If you regularly send marketing emails, keeping your list clean is crucial. The best way to achieve this is by using an email verification tool. These tools validate email addresses to ensure they are authentic and active, helping to reduce bounce rates and protect your sender’s reputation. In this post, we’ll review the top email verification tools available on the market this year.
How do Email Verification Tools Work?
Email verification tools work by performing a series of checks on email addresses, including syntax validation, domain/MX record checks, mailbox existence checks, and spam trap detection. Some tools also verify if an email address is publicly visible on the web.
Key features to look for in an email verification tool include accuracy rate, bulk verification capabilities, real-time verification, integration options, ease of use, comprehensive reporting, and security measures. Additional features like API access and Google Sheets add-ons can also be beneficial.
Top Email Verification Tools
1. Emailable
Rating:
• Capterra: 4.8 (331 reviews)
• G2: 4.8 (244 reviews)
Emailable enhances time efficiency with its bulk and real-time email verification features, in addition to single email verification. The list-cleaning process with this email verification tool typically takes just a few minutes, followed by a detailed report. To save even more time, I used Emailable’s automated email verification directly within my team’s database.
Pros:
• Flexible import options: The tool allows for direct import of email lists from a device or integration with platforms like Mailchimp, which is very convenient for marketers managing multiple projects and lists in various locations.
• Hassle-free installation process: The installation process of this email verification tool is straightforward and quick, making it easy to get the tool up and running without technical difficulties.
Cons:
• Occasional missed hard bounces: The tool sometimes fails to flag a few undeliverable emails, though this occurs with only a small number of emails each time.
• Complexity in understanding verification status: The verification status of email addresses can be difficult to decipher, indicating a need for a more intuitive interface or reporting system.
Pricing: Free version with limited credits available. Subscription plans start at €25.50/month, while pay-as-you-go plans start at €0.006 per credit.
2. Bouncer
Rating:
• Capterra: 4.8 (203 reviews)
• G2: 4.8 (184 reviews)
If simplicity is your priority, Bouncer could be the ideal tool for you. It allows you to easily verify email lists of up to 250,000 addresses using a convenient drag-and-drop mechanism. Bouncer’s proprietary algorithms, supported by Artificial Intelligence, interact with SMTP servers to provide highly accurate results.
Pros:
• Ease of use: This email verification tool is exceptionally user-friendly, with an intuitive and straightforward interface, even for first-time users.
• Reliability and efficiency: Bouncer consistently delivers high reliability and efficiency in email verification, handling various lists seamlessly and ensuring accurate results.
Cons:
• Unexpected slowness in response: There were instances where the tool’s response time felt slower than expected. While this might partly be due to my own high expectations for speed, it is an area for potential improvement.
Pricing: Free version with limited credits offered. Subscription plans are offered at $50/month, while pay-as-you-go plans are offered at $0.008 per email.
3. GetProspect
Rating:
• Capterra: 4.5 (91 reviews) 🌟
• G2: 4.0 (38 reviews) 🌟
GetProspect is a lead generation platform that includes an email verifier offering a 97%+ accuracy rate, allowing you to instantly check the validity of your email addresses. With this email verification tool, you can verify up to 20 addresses without downloading them, instantly identifying valid and invalid addresses.
For larger email lists, GetProspect facilitates efficient bulk address verification by allowing uploads in CSV and XLSX formats. Additionally, you can verify addresses directly within Google Sheets or embed the email verifier into your app via this email verification tool’s straightforward API. This email verification tool also offers native integrations to HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho, and other CRM systems for seamless data transfer and integration.
Pros:
• Straightforward interface: GetProspect boasts an intuitive interface that is easy to navigate, whether or not you are tech-savvy.
• High data accuracy: With its 12-step email verification process, GetProspect achieves high accuracy and operates in real-time.
• Wide range of functions: The service provides many valuable and effective solutions for efficiently working with email addresses of potential clients.
Cons:
• Possibility of false data: Some users report that the service occasionally provides false information or cannot determine the exact status of an address.
• Resettable counter: The service usage counter resets to zero at the end of the month, regardless of whether you have opted for the paid or free version.
Pricing:
• The starter subscription is $49/month, with a 30% discount on an annual subscription.
4. NeverBounce
Rating:
• Capterra: 4.4 (41 reviews)
• G2: 4.4 (136 reviews)
NeverBounce is a platform designed to help you clean email lists quickly and efficiently. Its primary feature, “Clean,” allows you to perform an initial check to determine whether your entire list needs cleaning, saving you time and effort. Additionally, this email verification tool offers services that can identify a high number of dubious email addresses and alert their team for personal quality assurance. Although we haven’t personally tested this service, it seems potentially very useful.
Pros:
• Industry-leading detection capabilities: The tool excels at detecting disposable and catch-all emails, making it highly efficient in this area.
• User-friendly interface: The email verification tool is very easy to navigate and understand, which helps in demonstrating the value of list cleaning to management.
Cons:
• Challenges in CRM integration: Integrating this email verification tool with CRM systems can be difficult, which may hinder the email verification process within existing workflows.
Pricing: Pay-as-you-go plans are offered at $0.008 per email.
5. Hunter
Rating:
• Capterra: 4.6 (602 reviews)
• G2: 4.4 (518 reviews)
Hunter is a comprehensive email outreach platform equipped with email address verification tools and email finder tools that check addresses on multiple levels, including format, MX records presence, usage of webmail (such as Gmail or Yahoo), and mail server response. Additionally, this email verification tool verifies if the email address is publicly visible on the web.
