Tools: Email Verification APIs Compared: 2026 Benchmark (With Real Pricing)

Email Verification APIs Compared: 2026 Benchmark ## The Problem ## The Benchmark ## Results ## What I Learned ## 1. Accuracy is basically the same ## 2. Speed only matters at scale ## 3. Free tiers vary wildly ## 4. Enterprise features are marketing ## Who Should Use What ## Budget-conscious / Side projects ## Mid-tier / Growing teams ## Enterprise / Big budget ## The Code ## Run Your Own Benchmark ## Conclusion I got tired of marketing fluff, so I benchmarked 8 email verification APIs with the same dataset. TL;DR: You're probably overpaying. The cheapest options work just as well as the expensive ones. Email verification APIs range from $5 to $75+ for the same 10,000 emails. But they all do essentially the same thing: So why the 15x price difference? I tested each API with: Every service scored between 97.8% and 99.3% accuracy. That 1.5% difference doesn't justify a 15x price difference. For most use cases (verifying signups, cleaning small lists), even the "slow" APIs are fast enough. If you're testing or building a side project, that free tier difference matters. "AI email scoring," "data enrichment," "deliverability toolkit" — cool features, but 90% of users just need: is this email valid? yes/no. Verifly ($5/10k) or VitaMail ($10/10k) Same accuracy, fraction of the cost. Perfect for indie hackers and startups. NeverBounce or MillionVerifier Good balance of features and price. ZeroBounce or Clearout All the bells and whistles. All APIs work similarly: I open-sourced the benchmark scripts: 👉 github.com/james-sib/email-verification-benchmark Add your own API keys and verify the results yourself. Stop overpaying for email verification. The budget options ($5-20/10k) work just as well as the expensive ones ($50-75/10k) for most use cases. Unless you specifically need enterprise features, start cheap and upgrade only if you hit limitations. Disclosure: I'm one of the builders of Verifly. But the benchmark data is real and the repo is open source — verify it yourself. Questions? Drop them in the comments. Happy to share more technical details. Templates let you quickly answer FAQs or store snippets for re-use. Are you sure you want to hide this comment? It will become hidden in your post, but will still be visible via the comment's permalink. Hide child comments as well For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse CODE_BLOCK: // Verifly example const response = await fetch( `https://api.verifly.email/v1/verify?email=${email}`, { headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_KEY}` } } ); const { result, disposable, score } = await response.json(); // result: "valid" | "invalid" | "risky" | "unknown" Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: // Verifly example const response = await fetch( `https://api.verifly.email/v1/verify?email=${email}`, { headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_KEY}` } } ); const { result, disposable, score } = await response.json(); // result: "valid" | "invalid" | "risky" | "unknown" CODE_BLOCK: // Verifly example const response = await fetch( `https://api.verifly.email/v1/verify?email=${email}`, { headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_KEY}` } } ); const { result, disposable, score } = await response.json(); // result: "valid" | "invalid" | "risky" | "unknown" COMMAND_BLOCK: git clone https://github.com/james-sib/email-verification-benchmark cd email-verification-benchmark npm install npm run benchmark Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode COMMAND_BLOCK: git clone https://github.com/james-sib/email-verification-benchmark cd email-verification-benchmark npm install npm run benchmark COMMAND_BLOCK: git clone https://github.com/james-sib/email-verification-benchmark cd email-verification-benchmark npm install npm run benchmark - Check if the domain exists (MX records) - Check if the mailbox exists (SMTP handshake) - Flag risky addresses (disposable, catch-all, etc.) - 100 curated test emails (mix of valid, invalid, disposable, role accounts) - Same order, same day (fair comparison) - Single email endpoint (not bulk)