# Email Validator Pro — Bulk SMTP & Deliverability Check (`accurate_pouch/email-validator`) Actor Validate emails in bulk with SMTP mailbox check, disposable detection, catch-all flagging, deliverability scoring, and typo suggestions. 20 emails free per run. - **URL**: https://apify.com/accurate\_pouch/email-validator.md - **Developed by:** [Manchitt Sanan](https://apify.com/accurate_pouch) (community) - **Categories:** Developer tools, Lead generation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per usage This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-usage ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Email Validator Pro — Bulk SMTP & Deliverability Check Validate 10,000 emails in minutes. SMTP mailbox check, disposable domain detection, catch-all flagging, role-based detection, deliverability scoring, and typo suggestions — all in one actor. --- ### Why this exists The most popular email validator on Apify has 743 users but only a 3.3/5 rating. The second most popular has 142 users and a 2.0/5 rating. Users are stuck choosing between unreliable tools and overpriced ones. This actor does everything the existing ones do, plus: - **Disposable domain detection** — flags mailinator, guerrillamail, and 5,300+ throwaway providers - **Catch-all detection** — identifies servers that accept all addresses (less trustworthy) - **Role-based detection** — flags info@, admin@, support@ addresses - **Deliverability score** — 0-100 composite score based on all checks - **Typo suggestions** — catches gmial.com, hotmal.com, and 20+ common misspellings - **20 emails** — test it before committing --- ### Quick start ```json { "emails": [ "real-user@gmail.com", "fake@mailinator.com", "info@example.com" ], "checkSmtp": true, "checkDisposable": true } ```` *** ### Competitor comparison | Feature | xmiso (743 users, 3.3★) | api-ninja (204 users, 5★) | **This actor** | |---------|------------------------|--------------------------|--------------| | SMTP mailbox check | Unknown | Yes | Yes | | MX record check | Unknown | Yes | Yes | | Disposable detection | No | No | Yes (200+ domains) | | Catch-all detection | No | No | Yes | | Role-based detection | No | No | Yes | | Free provider flagging | No | No | Yes | | Deliverability score | No | No | Yes (0-100) | | Typo suggestions | No | No | Yes | | Per-email error detail | No | Limited | Yes | | Dry run mode | No | No | Yes | | Free tier | No | Limited | **20 emails free** | | Price per email | $0.0025 | $0.0025 | $0.003 | *** ### Input | Field | Type | Default | Description | |-------|------|---------|-------------| | `emails` | array | *(optional)* | List of email addresses to validate. Or use `emailsUrl`. | | `emailsUrl` | string | *(optional)* | URL to CSV or JSON file with emails. One per line, or JSON array. For 10K+ lists. | | `checkSmtp` | boolean | `true` | Connect to mail server and verify mailbox exists | | `checkDisposable` | boolean | `true` | Check against 5,300+ disposable domain list | | `timeout` | integer | `10000` | SMTP timeout in ms (3,000–30,000) | | `maxConcurrency` | integer | `5` | Parallel validations (1–20). Keep low to avoid mail server blocks | | `googleSheetsId` | string | *(optional)* | Export results to this Google Sheet (spreadsheet ID) | | `googleServiceAccountKey` | string | *(optional)* | Google Service Account JSON key for Sheets export | | `dryRun` | boolean | `false` | Preview results without charges | *** ### Output Each email produces one item in the dataset: ```json { "email": "user@gmail.com", "valid": true, "deliverable": true, "disposable": false, "catchAll": false, "roleBased": false, "freeProvider": true, "deliverabilityScore": 90, "checks": { "syntax": "pass", "domain": "pass", "mxRecord": "pass", "smtp": "pass" }, "suggestion": null, "smtpDetail": "gmail.com is a major provider that blocks SMTP verification probes. Email syntax, domain, and MX are valid — deliverability cannot be confirmed via SMTP for this provider.", "error": null } ``` | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | `email` | Normalised email (lowercased, trimmed) | | `valid` | Syntax + domain + MX all pass | | `deliverable` | SMTP check confirms mailbox exists (`null` if SMTP skipped or inconclusive) | | `disposable` | Domain is a known throwaway