What are the best DMARC friendly discussion list software options for Windows shops that want managed services?
Summary
What email marketers say8Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit suggests configuring DMARC for Google Groups can be tricky, especially with forwarding. He recommends using a dedicated domain for the groups and enabling DKIM signing for that domain.
Email marketer from G2 recommends evaluating LISTSERV, Google Groups, or Groups.io for mailing list management, citing the need to check on DMARC and security issues.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow responds that Mailman 2 can rewrite the From: header to avoid DMARC issues, but it's not a perfect solution and may cause other problems. He suggests exploring Mailman 3, which has better DMARC support.
Email marketer from EasyDMARC responds with using ARC and SRS for your mailing lists is critical, especially if you have members who are using strict DMARC policies.
Email marketer from EmailHippo suggests that mailing lists may require sender address modifications to pass DMARC authentication. If you send on behalf of others, then ARC is best. Otherwise, use SRS (Sender Rewriting Scheme).
Email marketer from Google Groups explains that Google Groups can have DMARC issues, especially when forwarding emails. He suggests that Google needs to better implement ARC. The solution includes rewriting the 'From' header which is a compromise.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that if you're looking for an open-source solution, Sympa hosting could be an alternative. He also mentions LISTSERV and Wildcat, noting LISTSERV supports almost every authentication protocol.
Email marketer from Quora recommends evaluating hosted mailing list services like Mailjet and Sendinblue, mentioning that DMARC and deliverability configurations are usually included in the services.
What the experts say8Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks mentions Sympa, Discourse, and another solution starting with S as more modern platforms, but he doesn't know of anyone hosting them. He also names Dada Mail.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests L-Soft for mission-critical discussion lists.
Expert from Email Geeks recommends Listserv if hosting themselves.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that if the client isn't prepared to handle Linux, the best options are listserv, Google Groups, or hosted Mailman on vanity host providers.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains DMARC failure issues caused by forwarders, suggesting that list owners can either rewrite the from address, or use ARC. She also notes that SRS is not the preferred solution.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that mailing lists commonly cause SPF to fail, which impacts DMARC. He recommends that mailing lists should either rewrite the sender address, use ARC, or not forward emails. He believes DMARC provides strong incentive for mailing lists to fix their handling of forwarded messages.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests LISTSERV has experience, gravitas, and the grandeur of ancient history.
Expert from Email Geeks compares L-Soft to reel-to-reel, stating that Mailman is more like VHS.
What the documentation says7Technical articles
Documentation from Oracle Help Center explains that list servers may modify content (such as footers) which requires DMARC checks to ensure messages are not rejected and authentication checks are followed. Using a reverse DNS is part of this process.
Documentation from MailChannels explains that DMARC policies can cause issues with mailing lists because the list server modifies the original message, invalidating SPF and DKIM. They recommend using a solution that rewrites the From: header or implements ARC (Authenticated Received Chain).
Documentation from L-Soft explains that LISTSERV supports DMARC by using VERP (Variable Envelope Return Path), DKIM signing, and ARC. They also recommend using a dedicated sending domain for the list to improve deliverability.
Documentation from RFC Editor explains that RFC8314 details secure email distribution via mailing lists which goes into great detail about spoofing, DMARC, ARC, and security considerations when implementing a mailing list service.
Documentation from Microsoft states that setting up DKIM and DMARC helps to prevent spoofing. It recommends configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to prevent malicious actors from spoofing Microsoft 365 domains.
Documentation from Proofpoint explains that mailing lists often break DMARC because they forward messages, causing SPF and DKIM to fail. Solutions involve using ARC or SRS to preserve authentication information.
Documentation from Sympa explains that Sympa can be configured to be DMARC compliant. This requires DKIM signing to be properly configured, and the message sender address to be rewritten if it fails DMARC checks.