Why doesn't Brevo offer full SPF alignment and how much does it impact deliverability?

Email marketer from StackExchange explains that using shared IPs can complicate SPF alignment because Brevo needs to include all its customers' domains in the SPF record. They suggest that if Brevo doesn't offer customization, the best solution is to use DKIM alignment, which is typically easier to manage on shared IPs.

Marketer from Email Geeks, speaking from the ESP side that does this explains that it's a pain when customers botch their DNS and they stop getting signals back and they have to constantly check that people have the domain up.

Email marketer from Reddit shares that while full SPF alignment is ideal, DKIM alignment is more critical for deliverability. They suggest monitoring deliverability rates and using tools to check SPF and DKIM records. If deliverability issues arise, then dedicated IP or alternative ESP should be considered.

Email marketer from Quora explains that the reasons could be technical debt or prioritizing other features, but the impact of not having it is that it can make it harder for mail servers to trust the emails. It is not a 'must have' but is definately a nice to have.

Email marketer from Gmass says that the best email marketing practices include SPF, but more importantly DKIM and DMARC.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that Mailchimp doesn't do SPF alignment either and that they are glad Brevo has it on their roadmap because they weren't very responsive when asked last year.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that Brevo's product team has on their roadmap for 2025 to allow SMTP FROM domain customization for clients on shared IPs.

Email marketer from EmailGeeks Forum responds that the impact depends on the volume and recipient domain policies. For low volumes, it might not be a significant issue, but for larger volumes, it can negatively affect sender reputation and deliverability. They suggest monitoring postmaster tools to check for any issues.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that many smaller ESPs don’t do aligned SPF, so it’s not that unusual and as long as DKIM is aligned there’s no real concern. It’s a nice-to-have.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that while aligned SPF is ideal, aligned DKIM is far more common and more important to achieving DMARC pass, so most email marketers and receivers don't much care whether the SPF record is aligned or not.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that the reason why is generally: it needs to be coded and managed and there is support involved in making it work

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that setting up SPF is often more complex than email marketers realize. Problems can arise that keep mail from being delivered to the inbox. It can be difficult to configure SPF record to include all of the services sending mail on your behalf.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that it’s something that’s not too painful to design in if you’re building an ESP from scratch, but retrofitting it is much more work, and with potentially a lot of customer outreach and support overhead.

Documentation from RFC clarifies what SPF alignment means, in basic terms if the domain in the 'MAIL FROM' (the envelope sender address) matches the domain that authorized the sending server, the SPF is aligned. If it does not match it means the servers sending is not aligned.

Documentation from DMARC.org highlights the importance of SPF alignment for DMARC compliance. Without proper SPF alignment, emails are more likely to fail DMARC checks, leading to deliverability issues like emails being sent to spam or rejected.

Documentation from Brevo Help Center explains that Brevo might not offer full SPF alignment in certain configurations (e.g., when using shared IPs) and that while DKIM alignment is the primary factor, SPF alignment contributes to improved sender reputation. They recommend using a dedicated IP for full SPF alignment, especially for higher sending volumes.