# Email Verifier & Validator: Bulk Email List Cleaner (`bossless/email-verifier`) Actor

Verify email lists in bulk: syntax, MX/domain, disposable, role-account and typo checks (gmial.com → gmail.com), plus an SMTP mailbox check that never sends mail. Optional deep check for Outlook/Yahoo. $0.80 per 1,000 emails.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/bossless/email-verifier.md
- **Developed by:** [Alexander Daskalov](https://apify.com/bossless) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Marketing, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 3 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.60 / 1,000 email verifieds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Email Verifier & Validator: Bulk Email List Cleaner

**Verify email lists in bulk and stop bounces before you hit send.** For every address you get a clear verdict (**valid, invalid, risky or unknown**) and the reason, from these checks:

- **Syntax:** is it a well-formed address?
- **Domain / MX:** does the domain accept mail at all? This covers MX records, RFC 7505 "null MX" and implicit-MX domains.
- **Disposable:** throwaway inboxes such as mailinator.com and 10minutemail (about 9,900 domains).
- **Role account:** info@, sales@, support@, noreply@ and similar.
- **Free provider:** Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and others.
- **Typo detection:** `john@gmial.com` gets **"did you mean john@gmail.com?"**. Domains are never changed silently.
- **SMTP mailbox check:** asks the recipient's mail server whether the mailbox exists. **No email is ever sent.**
- **Optional deep check** (paid Apify plans): reads the providers that hide mailboxes from SMTP checks (Outlook, Hotmail, Yahoo) and flags spam traps.

Use it to clean a newsletter or cold-outreach list, validate sign-up forms in bulk, protect your sender reputation, or feed AI agents and automations with verified contacts.

### What does each verdict mean?

| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| `valid` | The mailbox exists. | Send. |
| `invalid` | Bad syntax, a domain that accepts no mail, or the server says the mailbox doesn't exist. | Remove. |
| `risky` | Disposable inbox, likely typo, or a catch-all domain that accepts every address. | Fix the typo, or send with care. |
| `unknown` | The domain accepts mail, but the mailbox couldn't be confirmed (the server didn't say, or the check was skipped). | Keep, or turn on the deep check. |

An example record:

```json
{
  "email": "someone@gmial.com",
  "normalizedEmail": "someone@gmial.com",
  "status": "risky",
  "reason": "disposable address",
  "syntaxValid": true,
  "domain": "gmial.com",
  "hasMx": null,
  "isDisposable": true,
  "isRoleAccount": false,
  "isFreeProvider": false,
  "didYouMean": "someone@gmail.com",
  "smtp": "skipped",
  "deepCheck": null,
  "checkedAt": "2026-10-14T13:20:05+00:00"
}
```

Each record also has `mxHost`, `smtpCode` and `smtpMessage` (the mail server's own reply).

### How much does email verification cost?

You pay per address, and there's no monthly fee.

| Event | Price (FREE/BRONZE) | Lower on paid plans |
|---|---|---|
| Email verified (all checks above) | **$0.0008** ($0.80 per 1,000) | down to $0.0006 |
| Deep check (only when you turn it on) | **$0.01** per definite answer | down to $0.008 |
| Actor start | $0.00005 per run | — |

Duplicates in your list are checked, and charged, only once. The deep check is charged only for a definite answer (exists, doesn't exist, disposable, spam trap, catch-all); its "unknown" answers are free. Apify's maximum cost per run caps what you pay, and the actor stops cleanly when the cap is reached.

### How to verify an email list

Paste your addresses (one per line, or a block separated by commas):

```json
{"emails": ["john@acme.com", "jane@gmial.com", "test@mailinator.com"]}
```

With the deep check:

```json
{"emails": ["john@outlook.com"], "deepCheck": true}
```

**Why do Outlook, Hotmail and Yahoo often show `unknown` or catch-all?** Those providers accept every address during the SMTP conversation, so no SMTP checker can tell whether the mailbox exists. The deep check uses a professional verification service that can.

**If the SMTP check is unavailable** (for example during maintenance), the run still delivers every other check, marks `smtp: "skipped"`, and says so in its status message.

### Use the Email Verifier API from code

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/bossless~email-verifier/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"emails": ["john@acme.com", "jane@gmial.com"]}'
```

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("bossless/email-verifier").call(run_input={"emails": ["john@acme.com", "jane@gmial.com"]})
for r in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(r["email"], r["status"], r["reason"], r["didYouMean"])
```

### Use it with AI agents (MCP)

```
https://mcp.apify.com?tools=bossless/email-verifier
```

Ask your assistant *"check these 50 leads and drop the ones that would bounce"*. It runs this actor and reads back each verdict.

### FAQ

**Does it send emails?** No. The SMTP check stops before any message is sent, the same way mail servers check a recipient.

**Where do my addresses go?**

- The checks run on Apify.
- The SMTP check goes through our own dedicated server.
- The deep check, only when you turn it on, sends the addresses to our verification provider, EmailListVerify.
- We store nothing beyond your run's dataset. The deep-check provider has its own privacy policy.

**Why "unknown" for some addresses?** Some servers never reveal whether a mailbox exists, and some answer "try later" (greylisting). Those addresses are `unknown` rather than guessed. Turn on the deep check if you need an answer.

**Is a catch-all address valid?** The domain accepts mail for any name, so the mailbox may not exist. It's marked `risky`.

**Why is the deep check only on paid plans?** It costs us per address. On the free plan you still get every other check.

**Can the deep check be unavailable?** Yes, occasionally (for example during the provider's maintenance). The run then says so in its status message, delivers every other check, and charges nothing for the deep check.

**Is this an official product of Gmail, Outlook or any email provider?** No. This is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any email provider or by EmailListVerify.

**Is it legal?** Verifying addresses you hold is standard list hygiene. You are responsible for having a lawful basis to process the addresses, and for following the anti-spam and data-protection laws that apply to you.

# Actor input Schema

## `emails` (type: `array`):

The addresses to verify, one per line. You can also paste a block separated by commas or spaces. Duplicates are checked (and charged) once.

## `smtpCheck` (type: `boolean`):

Ask the recipient's mail server whether the mailbox exists. No email is ever sent. If the check is unavailable, you still get every other check.

## `deepCheck` (type: `boolean`):

Also verify each address through a professional verification service. It reads providers that hide mailboxes from SMTP checks (Outlook, Hotmail, Yahoo) and detects spam traps. Charged only for definite answers (unknown answers are free); available on paid Apify plans.

## `maxEmails` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many unique addresses.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "emails": [
    "support@apify.com",
    "someone@gmial.com",
    "test@mailinator.com"
  ],
  "smtpCheck": true,
  "deepCheck": false,
  "maxEmails": 100000
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "emails": [
        "support@apify.com",
        "someone@gmial.com",
        "test@mailinator.com"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("bossless/email-verifier").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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "emails": [
        "support@apify.com",
        "someone@gmial.com",
        "test@mailinator.com",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("bossless/email-verifier").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).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": [
    "support@apify.com",
    "someone@gmial.com",
    "test@mailinator.com"
  ]
}' |
apify call bossless/email-verifier --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,bossless/email-verifier"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/5ooNZRwTkgV9eAHny/builds/7YQeOcHRaY12YMEwG/openapi.json