What Does Spam Filter Software do?

Everyday spammers find new routes to try to get into your email inbox. Most spam consists of unwanted advertising, but some can transmit viruses, adware or spyware on to your computer and cause problems. Of course, it is also extremely annoying to go to your inbox and have to look through a whole list of emails to find one legitimate email.

An effective anti spam program can solve many of your email problems. Not only do they block unwanted spam but they can also organize your emails into folders, so your inbox only includes wanted email.

So, what does a quality spam filter do exactly?

  • Establishes White Lists and Black Lists – A white list is a specific list of approved addresses that you set. Items not on the approved list and "known" spammers automatically go to the black list and are blocked, deleted or filed.
  • Blocks "Sporn" – All good programs allow you to block a high percentage of spammed pornography. Some will also filter out "adult" contented emails or block adult oriented images.
  • Organizes Emails – Not everyone wants to block all of their emails. Most programs will allow users to build folders, such as financial, adult oriented, games or others and the program will put incoming emails into assigned folders. This gives the user a choice about which emails they want to look at.

In this site, you'll find articles and comprehensive reviews to help you chose the spam filter program that will effectively block spam from your email inbox.

At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don't Have To.™

What to Look For in Spam Filter Software

Spam filter software should be easy to use and offer the desired level of customization. All of the programs offer a variety of features, but they are not all compatible with every email service. Therefore, it is important to look for a program that offers great features and works with your email service.

Below are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS used to rank Spam Filter Software:

Feature Set
The feature set is the package of tools and abilities. A good program gives you the ability to set rules about which email you want to receive in your inbox, reject or delete, put in a certain folder or quarantine for you to look through at your own discretion. You should be able to set up blacklists and whitelists and of utmost relevance-it should work with the email service that you use.

Ease of Use
The product should be extremely easy to use even for an inexperienced computer operator. It is helpful if the product utilizes drop-down menus, helpful icons and is arranged logically.

Ease of Installation & Setup
The product should install quickly and without errors. If additional downloads, registration or other process is required it may make the setup more complicated and time consuming.

Stability
The spam filtering software should offer dependable performance and be compatible with your other programs.

Customization
A flexible program offers many different customization choices in regards to spam filtering. The software should have the ability to block unwanted spam and should also allow the user to decide what level of filtering they want, and be in control of how the emails are organized. A good program offers all levels of filtering from high to low. High filter options block and delete all emails that are not on an approved list. Lower filter levels sort all emails and save them in folders to let the user decide which ones to open or delete.

Your inbox is yours, and should contain what you want. If you are tired of having to go through and delete unwanted mail, get a spam filter to do it for you. To get started in your search for an effective program, read our #1 product review, click here.

 
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Spam Filter Review 

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Rank #1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10
Excellent score   Excellent
Very good score   Very Good
Good score   Good
Fair score   Fair
Poor score   Poor
SpamEater Pro CA Anti-Spam Plus CA Website Inspector SPAMfighter ChoiceMail One Spam Killer Spam Buster SpamNet Spam Agent iHateSpam MailWasher Pro
SpamEater Pro CA Anti-Spam Plus CA Website Inspector SPAMfighter ChoiceMail One Spam Killer Spam Buster SpamNet Spam Agent iHateSpam MailWasher Pro
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Lowest Price Buy SpamEater Pro 4
$24.95
Buy CA Anti-Spam Plus CA Website Inspector 2009
$29.99
Buy SPAMfighter Pro
$29.00
Buy ChoiceMail One 4
$39.95
Buy Spam Killer 5
$34.99
Buy Spam Buster 1.1
$19.95
Buy SpamNet Outlook - 5
$39.95
Buy Spam Agent 1.5
$29.95
Buy iHateSpam 5
$29.95
Buy MailWasher Pro 6.1
$39.95
 
Overall Rating Excellent Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Good Good Good Fair
Ratings
Feature Set Excellent Good Very Good Very Good Good Very Good Good Good Fair Fair
Ease of Use Excellent Very Good Excellent Very Good Very Good Good Very Good Good Very Good Very Good
Ease of Installation Excellent Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Good Very Good Very Good
Stability Excellent Excellent Excellent Very Good Good Very Good Good Fair Fair Good
Customization Excellent Good Good Excellent Very Good Very Good Good Very Good Good Fair
Spam Filtering Excellent Very Good Very Good Excellent Very Good Very Good Good Good Good Good
View Specifications Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!
View Screenshots View SpamEater Pro screenshots View CA Anti-Spam Plus CA Website Inspector screenshots View SPAMfighter screenshots        
Spam Filtering Effectiveness
Mail NOT in Spam Folder Excellent Very Good Very Good Excellent Very Good Good Good Good Good Good
Spam in Spam Folder Excellent Very Good Very Good Very Good Good Good Good Good Good Good
Mail in Inbox Excellent Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Good Good Good Good Good
Spam NOT in Inbox Excellent Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Good Good Good Good
Blocking Filters (Blacklist)
Block Certain IP Addresses Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark    Check Mark Check Mark
Block Certain Servers Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Block Email Addresses Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Public Blacklist Support Check Mark   Check Mark     Check Mark    Check Mark
Allowing Filters (Whitelist)
Allow Specific Server Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Allow Specific IP Addresses Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark    Check Mark  
Allow Email Addresses Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Content/Category Filters
Pre-Set Categories Check Mark Check Mark    Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark
Number of Categories 8 2   5 18 9 4 6 15  
Rules
Rule Customization Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark
Pre-defined Rules Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark  
Multiple Rule Selection Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark    Check Mark
Message Handling
Bounce Check Mark    Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark    Check Mark Check Mark
Deletion Capabilities Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark    Check Mark Check Mark
Other Features
Quarantine Area Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Group Collaboration   Check Mark Check Mark        
Origin Blacklist Check Mark   Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark    
Sensitivity Settings Check Mark   Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark     
Individual User Profiles Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark  
Reporting Capabilities    Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark    Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
View Blocked Email with Graphics On / Off     Check Mark Check Mark     Check Mark Check Mark
Scheduled Auto Deletion Check Mark    Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark     
Importing of Address Book Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark
Easy Upgrades Available Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Supported Environments
POP3 Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Hotmail Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark    Check Mark
Outlook Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Outlook Express Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark
Eudora Check Mark    Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark     Check Mark
IMAP       Check Mark   Check Mark   Check Mark
AOL    Check Mark Check Mark       Check Mark
Yahoo Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark       Check Mark
Customer Support
Program Help Menu Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Product Documentation Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Technical Support Available Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Supported Configurations
Vista Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
XP Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
2000 Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
 
Reviewer Comments Read Review
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Watch Video Review
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Lowest Price Buy SpamEater Pro 4
$24.95
Buy CA Anti-Spam Plus CA Website Inspector 2009
$29.99
Buy SPAMfighter Pro
$29.00
Buy ChoiceMail One 4
$39.95
Buy Spam Killer 5
$34.99
Buy Spam Buster 1.1
$19.95
Buy SpamNet Outlook - 5
$39.95
Buy Spam Agent 1.5
$29.95
Buy iHateSpam 5
$29.95
Buy MailWasher Pro 6.1
$39.95
SPAMfighter Review
SPAMfighter...

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