In addition to providing the email address verification status, Hunter offers information on the sources and compares them with a unique database of professional email addresses. It also includes a Google Sheets add-on, allowing you to verify emails directly within the spreadsheet software.
Pros:
• Comprehensive and accurate database: Hunter’s extensive and precise database consistently provides reliable results for both finding and verifying email addresses.
• Exceptional customer service: Customer service is prompt, often responding within a couple of hours, and helpful in addressing questions beyond the comprehensive FAQs.
Cons:
• Pricier than expected: The subscription plans are pricier than anticipated, which could be a problem for those who are tight on budgets.
• Basic and glitchy interface: The user interface is basic but also occasionally glitchy. A more sophisticated design and reliably functioning buttons would significantly improve the user experience.
Pricing: Free version with limited credits available. Subscription plans start at €34/month.
6. Kickbox
Rating:
• Capterra: 4.6 (68+ reviews)
• G2: 4.5 (160+ reviews)
Kickbox is an automated email verification solution that offers a robust API for easy integration with existing email tools. It emphasizes a user-friendly experience, transparency, rigorous compliance, and efficient verification.
Kickbox excels as an accurate and easy-to-use email verifier. Its dashboard provides comprehensive insights and a proprietary Sendex™ score, enhancing email performance beyond simple list cleaning. Addresses are validated instantly, and typos can be corrected on the spot.
Pros:
• Advanced security and compliance: Adheres to the highest security standards, ensuring safety for sensitive business communications.
• Comprehensive analytics: Detailed reporting and quality scores for each email address provide actionable insights for optimizing email strategies.
• Dedicated support: Offers personalized consulting, free webinars, and robust community resources for easy navigation and support.
Cons:
• Cost: Pricing reflects premium features and reliability, which may not be the most budget-friendly option.
• Verification time: Larger lists require more time to process, which could be an issue for users with time-sensitive verification needs.
Pricing: Free trial available with 100 credits. Pay-as-you-go pricing starts at $5 for 500 credits.
7. Clearout
Rating:
• Capterra: 4.7 (82 reviews)
• G2: 4.7 (160 reviews)
Clearout is an easy-to-use and well-known email verification tool that ensures an accuracy rate of 98%+. The tool performs over 20 comprehensive validation checks to verify email addresses, including greylisting, spam trap detection, MX record verification, and more.
Clearout accommodates both small numbers of email addresses and large lists with its instant and bulk email verifiers. You can embed your email lists in .CSV or .XLSX formats, and exporting files in .CSV format is also possible. Besides its instant and bulk email verifiers, this email verification tool offers a Google Sheets add-on to verify email addresses directly within your spreadsheets, eliminating the need to juggle between lists or perform multiple uploads and downloads.
Additionally, Clearout features an API for instant and bulk email validation, providing high flexibility as it can be integrated into software written in various programming languages.
Pros:
• Seamless integration with HubSpot chat flows: Clearout ensures emails are validated at the point of capture, whether they come from customer support or an interactive marketing chatbot.
• More than just email verification: Clearout also includes an email finder for quick, large-scale email searches, a LinkedIn prospecting Chrome extension, and in-app search capabilities for extracting pre-verified contact information from LinkedIn.
• Quick resolve time: Clearout’s customer service team is highly responsive and ready to offer impromptu assistance for queries.
Cons:
• Doesn’t support campaign scheduling: Clearout lacks features for sending, automating, and scheduling email campaigns after cleaning a list.
• Limited CRM integrations: While Clearout integrates with most forms, many CRM integrations are done through Zapier or Make. Direct integrations would save time and effort.
Pricing:
• Free version with limited credits available. Subscription plans start at $31.5/month, with pay-as-you-go plans starting at $0.007 per credit.
Final Thoughts
All the tools in this list excel at verifying email addresses, so you can’t go wrong with any of them. However, the best choice for you will depend on factors such as the features and integrations you require, your budget, and specific needs. To full-proof email verification, you also need to do email testing.
Email testing is a multifaceted process with many layers, and depending on the level of detail you desire, email verification might be a crucial part of it. Along with testing email content and design, running spam checks, verifying email responsiveness and rendering, and performing other tasks to ensure your email campaigns are effective and deliver the intended user experience, diligent email marketers also clean the lists to which these campaigns are sent.
While we have covered excellent tools for list cleaning, we have yet to address a proper email testing solution. A testing tool we recommend is Mailtrap. With Mailtrap Email Testing, you can inspect and debug emails in staging, development, and QA environments before sending them to recipients. This allows you to spot and fix any errors in the email content or HTML/CSS code, all without the risk of spamming recipients with test emails.
FAQs
How often should I verify my email list?
It’s recommended to verify your email list routinely, especially before sending out major campaigns. The frequency of email verification can vary depending on the activity and size of your list, but a good rule of thumb is to verify quarterly or biannually.
Can email verification tools integrate with my CRM or email marketing platform?
Most email verification tools offer integrations with popular CRM and email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, Salesforce, HubSpot, and more. These integrations help streamline the verification process and ensure your lists are always up to date.
What is the difference between real-time and bulk email verification?
Real-time email verification checks email addresses instantly as they are entered, which is ideal for sign-up forms and live data entry. Bulk email verification processes a large list of email addresses at once, which is useful for cleaning existing lists.
