Spamhaus alternative: isIPsafe compared
isipsafe and Spamhaus do different jobs. Spamhaus is a long-established source of mail and network reputation data, while isipsafe is a community database of attacking addresses with a score for each. Many people should use both rather than choosing one.
| isipsafe | Spamhaus | |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Addresses reported for attacks such as SSH, web and mail login abuse | Spam sources, exploited hosts, botnet controllers and abusive networks, across several lists |
| Output | A score from 0 to 100, with reports and categories | Listed or not, on a named list |
| Who adds data | Anyone with a free account can report | Spamhaus maintains its own lists |
| Access | Website, REST API, MCP and 9 download formats | DROP as JSON downloads. Other lists through DNS queries, with free and commercial options. |
| Free network list | Most reported ranges, for information | DROP, free regardless of size or business type |
Which suits you?
isipsafe may suit you if you want scored addresses for firewalls and web servers, or want to contribute your own attack reports.
Spamhaus may suit you if you run mail servers, or want a small and conservative network list such as DROP. See using blacklists on mail servers.
Source: Spamhaus blocklists and DROP pages. Spamhaus's fair use policy sets the conditions for its free DNS service, so check that before relying on it.
Legal note. This page was written by the isipsafe team, who have an interest in the service being compared. It is based on publicly available information as we understood it on 2 November 2026, and it may be incomplete, out of date or not an accurate assessment of any service. It is general information, not professional advice or a guarantee of any result. Before you rely on it, make your own independent assessment of whether a service meets your needs, and check the provider's current terms and prices. isipsafe is not affiliated with or endorsed by the other services named here. Their names are used only to identify them. Spotted a mistake or something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.