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SpamBully scores:   


SpamBully is certainly not the most well known or used anti spam software available. So can it hold its own against the big boys?

In this unbiased review we will highlight the pros and cons of SpamBully.


Features

SpamBully incorporates a lot of features from different spam blockers into one program. Here are some of the important ones:

  • Its main weapon is a Bayesian spam filter
  • Has Allow/Block list (or "white" and "black" list)
  • Fraudulent link detection to cut down on phishing emails
  • Can be configured to send out challenge emails
  • Checks Realtime Blackhole lists to block known spammers

Installation and Set Up

Installation of SpamBully is fairly straightforward.

During installation SpamBully "personalizes" your email filter by asking you the location of good and bad emails. This helps the preset Bayesian filter to learn your email habits and customizes itself.

It also gives you an option to enable country specific and language specific filters.


Support

If you have trouble with SpamBully you have a few options.

They have a troubleshooting forum and somebody else is bound to have had the same trouble you have, so there might be a specific answer on the forum.

They also have comprehensive help files that solve most common problems.

If none of the above helps, you can also contact them via an email contact form. Response might not be immediate, but is normally within 24 hours.


Does SpamBully Work?

SpamBully is a Microsoft Outlook/Express program and like other Outlook filters is very simple to operate. It creates an add-in and adds a few buttons to the standard Outlook toolbar.

SpamBully works as follows:

Once the Bayesian filter "learned" from your example of good and bad emails it evaluates each incoming email. It then classifies each email and also learns from them.

If an email is classified incorrectly, you only need to click the "Spam" or "Not Spam" button for the filter to classify it correctly and also learn from its mistake.

If the email is classified as a non-spam email, but it is not on your "friends" list, a challenge email is sent to the sender. They will need to enter a phrase shown on the email and send it back. Once SpamBully receives the confirmation email, it moves the original email to your Inbox.

Strangely, emails classified as spam is not sent a challenge email, but is moved straight to your spam folder.

A nifty feature of the Bayesian filter is that you don't have to have just "Spam" or "Not Spam". You can have as many categories as you want, e.g. "Definitely Spam", "Maybe Spam", etc.

But how accurate is SpamBully?

Well, very accurate. Even with a basic email setup where the Bayesian filter did not have a lot to learn from, less than 5% of spam actually got through!

Now imagine if you have spent a bit more time on it to set it up more accurately. That will lower the % even more!


Conclusion

Despite it not being as well known or used as some of the other spam blockers, SpamBully ticks all the right boxes.

This is definitely one piece of software worth the money.

The only negative point is that it only works with Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express.

So if you use one of the above email programs, get SpamBully. You will not be disappointed.

SpamBully scores: 9/10