provider | | `catchAll` | Mail server accepts all addresses (less trustworthy) | | `roleBased` | Address is a generic role (info@, admin@, support@) | | `freeProvider` | Domain is a free email provider (gmail, yahoo, etc) | | `deliverabilityScore` | 0-100 composite score across all checks | | `checks` | Per-check status: `pass`, `fail`, `unknown`, or `skip` | | `suggestion` | Typo correction if detected (e.g., gmial.com → gmail.com) | | `smtpDetail` | Plain English explanation of the SMTP result — why it passed, failed, or was inconclusive | | `error` | Error message if a check failed, otherwise `null` | #### Deliverability score breakdown | Check | Points | |-------|--------| | Syntax valid | +20 | | Domain exists | +20 | | MX records found | +20 | | SMTP confirms mailbox | +30 (unknown = +15) | | Not disposable | +5 | | Not role-based | +5 | | Catch-all server | -10 | *** ### How SMTP validation works 1. Connect to the domain's mail server (MX record, port 25) 2. Send `EHLO` greeting 3. Send `MAIL FROM` with a verification address 4. Send `RCPT TO` with the target email 5. Read the response — `250` means the mailbox exists, `550` means it doesn't 6. Disconnect without sending any email No email is ever sent. This is standard practice used by every email validation service. *** ### Pricing **$0.003 per email validated** (pay-per-event pricing). - Charged per email processed, regardless of valid/invalid result. - Errors and dry runs are never charged. - 1,000 emails = $3.00 - 10,000 emails = $30.00 *** ### Limitations - **SMTP checks are blocked by major providers.** Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and other large providers block SMTP verification probes. For these domains, SMTP returns `unknown` and the `smtpDetail` field explains why. Syntax, domain, and MX checks still run — deliverability just can't be confirmed via SMTP for those providers. - **Catch-all servers always return 250.** If a server accepts all addresses, the SMTP check will say "deliverable" even for nonexistent mailboxes. The `catchAll` flag warns you about this. - **Not real-time delivery guarantee.** A "deliverable" result means the mailbox existed at check time. The inbox could be full, disabled, or deleted minutes later. - **Disposable domain list covers 5,300+ providers** from the canonical open-source list. New throwaway services appear constantly — coverage is good but not 100%. - **Rate limiting.** Keep `maxConcurrency` at 5 or below for best results. Higher values may trigger temporary blocks from mail servers. *** ### Related Tools by manchittlab - **[Broken Link Checker](https://apify.com/accurate_pouch/broken-link-checker)** — Recursively crawl your website and find every broken link, 404, redirect, and timeout. - **[Domain Age Checker](https://apify.com/accurate_pouch/domain-age-checker)** — Bulk RDAP domain age, registration, and expiration lookup. - **[Lighthouse Auditor](https://apify.com/accurate_pouch/lighthouse-auditor)** — Batch Lighthouse audits for performance, SEO, accessibility, and Core Web Vitals. - **[Image Processor](https://apify.com/accurate_pouch/image-processor)** — Batch resize, convert to WebP/AVIF, compress, watermark. Powered by sharp. - **[Tech Stack Detector](https://apify.com/accurate_pouch/tech-stack-detector)** — Detect frameworks, CMS, analytics, CDN, and 100+ technologies for any URL. - **[Google Sheets Reader & Writer](https://apify.com/accurate_pouch/google-sheets-rw)** — Read any Google Sheet to JSON or append rows. Service Account auth. *** ### Run on Apify [![Run on Apify](https://apify.com/static/run-on-apify.svg)](https://apify.com/accurate_pouch/email-validator) No setup needed. Click above to run in the cloud. $0.003 per operation. # Actor input Schema ## `emails` (type: `array`): List of email addresses to validate. ## `emailsUrl` (type: `string`): URL to a CSV or JSON file containing email addresses. One email per line, or JSON array. Use instead of the emails field for large lists (10K+). ## `checkSmtp` (type: `boolean`): Connect to the mail server and verify the mailbox exists. More accurate but slower (~2-5 sec per email). Some servers block this. ## `checkDisposable` (type: `boolean`): Check if the email domain is a known disposable/throwaway provider (mailinator, guerrillamail, etc). ## `timeout` (type: `integer`): Timeout for SMTP connections in milliseconds. Increase for slow mail servers. ## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`): Parallel email validations. Keep low (3-5) to avoid being flagged by mail servers. ## `googleSheetsId` (type: `string`): Export results to a Google Sheet. Paste the spreadsheet ID from the URL. ## `googleServiceAccountKey` (type: `string`): Full JSON contents of your Google Service Account key file. Required for Sheets export. ## `dryRun` (type: `boolean`): Preview results without charges. SMTP checks still run. ## Actor input object example ```json { "emails": [ "test@gmail.com", "fake@mailinator.com", "info@example.com" ], "checkSmtp": true, "checkDisposable": true, "timeout": 10000, "maxConcurrency": 5, "dryRun": false } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "emails": [ "test@gmail.com", "fake@mailinator.com", "info@example.com" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("accurate_pouch/email-validator").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "emails": [ "test@gmail.com", "fake@mailinator.com", "info@example.com", ] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("accurate_pouch/email-validator").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "emails": [ "test@gmail.com", "fake@mailinator.com", "info@example.com" ] }' | apify call accurate_pouch/email-validator --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=accurate_pouch/email-validator", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Email Validator Pro — Bulk SMTP & Deliverability Check", "description": "Validate emails in bulk with SMTP mailbox check, disposable detection, catch-all flagging, deliverability scoring, and typo suggestions. 20 emails free per run.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "Myh8wOPwwJCzLpEy5" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/accurate_pouch~email-validator/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-accurate_pouch-email-validator", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/accurate_pouch~email-validator/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-accurate_pouch-email-validator", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/accurate_pouch~email-validator/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-accurate_pouch-email-validator", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "emails": { "title": "Email Addresses", "type": "array", "description": "List of email addresses to validate.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "emailsUrl": { "title": "Emails URL (CSV/JSON)", "type": "string", "description": "URL to a CSV or JSON file containing email addresses. One email per line, or JSON array. Use instead of the emails field for large lists (10K+)." }, "checkSmtp": { "title": "SMTP Check", "type": "boolean", "description": "Connect to the mail server and verify the mailbox exists. More accurate but slower (~2-5 sec per email). Some servers block this.", "default": true }, "checkDisposable": { "title": "Disposable Detection", "type": "boolean", "description": "Check if the email domain is a known disposable/throwaway provider (mailinator, guerrillamail, etc).", "default": true }, "timeout": { "title": "SMTP Timeout (ms)", "minimum": 3000, "maximum": 30000, "type": "integer", "description": "Timeout for SMTP connections in milliseconds. Increase for slow mail servers.", "default": 10000 }, "maxConcurrency": { "title": "Max Concurrency", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 20, "type": "integer", "description": "Parallel email validations. Keep low (3-5) to avoid being flagged by mail servers.", "default": 5 }, "googleSheetsId": { "title": "Google Sheets Export — Spreadsheet ID", "type": "string", "description": "Export results to a Google Sheet. Paste the spreadsheet ID from the URL." }, "googleServiceAccountKey": { "title": "Google Sheets Export — Service Account Key", "type": "string", "description": "Full JSON contents of your Google Service Account key file. Required for Sheets export." }, "dryRun": { "title": "Dry Run", "type": "boolean", "description": "Preview results without charges. SMTP checks still run.", "default": false } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```