Technical Review by
Craig MacAlpine
We reviewed multiple email security platforms across cloud, hybrid, and on-premises models. We looked at detection depth, deployment flexibility, policy granularity, and how each handles the threats Mimecast customers care about most: phishing, BEC, ransomware, and account takeover.
Mimecast has been the default secure email gateway for enterprises for over a decade. It’s stable, well-known, and integrates with most environments. That doesn’t automatically make it the right fit for your organization in 2026.
The email security market has moved on. API-based platforms now sit alongside traditional gateways, and some replace them entirely. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace have improved their native filters, which changes the math on what a third-party tool needs to add. The pricing, complexity, and deployment model that worked for Mimecast a decade ago don’t suit every environment now.
We see organizations leaving Mimecast for three main reasons. Cost matters especially for SMBs and mid-market teams running tight budgets. Architecture comes up when teams want API-first deployment without MX changes or rerouting. Detection drives the move for organizations facing BEC, account takeover, and social engineering that gateway tools tend to miss.
This guide covers multiple email security platforms that position themselves against Mimecast. Some are direct replacements for the gateway model. Others take a different approach entirely. We evaluated each across cloud, hybrid, and on-premises deployments to map where each one fits in your stack.
Your Mimecast alternative depends on your existing infrastructure, threat profile, and how much policy control you want to keep.
Material Security is a complete cloud workspace security platform for Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 that goes beyond the email perimeter. Where the traditional secure email gateway model stops at the perimeter, Material has visibility into post-delivery threats, account takeover signals, and the sensitive data sitting in mailboxes — the gaps the gateway model was never designed to close.
Detection And Response For The Full Cloud Workspace
While traditional email security controls block threats at the gateway, Material uses an API integration along with AI agentic automation and LLM analysis to detect inbound email threats inside the inbox, protecting against VIP impersonation, business email compromise, and other sophisticated attacks.
Material also secures sensitive email content like one-time passcodes and confidential files that already sit in mailboxes. If an account shows signs of compromise, Material triggers additional authentication workflows to stop sensitive email data from being exposed.
File security permissions controls and identity security controls extend that protection across the workspace, restricting what a compromised account can actually do inside Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
Material provides cloud workspace posture management and AI-powered OAuth app remediation that identifies and revokes risky third-party tokens — including OAuth connections to AI tools and third-party apps that accumulate silently across most environments. Deployment takes under 30 minutes via API with no MX record changes required.
What Security Teams Say
Users highlight the account compromise protection features as a standout feature. They help by slowing attacks and limiting how much data an attacker can reach.
Customers also report that the automated remediation and phishing investigation capabilities are major time savers for security analysts. Reporting is straightforward, and users consistently call out the pace of product development and the responsiveness of the support team.
Some teams do find that rules configuration can be complex without dedicated email security expertise. But the Material support team is responsive.
Our Take
Mimecast and tools like it do something real: they block a meaningful volume of inbound threats. The case for Material isn’t that your current tool doesn’t work — it’s that it’s solving an incomplete version of the problem. A gateway stops threats at the door. It has no answer for what happens when an attacker gets through, bypasses the perimeter entirely via OAuth, or compromises an account through session hijacking or MFA fatigue. Material is built for that part of the problem too: inbound protection, sensitive data lockdown, identity controls, and continuous OAuth monitoring working together across the full workspace.
If your team is looking for an alternative to Mimecast’s gateway model that addresses the full cloud workspace threat landscape along with stopping advanced email threats from hitting the inbox, this is a strong solution to consider.
Proofpoint Email Protection is a cloud-based email security platform built for mid-sized and large enterprises that need more than basic gateway filtering. It sits in the same enterprise tier as Mimecast, making it a natural fit if you’re evaluating alternatives in that space.
Layered Detection With Policy Flexibility
Machine learning and multi-layered detection work together to catch inbound and outbound threats before they reach users. We saw the platform dynamically classify threats and common nuisances, which gives your team room to triage what matters.
We found the granular control over policies and routing rules useful. You can shape filtering logic to match how your business actually sends mail, rather than bending workflows around the product.
