SpamBully Review

Full review

Setup

The installation process is quick and easy with on screen prompts guiding the user throughout the setup process. On our test computer, Spam Bully installed within three minutes and without any hassle. Once the installation is complete the software automatically optimizes itself with the computer’s settings and integrates seamlessly with your regular email client.

Compatibility

Spam Bully is only compatible with Microsoft email clients, which includes: Windows live mail, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Outlook express. The software does not support IMAP for Outlook and also has no support for popular POP3 email clients. This is a huge downside as many users utilize POP3 email clients and would not want to switch over to a different client.

Detection

This anti-spam software uses a Bayesian spam filter that distinguishes between good and spam email to ensure that legitimate emails end up in your inbox and spam emails go to the spam folder. While the Bayesian spam filter has a steep learning curve and takes weeks to work effectively, once it is properly configured it will offer high quality protection from spam emails. All embedded links in an email message are analyzed to ensure that the link is legitimate and does not direct the user to a deceitful website. This also protects the user from phishing attacks and provides effective protection against any kind of spam email.

Effectiveness

Spam Bully is very effective in preventing any kind of spam emails from reaching your e-mail inbox. In our tests we had the Bayesian filter properly configured and as such Spam Bully managed to keep out almost all incoming spam messages. With the added ability of protecting users from other forms of malware and phishing links, Spam Bully is a well-rounded email security solution.

System performance

The software runs in the background and has no impact on system performance. It works well with other email clients and causes no performance issues as long as your computer meets the minimum system requirements.

Features

Fraudulent link detection - This feature detects links from phishing email messages if they are from a known spamming email address.

Blacklists - Real-time Blackhole lists regularly update internet domains that send out bulk spam messages. This feature checks the blackhole list and applies filters to prevent any spam email from known sources.

Multi-language Interface - Spam Bully can be customized to run in English, Spanish, Russian, Romanian and German.

Ease of use

The software has an intuitively designed user-interface that makes it easy to use for both novice and experienced users. All the settings and features are neatly organized into the interface which makes it straight forward to customize the settings to your liking. Spam Bully does not require any additional email client as it can work on its own to keep your email inbox free from spam and other harmful messages.

Help & support

A database of frequently asked questions and user submitted enquiries is available through the Spam Bully website. Most commonly asked questions are fully answered in the help topics and there are plenty of other useful tutorials submitted on the website. If you cannot find an answer to your enquiry then you directly contact a support associate by submitting a support ticket. Customer staff are quite prompt at replying to emails, but a phone support or live chat feature would be useful for customers who require urgent assistance.

Overall

Spam Bully is excellent anti-spam software for Microsoft email clients. Although it is dated, the software is still a decent spam blocker with a well-balanced range of features that work effectively to prevent spam from ending up in your inbox.