Is your email landing in spam?
Send one email to our seed mailboxes and see exactly where it lands — inbox or spam — across real Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo accounts.
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We'll give you a tracking code and a list of real mailboxes. Send them an email and we'll tell you where it landed.
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What is an inbox placement (spam) test?
An inbox placement test — often called a spam test — shows you exactly where your email lands after you hit send: the inbox, the spam or junk folder, or nowhere at all. Instead of guessing, you send one message to a set of real seed mailboxes across the major providers, and the tool reports the placement for each one so you can see how Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo actually treat your mail.
This test uses live seed accounts and a unique tracking code to detect your message automatically. It measures real placement rather than a simulated content score, which makes it the closest thing to seeing your campaign through your recipients' eyes — before you send it to your real list. Pair it with authentication and reputation checks for the full deliverability picture.
Why run an inbox placement test?
1See real placement, not a guess
Content scanners estimate risk; a seed test shows the folder your mail actually reached at Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo.
2Catch spam-foldering before your list does
Testing against seed mailboxes first means you find deliverability problems before they cost you real recipients and revenue.
3Compare providers side by side
Placement differs by mailbox provider — per-mailbox results reveal whether one inbox is filtering you while others let you through.
4Validate changes to your setup
After warming up, fixing authentication, or rewriting copy, a fresh test confirms whether the change actually moved you back to the inbox.
How the spam test works — step by step
We generate a unique tracking code and give you a list of real seed mailboxes across Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo — no signup required.
You send one email containing the tracking code to every seed address, exactly as you would send to a real prospect.
Our system watches the seed inboxes and detects your message automatically using the tracking code.
We check each mailbox to see whether your email reached the inbox, the spam folder, or never arrived.
You get an overall placement score out of 100 plus a per-mailbox breakdown so you know exactly which providers filtered you.
Common deliverability mistakes and fixes
Missing authentication
Sending without SPF, DKIM, and DMARC aligned is the fastest route to the spam folder — set up all three before testing.
A cold, un-warmed domain
New or dormant sending domains have no reputation, so filters distrust them — warm the mailbox up gradually before real campaigns.
Spammy subject lines and copy
Urgency, all caps, and money triggers raise your content score — clean the copy and re-test to confirm the score dropped.
Testing once and stopping
Placement drifts as reputation and content change — re-test after every meaningful change rather than trusting a single result.
Frequently Asked Questions
A spam test, or inbox placement test, sends one email to a set of real seed mailboxes and reports where it landed at each provider — inbox, spam, or not delivered. It shows you the actual folder your mail reaches at Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo, rather than estimating risk from your content alone.
You get a unique tracking code and a list of real seed addresses. You send one email containing the code to all of them, and our system detects it automatically and checks each mailbox. Within about a minute you see a placement score and a per-mailbox breakdown.
Yes. You can run a limited number of free placement tests per day with no signup or credit card. If you need continuous monitoring and automatic warmup, InboxWarm's paid plans build on the same placement data.
Spam placement usually comes from a mix of weak authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), a cold or low-reputation sending domain, risky content, or poor list engagement. The per-mailbox results help you see whether the problem is provider-specific or across the board, so you know what to fix first.
Most tests complete in under a minute once you send your email. Delivery can occasionally take a few minutes, so if nothing is found at first, wait briefly and check again — and confirm you included the tracking code and sent to every seed address.
No. A seed test is the closest proxy to real placement, but every recipient's provider, filters, and history differ. Use the score as a strong signal and a way to catch problems early, alongside ongoing authentication, warmup, and list hygiene.