What Customers Are Telling Us
Customers say phishing attempts, suspicious links, and odd attachments get caught before they hit the inbox. The daily digest gets repeated praise for letting people clear spam in one click without dumping legitimate cold outreach.
Some customers say there’s a steep learning curve, and dashboard navigation has come up as a sticking point. A few have flagged short delays while baselines settle or domain issues resolve.
Who Should Buy It
We think Proofpoint Email Protection fits mid-market and enterprise security teams who want layered defense and the policy depth to tune it. If you’re moving off Mimecast or scaling beyond Microsoft’s native controls, this lands in the shortlist.
Smaller teams without dedicated email security headcount are better served by Proofpoint Essentials. For everyone else, the detection engine here is one of the strongest in the category.
Abnormal AI is a cloud-based email security platform that uses behavioral AI to spot socially engineered attacks that traditional secure email gateways tend to miss. It deploys via API into Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, making it a fast-setup option if you’re moving off Mimecast or a legacy SEG.
Behavioral Baselines That Catch the Subtle Stuff
Abnormal builds a baseline of how each user normally communicates, including identity, content, and tone. We saw it use this to flag unusual behavior the moment it appears, which is where most BEC and account takeover attempts hide.
We found the deployment model worth calling out. There’s no MX record change or policy authoring involved, the API connection does the work, and you can collapse multiple layers of your inbound stack into one platform.
What Customers Are Telling Us
Customers say phishing volume drops noticeably after rollout, and account takeover detection catches anomalous logins and locks accounts automatically. Setup gets repeated praise, with one team handling 90% of configuration in a single hour.
Some customers say the AI Phishing Coach module isn’t enterprise-ready yet. Others have flagged false positives, including legitimate invoices landing in junk, and a few attacks only being caught after users report them.
Who Should Buy It
We think Abnormal fits security teams running Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace who want behavioral detection layered on native controls without admin overhead. If your inbound stack has grown messy and you want one platform doing the heavy lifting, this is a strong fit.
If you need a traditional SEG with extensive custom policies, look elsewhere. For API-first behavioral detection, Abnormal is one of the cleanest options available.
Avanan is an inline email and collaboration security platform that sits inside Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace rather than at the gateway. Owned by Check Point since 2021, it’s aimed at organizations of any size that want phishing protection extending into Slack, Teams, and other cloud apps.
Inline Protection That Reaches Into Collaboration Apps
Avanan’s API-based deployment lets it inspect mail and messages after Microsoft or Google’s native filters run, which means it catches what the platform controls let through. We saw the machine learning trained on email patterns spot phishing, BEC, account takeover, and ransomware attempts.
What we found different is the collaboration coverage. The same engine extends into Slack, Teams, and OneDrive, so internal phishing and shared link threats in your tenant get the same scrutiny as inbound mail.
What Customers Are Telling Us
Customers say deployment takes minutes and starts blocking threats almost immediately. Phishing volume drops sharply after rollout, and the triage interface gets praise for being clear and quick to action when alerts pile up.
Some customers say a mobile admin app would help with response outside business hours. Beyond that, complaints are thin on the ground, with most pointing to high accuracy on malicious mail and minimal disruption to legitimate traffic.
Who Should Buy It
We think Avanan suits Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace teams who want phishing protection extending past email into Teams, Slack, and shared file storage. The API model fits teams who don’t want gateway redirection or another MX change.
If you’re running hybrid mail with on-premises Exchange or need heavy custom policy authoring, look at a traditional SEG. For cloud-native shops, Avanan is a strong pick.
Barracuda Email Protection is a cloud security suite covering inbound filtering, account takeover, domain fraud, DLP, encryption, and SaaS backup. It’s pitched at mid-market organizations that want a single vendor handling both volumetric spam and advanced phishing without pulling in a separate stack for each.
Layers Stacked Across the Email Lifecycle
The product covers spam, ransomware, BEC, spear phishing, and impersonation, with add-ons for domain fraud protection, awareness training, and cloud archiving. We saw three plan tiers letting you start at standard filtering and add capabilities like DLP and SaaS backup as your needs grow.
