Compared
DomainGrade vs Hardenize
Hardenize (now part of Red Sift) is a security researcher's protocol monitor; DomainGrade turns the same ground into one grade with a fix attached to every finding.
Hardenize earned its reputation on protocol depth: TLS configuration, DNSSEC, DANE, CT-log monitoring — inspected thoroughly and reported precisely. Since its acquisition it lives inside Red Sift's enterprise platform.
DomainGrade covers the same ground a working business actually acts on — email authentication, certificates, headers, DNS, reputation — and optimises for a different reader: the owner or MSP who needs one grade a client understands and a paste-ready fix for every gap, at a flat, published price.
| Hardenize | DomainGrade | |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Security teams comfortable reading protocol detail | Owners, IT generalists and agencies who need the answer and the fix |
| Protocol depth | Very deep — DNSSEC, DANE, CT logs and more | The 34 checks that decide whether mail lands, browsers trust you, and customers stay safe |
| Output | Detailed per-protocol assessments | One A–F grade with published weights, and the exact record or header per finding |
| Fixes | Findings assume you know the remediation | Every failing check ships a copy-paste fix with your domain already in it |
| Getting started | Part of an enterprise platform conversation | Free graded scan in about twenty seconds, no signup; monitoring from a flat monthly price |
Where Hardenize is the better fit
- Enterprise protocol coverage: if DNSSEC, DANE or certificate-transparency monitoring are requirements, their depth there exceeds ours.
- A dedicated security team that wants raw protocol detail rather than a distilled grade.
The honest verdict
For a security team living in protocol internals, Hardenize's depth is the point. For everyone who needs the same risks graded, explained and fixed without a security team — and shown to clients under your own brand — DomainGrade was built for exactly that.
Common questions
- Is DomainGrade less thorough?
- It's differently scoped: 34 checks across five areas, chosen because they're the ones with a clear fix and a real consequence. We publish what every check looks at, and the scan output shows its evidence.
- Does DomainGrade check DNSSEC?
- DNS hygiene checks cover delegation, CAA and related records; full DNSSEC/DANE validation is deliberately out of scope today — if that's a requirement, a protocol-depth tool fits better.
- What does white-label mean here?
- On the Agency plan the report carries your logo, accent colour and footer — as a shareable page and a scheduled PDF your clients receive from your address.
The comparison that actually matters: your domain, graded.
All 34 checks, one grade, and the exact fix for anything that isn’t right — in about twenty seconds, no signup.
Also compared: MXToolbox · EasyDMARC · every check we run