Free (Iliad group) runs @free.fr and @aliceadsl.fr on Proxad infrastructure. It is the strictest major French ISP for email delivery: no whitelist programme, strict content filtering, high complaint rate. Getting to inbox requires clean authentication, a verified list, and patience.
Free/Proxad maintains its own IP reputation system with no public query interface. A 550 rejection referencing proxad or free.fr policy indicates a Proxad-level block. The only remediation is contacting [email protected] — there is no self-service delisting.
In addition to the Proxad internal list, Free validates IPs against Spamhaus ZEN. An SBL or XBL listing causes immediate rejection. Resolve Spamhaus issues before contacting Proxad — they will ask for Spamhaus clearance as a precondition.
Free's content filter has lower tolerance thresholds than Orange or SFR. High SpamAssassin scores, HTML-only messages, missing text/plain alternative, or image-to-text ratio above 60% trigger filtering. Test every campaign against Free addresses before full send.
Free enforces DMARC strictly. At p=reject, all unauthenticated messages are refused at SMTP. Free does not quarantine — they reject. Ensure SPF and DKIM both pass before setting p=reject.
Free users report non-consensual or unexpected email as spam at significantly higher rates than Orange or SFR users. A campaign to a non-opted-in Free segment can generate complaint rates of 0.5-2%, triggering automated IP blocklisting within hours.
Free applies aggressive connection rate limiting to new and low-reputation IPs. Implement throttling at the MTA level: max 2-3 concurrent connections to Free MX per sending IP, max 100 messages per hour per IP from new IPs.
| SMTP Code | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 550 refused | Proxad internal blocklist or policy | Contact [email protected] with sending evidence |
| 550 5.7.1 | Auth failure or Spamhaus block | Fix SPF/DKIM/DMARC, check Spamhaus ZEN |
| 421 Too many connections | Rate limit on SMTP connections | Throttle to max 2-3 concurrent connections per IP |
| 421 4.7.0 Try later | Greylisting or rate limit | Retry after 10 minutes — automatic for compliant MTAs |
| 550 5.1.1 | Mailbox does not exist | Hard bounce — remove immediately from all lists |
| 452 4.2.2 | Mailbox over quota | Soft bounce — retry 2-3x over 48h then suppress |
BounceZero removes invalid and abandoned Free addresses before they hard-bounce and damage your Proxad reputation. @aliceadsl.fr has especially high abandonment from the 2007 Alice acquisition.
Free enforces SPF strictly. Softfail is treated with suspicion. Use -all and list every sending IP and service.
Free gives DKIM-signed messages from DMARC-protected domains better inbox placement. Unsigned messages are filtered more aggressively.
Move to p=reject as quickly as safely possible. At p=reject, unauthenticated messages are refused — eliminating spoofing complaints that damage your reputation.
Maximum 2-3 simultaneous SMTP connections per sending IP to Free MX. Maximum 100 messages per hour per IP from new IPs. Exceeding these triggers connection drops that worsen reputation.
Free users complain at the highest rate of any major French ISP. Only send to explicitly confirmed double opt-in French addresses. Any purchased or scraped French list will result in rapid Proxad blocklisting.
No whitelist or self-service portal. Email [email protected] with IPs, domain, authentication records, list source documentation, and BounceZero verification report. Response times: 5-14 business days.
Free (Iliad group) operates one of the most aggressive spam filtering systems among French ISPs. They do not offer a sender whitelist programme, use their own internal Proxad blocklist that is not publicly queryable, and their users are among the most active spam reporters in France. There is no bypass or escalation path beyond the postmaster contact.
Free (Iliad) operates @free.fr as the primary domain, plus @aliceadsl.fr (from the Alice/Telecom Italia France acquisition in 2007). Both are hosted on Proxad infrastructure. The postmaster contact for both domains is [email protected].
Contact [email protected] with: sending IPs, sending domain, SPF/DKIM/DMARC records, description of your mailing list and consent method, evidence of list cleaning (BounceZero verification report, unsubscribe data), and sending volume. Free does not guarantee response times. For persistent blocks, reduce sends to Free addresses while reputation recovers.
Proxad is Free/Iliad\'s network infrastructure subsidiary. Proxad.net operates the internal IP reputation and blocklist system for @free.fr and @aliceadsl.fr. Unlike Spamhaus, the Proxad blocklist is not publicly queryable — you only discover a Proxad block from the 550 rejection message. Contact [email protected] for removal requests.
Yes. BounceZero connects directly to Free SMTP servers for @free.fr and @aliceadsl.fr verification. Free applies aggressive rate limiting to verification connections from new IPs — BounceZero uses dedicated egress infrastructure to handle this correctly. @aliceadsl.fr in particular has a high abandoned address rate from the Alice acquisition era.
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