INKY alternatives for MSPs after the Kaseya acquisition
Kaseya announced its acquisition of INKY on 7 October 2025. INKY is still sold on its own and is also part of Kaseya 365 User, and its help centre sets out what changed for partners: Kaseya-style term contracts, a 24-month price lock for existing customers and optional integrations with Kaseya's security products. If your INKY renewal is coming up, it's a sensible point to compare. This page covers what changed and the main alternatives an MSP can run across many Microsoft 365 tenants, using each vendor's own pages as checked on 21 October 2026.
Key facts, October 2026
- INKY is now a Kaseya product. Existing customers keep their current pricing under a 24-month price lock, and new terms are one year with a committed minimum quantity plus monthly variable usage.
- Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, formerly Avanan, has an MSP programme with no lock-ins, minimums or upfront commitments.
- IRONSCALES has a free Starter plan for Microsoft 365 and monthly plans you can cancel at any time.
- Mesh was acquired by Bitdefender in July 2025 and bills per mailbox in line with Microsoft licences.
- Proofpoint completed its acquisition of Hornetsecurity in December 2025; Proofpoint's Essentials product page now redirects to 365 Total Protection.
What changed at INKY
INKY's help-centre article on the acquisition is the clearest source. Existing customers keep current pricing with a 24-month price lock. Going forward, Kaseya offers one-year terms built on a committed minimum quantity plus a monthly variable, with discounts for three-year terms. Partners can cancel renewal with 30 days' notice before the renewal date. INKY's support team and channels stay in place, and integrations with Kaseya's RocketCyber, BullPhish ID, Datto EDR and SaaS Alerts are optional. If you buy INKY as part of Kaseya 365 User, that bundle has a 25-user minimum.
INKY doesn't publish prices. Its partner programme includes white labelling, not-for-resale licences, a multi-client dashboard and PSA integrations, and customers in the same MSP tenant can be on different tiers. INKY's founder and CEO, Dave Baggett, now heads Kaseya's security suite.
Best fit for: MSPs already on Kaseya 365 or other Kaseya security tools, and existing INKY partners who are happy with the price lock. Check first: your committed minimum quantity under the new one-year terms and your renewal date, since the cancellation window is 30 days before it.
The alternatives at a glance
| INKY | Check Point Harmony Email | IRONSCALES | Mesh | Abnormal AI | Proofpoint 365 Total Protection | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Kaseya (announced Oct 2025) | Check Point (Avanan acquired 2021) | Not covered here | Bitdefender (completed July 2025) | Abnormal AI, Inc. (renamed from Abnormal Security in 2025) | Proofpoint (Hornetsecurity deal completed Dec 2025) |
| Published price | No | No (custom quote) | No (tiers shown, no prices) | No | No | No |
| Minimum / commitment | Committed minimum quantity, 1-year terms | MSP programme: no lock-ins or minimums | Monthly plans cancel any time | Not published | Not published | Not published for 365 Total Protection |
| Free option | NFR licences | 14-day trial | Free Starter plan (Microsoft 365 only) | Free internal use for MSPs with paying customers | Demo | Free trial on request |
| Deployment | Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Exchange | API, no MX change | API, no MX change | MX gateway, API, or both | API | Not covered here |
| MSP multi-tenant | Yes | Yes, with SSO into each customer | Yes | Yes, with global rules | Multi-tenant management | Multi-tenant control panel |
Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration (Avanan)
Check Point acquired Avanan in 2021, and the product is now sold as Harmony Email & Collaboration, listed in our catalogue as Check Point Email Security. It deploys by API into Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace without changing MX records, and can cover Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and Slack. Packages run from Advanced Protect to Complete Protect, which adds data loss prevention. Pricing is by custom quote, and there's a 14-day trial.
The MSP programme is self-service with "no lock-ins or minimums" and zero upfront commitments, and MSP pricing is tiered as you grow. It offers multi-tenancy with single sign-on into each customer, configuration templates you apply across tenants, API access and per-customer consumption reports. Pay-as-you-go MSP rights require an agreement with a certified Check Point distributor, and Check Point can end the MSP terms with 30 days' written notice.
Best fit for: MSPs that want API-based protection across email and collaboration apps with no minimum. Check first: your distributor's pay-as-you-go pricing, since Check Point doesn't publish it.
IRONSCALES
IRONSCALES lists its plans without prices. Its free Starter plan works only with Microsoft 365 and is limited to four training campaigns a year. Paid plans are monthly, cancellable at any time from the next billing cycle, or annual at a discount. Deployment is by API with no DNS or MX changes, and it can run alongside an existing gateway. Security awareness training uses more than 200 Wizer videos.