What we found useful is the consolidation angle. If you’re running multiple point tools for filtering, archiving, and backup, Barracuda lets you collapse them into one platform with predictable management.
What Customers Are Telling Us
Customers say Barracuda has been stable over years of use, integrates cleanly with Microsoft 365, and runs with low management overhead even when stretched across multiple sites. Support gets repeated praise, with customers calling out direct phone access and fast resolution at first contact.
Some customers say strict DKIM enforcement blocks legitimate mail from senders without registered domains, which causes friction in industries with smaller business partners. A few have flagged that phishing campaigns from third parties still slip through the filter.
Who Should Buy It
We think Barracuda fits mid-market teams who want one vendor across email security, archiving, and backup, with strong support when things break. The plan tiers give you room to scale capabilities as your risk profile grows.
If your customer base includes many senders without proper domain authentication, expect to spend time tuning. For everyone else, the platform stays out of your way.
Cisco Secure Email is a multi-layered email security platform aimed at mid-sized to large enterprises that already lean on the Cisco Secure ecosystem. It runs on-premises, in a VM, or in the cloud, which gives you deployment flexibility most pure-cloud rivals don’t offer.
AI Detection With Deployment Flexibility
Cisco’s threat detection layers AI, behavioral analytics, and machine learning to catch phishing, BEC, ransomware, and malware in attachments. We saw built-in DLP, end-to-end encryption for mail in transit, and auto-remediation for threats that slip past initial filters.
We found the deployment options stand out. You can run Secure Email on-premises, in a VM, or as a cloud service, which suits regulated industries that need control over where mail data lives.
What Customers Are Telling Us
Customers say the AI-driven detection catches advanced threats reliably, with auto-remediation and encryption picked out as strengths. The wider Cisco Secure portfolio gets credit as a flexible toolbox that integrates across multiple use cases.
Some customers say configuration sits between simple and complicated, with troubleshooting getting more involved than expected. Support has come up as an area for improvement in mixed reviews.
Who Should Buy It
We think Cisco Secure Email fits mid to large enterprises already running Cisco gear, where consolidated vendor management matters as much as the email protection itself. The flexible deployment helps if you have on-premises or hybrid mail you can’t move.
If you want a simpler cloud-native tool with minimal admin overhead, the Cisco stack is more than you need. For Cisco-aligned shops, the integration payoff is substantial.
Forcepoint Email Security is an enterprise gateway available as cloud, on-premises, or hybrid, with deep policy controls and integrated DLP. It’s aimed at organizations running Microsoft Office or hybrid mail estates that need granular enforcement, encryption, and disaster recovery options as part of the same platform.
Policy Depth Across Hybrid Mail
The platform handles threat protection, DLP, and email encryption under a single policy model, which means uniform rules apply across cloud and on-premises mail. We saw granular controls let you define different policies per domain group, with DKIM, DMARC, and SPF enforcement working without breaking delivery in most cases.
We found the disaster recovery angle worth attention. Email server prioritization with MX failover gives you continuity during outages, sitting alongside threat detection rather than as a separate product.
What Customers Are Telling Us
Customers say setup and administration stay flexible enough to switch between managed service partners without disruption, and policy structures hold up over years of use. Support gets repeated praise, including help resolving issues that sat outside Forcepoint’s own environment.
Some customers say the anti-phishing engine and link scanning could be stronger. A few have flagged that on-premises performance has room to improve compared to the cloud experience.
Who Should Buy It
We think Forcepoint Email Security suits organizations with hybrid mail estates, multiple domains, or strict policy governance needs. The DR options and granular policy design make it a strong fit for regulated industries that can’t standardize on cloud-only.
If you’re looking for the strongest possible anti-phishing detection or a pure SaaS approach, other vendors are ahead. For policy depth and hybrid flexibility, Forcepoint holds its ground.
IRONSCALES is a cloud-native, API-based email security platform that sits inside Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace to catch what native filters miss. It targets organizations that already have spam filtering handled and need a layer focused on BEC, account takeover, and social engineering.
