your Emails Reach Their Recipients?
Free Inbox Placement Test
Send one email to our test inboxes and see where it lands at Gmail, Google Workspace, Outlook.com and Microsoft 365, usually within 3 to 5 minutes. The test also checks your SPF, DKIM, DMARC and blacklist status.
Deliverability Assessment
Results so far
Engagement
Waiting for this step.
Authentication
Waiting for this step.
Domain blacklist
Waiting for live checks.
Inbox placement
Waiting for live checks.
Engagement metrics
Optional, but the more you enter the stronger the verdict. Values are percents, 0–100.
Find these in your email platform’s campaign reports.
Good at 39.5%+ · poor at 17.5% or less
Good at 0.1% or less · poor at 0.3%+
Good at 2%+ · poor below 1%
Good below 1% · poor above 3%
Good at 2% or less · poor at 5%+
Want an expert to run a deeper test with you? Book a free session.
Since 2024
Data Doesn’t Lie
Run a deeper test with an expert
Book a session and we’ll run the test with you, go through your results provider by provider, and tell you what to fix first.
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About the inbox placement test
Completing an Email
Placement Test
Understanding your inbox placement rate is a vital first step to resolving email deliverability issues. It provides a baseline that we can assess weekly, and it allows us to analyze how changes are making an impact. Regular inbox placement tests help detect issues with deliverability early, before they start to drag down your business.
What Makes Formula Inbox’s Test Different?
Most free spam checkers score your email’s content and DNS records. This test sends your email to real inboxes at Gmail, Google Workspace, Outlook.com and Microsoft 365 and reports where it actually landed. The same run checks your SPF, DKIM, DMARC and blacklist status, so you see your placement and its likely causes together.
Placement issues usually start with authentication or reputation. See our email deliverability audit if you want a full diagnosis.
How an inbox placement test works
An inbox placement test sends your email to a set of test inboxes, called a seed list, and records which folder it lands in at each provider. Your result is the share of those inboxes where the email reached the inbox instead of spam.
Add your details
Engagement numbers are optional. Enter your sending domain so we can check SPF, DKIM, DMARC and blacklists, and the email address where you want your report.
Send one email to the seed list
The tool gives you a set of seed addresses and a tracking code. Send a typical campaign to those addresses from your normal sending platform, with the code anywhere in the body.
Read your results
Results usually appear within 3 to 5 minutes. You get an overall score, separate B2B and B2C scores, and the inbox rate at each provider, plus a report you can download.
What a seed test can’t tell you
Seed inboxes are new and have no history with your emails. Gmail and Outlook filter partly on how each recipient engages with your mail, so your real results will vary from person to person. Treat the score as a check on your setup and reputation, not an exact forecast for your list. Our guide to tracking bounce and placement rates explains how seed tests estimate placement.
How to read your inbox placement results
Look at each provider separately. A good overall score can hide one provider that is sending most of your mail to spam, and the fix depends on which provider it is.
Strong at every provider
Your setup and reputation are in good shape at these providers. Keep testing on a schedule so you catch a drop early.
Weak at one provider
Look at that provider’s own data. For Gmail and Google Workspace, check Google Postmaster Tools. For Outlook.com and Microsoft 365, see our Outlook deliverability guide.
Weak everywhere
Start with authentication and reputation. Check that SPF, DKIM and DMARC pass, then check your sender reputation and blacklist status.
When new clients run their first placement test, most find their email is not performing as well as they thought. Reputation problems compound over time. Mail that lands in spam gets fewer opens and replies, and providers read that as one more reason to filter you. The sooner you see a drop, the less there is to repair.
How often to run a placement test
Run a test before and after any change to how you send: a new domain, a new email platform, new DNS records or a big jump in volume. Between changes, a weekly test shows trends that a single test can’t.
For the full routine, including Google Postmaster Tools and bounce tracking, see how to monitor email deliverability. If you’d rather have us watch it for you, see deliverability monitoring.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the inbox placement test free?
Yes. The test is free. We ask for your email address so we can send you the report.
Which email providers does the test cover?
Gmail, Google Workspace, Outlook.com and Microsoft 365. The report gives an overall score, separate B2B and B2C scores, and an inbox rate for each provider.
What is the difference between delivery rate and inbox placement rate?
Delivery rate is the share of emails the receiving server accepted, meaning they did not bounce. Inbox placement rate is the share that reached the inbox instead of the spam folder. An email can be delivered and still land in spam, so a high delivery rate on its own doesn't mean people are seeing your emails. Our guide to tracking bounce and placement rates explains how to measure both.
Why did my email land in spam in the test but not for my subscribers?
Seed inboxes have no history with you, and your engaged subscribers do. Gmail and Outlook filter partly on how each recipient treats your mail, so people who open and reply to you can see better placement than the seeds. A poor seed result still points to a setup or reputation problem worth fixing, because subscribers who rarely engage get filtered the same way.
How is this different from a spam checker like mail-tester?
Most spam checkers score your email's content, headers and DNS records against filter rules. They don't show where the email actually landed. A placement test sends to real inboxes and reports the folder. The two answer different questions, and our comparison of spam testing tools covers when to use each.
Expert Email
Deliverability Managers
Our highly experienced email deliverability managers uncover and resolve the issues that keep messages from their intended recipients. After a full audit and remediation, Formula Inbox clients see inbox placement rates above 90%, based on seed list tests that reflect their ideal customer profile. Are you ready to do the same?