IRONSCALES says more than 3,500 MSPs use it. Partners get a not-for-resale account and a multi-tenant dashboard after signing the partner agreement, and are expected to give their clients first- and second-line support.
Best fit for: MSPs that want to start free on Microsoft 365 tenants and stay month to month. Check first: what the Starter plan leaves out, and the per-mailbox price once you need paid features.
Mesh
Mesh was built for MSPs, created in 2020 with input from more than 200 of them, and Bitdefender completed its acquisition in July 2025. You can deploy it as an MX gateway, as an API-based 365 product, or both together as Mesh Unified. Billing follows Microsoft licensing: billable mailboxes match paid licences, unlicensed shared mailboxes and distribution groups aren't billed, and counts update when Microsoft's do. Licensing also syncs with PSA tools.
Mesh doesn't publish pricing; its pricing page returned a not-found error when we checked. Internal use is free for MSPs with paying customers, support is not outsourced, and Mesh 365 can be trialled in monitor mode behind Microsoft's own filtering.
Best fit for: MSPs that want gateway or API deployment from one MSP-focused vendor, billed to match Microsoft licences. Check first: the price per mailbox, and whether the Bitdefender ownership changes your terms or roadmap.
Abnormal AI
Abnormal changed its name from Abnormal Security in 2025. It deploys by API into Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace and has email, identity and AI security modules. Its customer list leans to large companies: it says 30% of the Fortune 500 use it. For MSPs, Abnormal runs channel, technology and MSSP partner tracks, and has added a multi-tenant management feature that lets you add a child tenant in three self-serve steps. Pricing isn't published.
Best fit for: MSSPs and MSPs serving larger clients that want behavioural detection and identity coverage. Check first: whether Abnormal will price for small-tenant volumes and which partner track applies.
Proofpoint 365 Total Protection (formerly Essentials)
Proofpoint's Essentials product page now redirects to 365 Total Protection, which was Hornetsecurity's flagship product before Proofpoint completed that acquisition on 8 December 2025. Hornetsecurity brought 12,000-plus MSPs and channel partners and a multi-tenant control panel for Microsoft 365 security, backup and awareness training. Proofpoint's MSP programme offers one contract and one bill, tiered partner levels and dedicated account managers. Proofpoint itself is owned by Thoma Bravo, which took it private in 2021.
We found Essentials partner documents on Proofpoint's site with list prices, month-to-month billing and no minimum order per customer, but they are undated and the two price lists don't match, so we haven't used them. Ask for current 365 Total Protection pricing.
Best fit for: MSPs that want email security, backup and awareness training under one Microsoft 365 contract. Check first: what happens to existing Essentials customers and pricing as the products merge.
What to check before switching
- Your INKY renewal date. Kaseya's terms allow cancellation of renewal with 30 days' notice. Diarise it.
- Gateway or API. Moving from a gateway to an API product (or back) changes mail flow. Plan MX changes per client and keep the old filter running in monitor mode where you can.
- Billing unit. Count licensed mailboxes, shared mailboxes and distribution groups per tenant. Vendors bill these differently.
- Bundled training. If you take awareness training through your email vendor, check what moves with you. INKY's help centre says customers using Wizer training through INKY can switch to BullPhish ID at $0.50 per user per month.
- PSA billing sync. Confirm the new vendor reports seat counts into your PSA so you're not reconciling by hand.
- Distributor terms. Check Point's pay-as-you-go MSP terms run through a distributor. Ask yours about pricing and notice periods.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns INKY now?
Kaseya. It announced the acquisition of INKY on 7 October 2025. INKY is still sold as a standalone product and is included in Kaseya 365 User.
Will INKY pricing change for existing customers?
INKY's help centre says existing customers keep current pricing with a 24-month price lock. New terms are one year with a committed minimum quantity plus monthly variable usage, and three-year terms get a discount.
Which INKY alternatives have no minimum?
Check Point's MSP programme for Harmony Email & Collaboration says there are no lock-ins or minimums. IRONSCALES has a free Starter plan for Microsoft 365 and monthly plans you can cancel at any time.
Is Avanan still available?
Yes, as Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration. Check Point acquired Avanan in 2021.
What happened to Proofpoint Essentials?
Proofpoint's Essentials product page now redirects to 365 Total Protection, the Hornetsecurity product. Proofpoint completed its acquisition of Hornetsecurity on 8 December 2025.
Ownership dates, terms and features come from each vendor's own website, help centre and press releases, fetched on 21 October 2026 and listed in our sources file. None of these vendors publish per-mailbox prices, so get quotes. Related: Email Security & Filtering, Email security for MSPs, Microsoft 365 backup for MSPs.