Themis AI Plus User Reporting in One Loop
The platform builds a profile of every inbox during installation, mapping how each user normally communicates to flag anomalies and identify VIPs. We saw the Themis AI engine handle auto-classification, with dynamic warning banners only firing on suspicious mail rather than blanketing every external message.
We found the human intelligence loop useful. End-user reports feed back into the AI, so detection improves the more your team uses one-click reporting in Outlook or Gmail.
What Customers Are Telling Us
Customers say setup takes minutes via native APIs, and Themis catches threats that Microsoft 365 with full Defender misses. The phishing simulation and awareness training built into the platform get repeated praise for cutting separate tooling.
Some customers say the manual button integration for Outlook and Gmail could be more automated. A few have flagged occasional false positives and a missing Android admin app to match the existing iOS one.
Who Should Buy It
We think IRONSCALES fits security teams on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace who want advanced threat detection without ripping out spam filtering. The free Starter tier up to 500 mailboxes makes it easy to validate fit before committing.
If you’re running anything outside M365 or Google Workspace, this isn’t your platform. For everyone else, the combination of AI and user reporting is one of the more effective approaches available.
TitanHQ Email Security is a secure email gateway built around spam filtering, sandboxing, and encryption, aimed at SMBs, MSPs, and resellers who want a low-cost alternative to Mimecast or Barracuda. It markets a 99.97% spam detection rate based on its own research, with greylisting as the differentiator.
Greylisting Plus Sandbox at SMB Pricing
Greylisting rejects incoming mail and asks the sender to retry, which weeds out most spammers without complex policy work. We saw Real-Time Blacklists and SURBL filters layered on top, with sandbox protection included rather than priced as an upsell.
We found the pricing model worth flagging. Per user costs sit well below most enterprise alternatives, and multi-year contracts trim that further, which makes this a practical option if your budget is tight.
What Customers Are Telling Us
Customers say the platform is easy to set up, easy to scale, and integrates cleanly with Microsoft 365. The Outlook plugin and daily quarantine reports get repeated mentions, and sandbox protection at no extra cost stands out against the competition.
Some customers say the bayesian filter takes time to learn before catching spam reliably, and the daily report cadence isn’t customizable. Others have flagged limited support hours, no mobile app, and architecture choices that don’t suit MSPs running multiple tenants.
Who Should Buy It
We think TitanHQ Email Security suits SMBs and cost-sensitive teams who want sandboxing and encryption included rather than as add-ons. Longer contracts push per user costs near the bottom of the category.
If you’re an MSP running tightly separated tenants per customer, customers say the architecture isn’t a great fit. For SMBs and lean enterprises on a budget, TitanHQ holds its own.
Trustifi pairs inbound threat protection with AES 256-bit outbound encryption in a single platform, which sets it apart from gateway tools that only handle one direction. It’s built for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, with multi-tenant support that makes it a practical pick for MSPs and regulated industries.
Inbound Security and Outbound Encryption in One Platform
Trustifi scans inbound mail for spam, malware, and phishing, with a ranking system that categorizes threats from authenticated to impersonation attack. We saw the API setup deploy quickly across Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, with default protection live as soon as it’s connected.
We found the outbound encryption stands out. AES 256-bit encryption applies to sensitive mail, and recipient 2FA adds a layer for HIPAA workflows and any regulated information leaving your tenant.
What Customers Are Telling Us
Customers say setup is simple, the interface is intuitive, and HIPAA compliant sending of PHI just works. MSPs running multiple Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace clients call out the multi-tenant filtering as a real win, alongside responsive support that listens to feature requests.
Some customers say the threat simulation product needs more depth and a monthly training cadence. Others have flagged that user quarantine notification emails feel excessive and lack an opt out at user level.
Who Should Buy It
We think Trustifi fits MSPs managing multiple tenants, regulated industries handling PHI or sensitive data, and teams that want encryption included rather than purchased separately. Pricing sits below most enterprise alternatives without thinning out core capability.
If your encryption needs are minimal and you’ve got an established gateway, this is more than you need. For everyone else, it’s a strong consolidated option.
Expert Insights is an independent editorial team that researches, tests, and reviews email security platforms. No vendor can pay to influence our review of their products.
