# Email Verifier & Validator (DNS): Bulk, MX, Disposable (`brasspage/email-validator`) Actor

Email verifier and email validator for bulk lists, with DNS checks: syntax, MX mail servers, disposable domains, role accounts, free providers, and typos like gmial.com. Reads emails from any Apify dataset. No SMTP mailbox check, no API key, never emails anyone. $0.30 per 1,000 emails.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/brasspage/email-validator.md
- **Developed by:** [Brasspage](https://apify.com/brasspage) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Marketing, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.30 / 1,000 email checkeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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 (DNS): Bulk, MX, Disposable

Paste a list of emails, or pick an Apify dataset from a leads or contact scraper. For every email the Actor checks:

- **Syntax:** a real address format, with `mailto:` and `<...>` cleaned off.
- **Mail servers:** the domain exists and has MX records (or at least an address record). Domains with a "null MX" accept no mail.
- **Disposable domains:** about 10,000 throwaway email domains (mailinator, yopmail and others), with their subdomains.
- **Typos:** `gmial.com`, `hotmial.com`, `gmail.con` and more, with a fixed address in `didYouMean`.
- **Role accounts:** `info@`, `sales@`, `support@` and similar.
- **Free providers:** Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, iCloud and about 60 more, so you can split business and personal emails.

Each email gets a status: `valid`, `risky`, `invalid` or `unknown`, with the reasons.

**$0.30 per 1,000 emails.** No API key. It never sends an email and never opens an SMTP connection, so it is fast, it does not time out on slow mail servers, and it cannot hurt your sender reputation. It works with **limited permissions**: it reads only the datasets you pick.

### How to use

1. Open the Actor in the Apify Console and go to the **Input** tab.
2. Paste emails into **Emails**, one per line. Or pick a dataset in **Datasets with emails** and type its email field in **Email field in the dataset**.
3. Click **Start**.
4. When the run ends, open the **Output** tab. Download the results as CSV, Excel or JSON, or read them through the API.

The prefilled input checks 6 sample emails (a good one, a typo, a disposable one, a domain that takes no mail, and a broken address), so a one-click run shows every status.

### What can you do with it?

- **Clean a lead list before a campaign:** drop invalid emails and fix typos, so fewer emails bounce.
- **Check scraper output:** run it after a contact or leads scraper as an integration, with `{{resource.defaultDatasetId}}`. Fields that hold a list of emails, like `emails`, give one row per email, with the original item.
- **Stop fake signups:** flag disposable and mistyped emails in a form export.
- **Split B2B and B2C:** use `isFreeProvider` and `isRoleAccount` to sort leads.
- **AI agents:** call the Actor as a tool (Apify API or Apify MCP server) before an agent writes to a list of people.

### Input examples

Two inputs you can paste into the **JSON** tab and run as they are. Results are from real runs on Oct 27, 2026. No email is sent to any of these addresses.

**1. Every status in one run.** About 1 second. Results: `info@apify.com` valid (role account), `someone@gmail.con` invalid with `didYouMean` `someone@gmail.com`, `help@crawlee.dev` risky (role account, no MX record), `sam@guerrillamail.com` risky (disposable), and the made-up domain invalid (domain not found).

```json
{
  "emails": [
    "info@apify.com",
    "someone@gmail.con",
    "help@crawlee.dev",
    "sam@guerrillamail.com",
    "jane@nonexistent-domain-brasspage-test.com"
  ],
  "outputFilter": "all"
}
```

**2. Drop the invalid ones.** The same 5 emails with `"outputFilter": "notInvalid"`. The dataset keeps 3 rows (1 valid, 2 risky). All 5 still count toward the price.

```json
{
  "emails": [
    "info@apify.com",
    "someone@gmail.con",
    "help@crawlee.dev",
    "sam@guerrillamail.com",
    "jane@nonexistent-domain-brasspage-test.com"
  ],
  "outputFilter": "notInvalid"
}
```

From a dataset:

```json
{
  "datasetIds": ["<dataset ID>"],
  "emailField": "emails",
  "outputFilter": "notInvalid"
}
```

### Output example

```json
{
  "email": "jane.doe@gmial.com",
  "normalized": "jane.doe@gmial.com",
  "status": "risky",
  "reasons": ["possible_typo", "disposable_domain"],
  "domain": "gmial.com",
  "hasMx": false,
  "mxHosts": [],
  "isDisposable": true,
  "isRoleAccount": false,
  "isFreeProvider": false,
  "didYouMean": "jane.doe@gmail.com"
}
```

Rows from a dataset also hold the original item in `item`. The `OUTPUT` record holds a summary: emails checked, counts per status, rows written, and notes.

