Email Finder & Verifier 📧

Turn a name + company domain into a verified business email. This actor generates the common corporate email patterns, resolves the domain's mail servers, and checks each candidate for real over SMTP — so you get a deliverable address with a confidence score, not a guess. Bulk-ready. Export data, run via API, schedule runs, or integrate with other tools.

What makes it reliable

• ✅ Honest verification, no false positives — resolves the domain's MX and, where the network allows it (e.g. self-hosted), checks each candidate mailbox for real over SMTP (RCPT TO). On Apify — whose platform blocks outbound SMTP (port 25) — it returns truthful MX/pattern-level results (mx_only) instead of pretending an address is confirmed. Plug in an HTTPS verifier API (verifierApiUrl) for true mailbox checks on-platform.
• 🕳️ Catch-all detection — probes a random mailbox first, so domains that "accept everything" are flagged (catchAll: true) instead of returning a false positive.
• 🎯 Confidence score per result and the pattern that matched.
• 🔁 Alternatives — every other deliverable pattern it found.
• 📦 Bulk — pass hundreds of contacts; MX and catch-all results are cached per domain so large lists stay fast.
• 🚫 Fair billing — only resolved contacts are charged; no-MX/no-result contacts and failed runs cost nothing.

What data do I get per contact?

Field	Description
email	Best verified email (or best-guess on catch-all domains)
status	valid, catch_all, invalid, mx_only, unknown, no_mx, no_domain, no_name
deliverable	true / false / null (unknown / catch-all)
catchAll	Whether the domain accepts all addresses
confidence	0–100 score
pattern	Which pattern matched (e.g. first.last, flast)
alternativeEmails	Other deliverable candidates
smtpCode	Raw SMTP response code
candidatesTried	How many patterns were tested

Email patterns tested

first.last, flast, first, firstl, f.last, first_last, firstlast, last.first, lastf, last, last_first, f-last — ranked by real-world frequency, tested best-first.

How much does it cost?

Pay-per-event — only resolved contacts are billed:

Event	Price
Contact resolved (deliverable or catch-all best-guess)	$0.01

1,000 contacts where 700 resolve ≈ $7.00. No actor-start fee, nothing for no-result contacts, nothing on a failed run.

How do I use it?

Input — single

{ "firstName": "Jane", "lastName": "Doe", "domain": "apify.com" }

Input — bulk

{
  "contacts": [
    { "firstName": "Jane", "lastName": "Doe", "domain": "apify.com" },
    { "fullName": "John Smith", "domain": "example.com", "companyName": "Example Inc" }
  ],
  "stopOnFirstValid": true
}

Output

{
  "inputFirstName": "Jane", "inputLastName": "Doe", "domain": "apify.com",
  "email": "jane.doe@apify.com", "status": "valid", "deliverable": true,
  "catchAll": false, "confidence": 95, "pattern": "first.last",
  "alternativeEmails": [], "smtpCode": 250, "candidatesTried": 3
}

What can you do with the data?

• 📇 Build outreach lists — enrich a CSV of names + companies into verified emails.
• 🧹 Clean existing lists — flag invalid and catch-all addresses before you send.
• 🤝 Sales & recruiting — reach the right person with a deliverable address.
• 🔗 Pipe into your CRM / sequencer via the Apify API or an integration.

FAQ

How is verification done? The actor resolves the domain's MX record. Where the network permits (self-hosted), it opens an SMTP conversation and issues RCPT TO per candidate — 250 = mailbox accepted, 550 = doesn't exist. On Apify, which blocks outbound port 25, it returns honest mx_only results unless you supply a verifierApiUrl (an HTTPS verification API, which works over port 443).

Why mx_only instead of valid? Because faking a "valid" verdict without a real mailbox check would bounce your emails. mx_only means: the domain accepts mail and this is the most-likely pattern, but the mailbox wasn't individually confirmed. Add a verifierApiUrl for a confirmed valid/invalid.

What is a catch-all domain? Some servers accept mail for any address. The actor detects these by probing a random local-part first; when a domain is catch-all, the best-guess email is returned with catchAll: true and a capped confidence, because no single mailbox can be individually confirmed.

Why are some results unknown? Greylisting or temporary SMTP responses (4xx) mean the server deferred the check. Re-running later usually resolves them.

Do you send any email? No. Verification stops at the RCPT TO step — no message is ever delivered.

Can I verify an email I already have? Yes — pass the name whose address it is, or watch for it in allCandidates with includeAllCandidates: true.

Is this legal / GDPR-safe? You're responsible for using contact data lawfully (legitimate interest, opt-outs, local rules). The actor only tests deliverability of business addresses and never sends mail.

Can I run it in bulk / via API? Yes — pass a contacts array, and schedule or call it via the Apify API/SDK like any actor.