We evaluated 9 email security platforms positioned as Mimecast alternatives, across SMB, mid-market, and enterprise deployments. Each platform was assessed for detection depth across phishing, BEC, ransomware, and account takeover, alongside deployment flexibility, policy granularity, and admin console usability. Testing covered cloud-native, on-premises, and hybrid models to understand how each platform handles different infrastructure footprints.
Beyond hands-on testing, we conducted vendor market mapping to understand where each product sits in the email security landscape and where Mimecast customers tend to migrate. We reviewed customer feedback and spoke with security teams to validate where vendor claims line up with real deployment experience. Our editorial and commercial teams operate independently. No vendor can pay to influence our review of their products.
This guide is updated quarterly to reflect product releases and market changes. For full details on our testing methodology, visit our How We Test & Review Products page.
Your ideal Mimecast alternative depends on your existing infrastructure, threat profile, and how much policy control you need to keep.
If you’re running Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace and want the cleanest API-first deployment, Abnormal AI catches behavioral threats with minimal admin overhead. Avanan extends similar API protection across Teams, Slack, and OneDrive if collaboration apps need the same scrutiny as email.
For traditional gateway functionality with enterprise policy depth, Proofpoint Email Protection is the closest direct replacement. Cisco Secure Email and Forcepoint Email Security suit hybrid environments where on-premises mail still matters, with strong policy controls and disaster recovery options built in.
For SMBs and budget-sensitive teams, TitanHQ offers spam filtering plus sandboxing at a fraction of the price. IRONSCALES adds AI plus user-driven detection layered on top of existing native filters. Barracuda consolidates email security with archiving and backup under one vendor for mid-market teams.
For regulated industries handling PHI or other sensitive data, Trustifi combines inbound filtering with outbound AES 256-bit encryption in a single platform.
Read the individual reviews above to understand detection depth, deployment requirements, and trade-offs that matter for your environment.
Email security is essentially the practice of securing email accounts and communications against any unauthorized access, loss, or compromise. Email is a critical component of organizational communications and is an easy entry point to other accounts and devices, and so is unsurprisingly a common target for attackers looking to spread malware, spam, and undertake phishing attacks.
Emails are used so freely and so often that it is important for organizations not to take for granted that their communications via email are secured. With the ever growing threat of hackers, viruses, spam, ransomware, phishing attacks, and identity thefts, organizations have a responsibility to effectively secure their business data and prioritize email security.
Organizations can boost their security posture using tools designed to protect against email threats. An email security solution uses technology to scam inbound emails for potential threats and will encrypt outbound email traffic in order to protect secure mailboxes, users, data and the organization against possible attacks.
A good email security solution should block spam, phishing emails, malware, and any other potential threats from entering email servers, preventing data leaks while avoiding disruption to mail flow and business productivity. By preventing a data breach instead of simply responding when one does occur, organizations and government departments can keep their email clients safe and ensure brand protection. Email threats, when successful, can have devastating ramifications including huge costs, operational disruption, and damage to the organization’s reputation which could take years to recover, so it is important to take steps to reduce the likelihood of any email threats slipping through the net.
Mirren McDade is a senior writer and journalist at Expert Insights, spending each day researching, writing, editing and publishing content, covering a variety of topics and solutions, and interviewing industry experts.
She is an experienced copywriter with a background in a range of industries, including cloud business technologies, cloud security, information security and cyber security, and has conducted interviews with several industry experts.
Mirren holds a First Class Honors degree in English from Edinburgh Napier University.
Craig MacAlpine is CEO and Founder of Expert Insights. Before founding Expert Insights in August 2018, Craig spent 10 years as CEO of EPA Cloud, an email security provider that rebranded as VIPRE Email Security following its acquisition by Ziff Davies, formerly J2Global (NASQAQ: ZD) in 2013.
Craig is a passionate security innovator with over 20 years of experience helping organizations to stay secure with cutting-edge information security and cybersecurity solutions.
Using his extensive experience in the email security industry, he founded Expert Insights with the singular goal of helping IT professionals and CISOs to cut through the noise and find the right cybersecurity solutions they need to protect their organizations.