### Statuses and reasons

| Status    | Meaning                                                  | Reasons                                                                              |
| --------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `valid`   | Good format, the domain takes mail, no warning signs     | can still list `role_account`                                                        |
| `risky`   | Mail may arrive, but it is a bad bet                     | `disposable_domain`, `possible_typo`, `no_mx_record` (no MX, only an address record) |
| `invalid` | Mail cannot arrive                                       | `syntax_...`, `domain_not_found`, `no_mail_server`, `domain_accepts_no_mail`         |
| `unknown` | DNS did not answer in time. Run these emails again later | `dns_error`                                                                          |

### Limits

It does not ask the mail server if the mailbox exists (an SMTP check). Big providers like Gmail and Outlook do not answer that question honestly, and SMTP checks from cloud servers are slow and often blocked. So `valid` means "the address and its domain are fine", not "a person reads this inbox". If you need mailbox checks, run the `valid` rows through an SMTP verifier after this one, and pay for fewer emails there.

- The Apify free plan checks up to 2,000 emails per run.
- DNS answers time out after 4 seconds (2 tries). An email whose domain does not answer gets `unknown`.
- Typo fixes come from a fixed list of common providers and TLD slips like `.con`, so a typo of a small company domain is not caught.

### Pricing

- **$0.30 per 1,000 emails checked** ($0.0003 per email). Duplicates in **Emails** are checked and charged once.
- A tiny Actor start event (Apify's standard start charge) applies once per run.
- Emails you drop with **Rows to keep** still count, because they were checked.
- The Apify free plan checks up to 2,000 emails per run.
- Set **Max emails to check** or a **maximum total charge** on the run, and the Actor stops before it goes over.
- The prefilled input checks 6 emails, so a one-click run costs about $0.002 (6 x $0.0003), plus the start fee.

### FAQ

**Does it send email?** No. It only makes DNS queries for the domains.

**Is the disposable list up to date?** It ships with the public disposable-email-domains list (CC0) and is updated with new builds.

**Is my data stored?** Only in your own run's dataset and key-value store.

**What does `valid` mean?** The address is well formed, its domain has mail servers, and there are no warning signs. It does not prove a person reads the inbox (see Limits).

**Why did some emails get `unknown`?** DNS for their domain did not answer in time. Run those emails again later.

### Related Actors

- [Dataset Dedup & Merge](https://apify.com/brasspage/dataset-dedup-merge): remove duplicate leads by email before you check them.
- [Website Contact & Tech Audit](https://apify.com/brasspage/website-contact-tech-audit): find the emails on a list of websites, then check them here.
- [Google Sheets Export & Sync](https://apify.com/brasspage/google-sheets-sync): send the checked emails to a Google Sheet.

### Issues and support

Found a bug or need a feature? Open an issue in this Actor's **Issues** tab. We check it every day and reply there.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/brasspage/email-validator/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

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

One email per line. You can also paste a list split by commas or spaces. Duplicates are checked once.

## `datasetIds` (type: `array`):

Optional. Check the emails in one or more Apify datasets, for example the output of a leads or contact scraper. In an integration, use {{resource.defaultDatasetId}}. The Actor gets read access only to the datasets you pick here.

## `emailField` (type: `string`):

The field that holds the email in each dataset item. Use dots for nested fields, for example "contact.email". A list of emails (like "emails" from a contact scraper) gives one row per email.

## `outputFilter` (type: `string`):

Which checked emails go into the dataset. Every checked email counts toward the price, also the ones you drop.

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

Stop after this many emails. Leave empty for no limit (the Apify free plan checks up to 2,000 emails per run).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "emails": [
    "hello@brasspage.com",
    "sales@brasspage.com",
    "jane.doe@gmial.com",
    "temp123@mailinator.com",
    "anyone@example.com",
    "not-an-email"
  ],
  "datasetIds": [
    "WkzbQMuFYuamGv3YF"
  ],
  "emailField": "email",
  "outputFilter": "all",
  "maxEmails": 1000
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

One row per email: status (valid, risky, invalid, unknown), reasons, MX hosts, disposable, role, free provider, and a typo fix.

## `summary` (type: `string`):

Emails checked, counts per status, rows written, and notes.

# 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": [
        "hello@brasspage.com",
        "sales@brasspage.com",
        "jane.doe@gmial.com",
        "temp123@mailinator.com",
        "anyone@example.com",
        "not-an-email"
    ]
};

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

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "emails": [
        "hello@brasspage.com",
        "sales@brasspage.com",
        "jane.doe@gmial.com",
        "temp123@mailinator.com",
        "anyone@example.com",
        "not-an-email",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("brasspage/email-validator").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": [
    "hello@brasspage.com",
    "sales@brasspage.com",
    "jane.doe@gmial.com",
    "temp123@mailinator.com",
    "anyone@example.com",
    "not-an-email"
  ]
}' |
apify call brasspage/email-validator --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/8OQblcQhq44BMawWL/builds/brIW2c4q1rMv0UygU/openapi.json