# Email Verifier - Bulk SMTP Email Validation (`pnda/email-verifier`) Actor

Verify email lists in bulk: live SMTP mailbox check, MX, syntax, catch-all, disposable and role-account detection, typo suggestions. Pay only for valid/invalid results.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/pnda/email-verifier.md
- **Developed by:** [PNDA](https://apify.com/pnda) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.95 / 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.

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 - Bulk SMTP Email Validation

Verify email lists in bulk before you send. For every address, this Actor checks the syntax, the domain's mail servers (MX) and asks the mail server itself, over SMTP, whether the mailbox exists. It also detects catch-all domains, disposable (throwaway) providers and role accounts (info@, sales@...), and suggests a fix for obvious typos (`gmial.com` becomes `gmail.com`).

**You pay only for conclusive results.** An email is billed only when it comes back `valid` or `invalid`. Catch-all, risky and unknown results are free.

### What you get

- **Live SMTP mailbox check.** The Actor connects to the recipient's mail server and asks whether the mailbox exists (`RCPT TO`). No email is sent.
- **Catch-all detection.** Some servers accept any address, so the mailbox can't be confirmed. These addresses are flagged `catch-all` and are never billed.
- **Disposable and role-account detection.** Mailinator, Yopmail, 10minutemail and similar providers are flagged. So are generic mailboxes such as `info@`, `support@` and `sales@`.
- **Typo suggestions.** Catches mistakes like `gmial.com`, `hotmial.com`, `yahooo.com` and `gmail.con`.
- **Bulk and deduplicated.** Paste thousands of emails. Duplicates are removed (case-insensitive), so each address is verified and billed once.
- **Budget-safe.** The Actor never verifies more billable emails than your *Maximum cost per run* allows.
- **No API key and no setup.** Results can be downloaded as JSON, CSV or Excel, or read through the Apify API.

### Input

| Field | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| `emails` | The addresses to verify, one per line. Through the API, send an array. | required |
| `checkCatchAll` | On: catch-all domains get the status `catch-all`. Off: they are reported as `risky`. Neither is billed. | `true` |
| `timeoutSecs` | Maximum wait for one mail server (5 to 120 s). Servers that don't answer in time return `unknown`, which is free. | `30` |
| `concurrency` | Number of emails checked in parallel (1 to 10). | `5` |

```json
{
  "emails": ["rand@sparktoro.com", "john@gmial.com", "info@acme.com"],
  "checkCatchAll": true,
  "timeoutSecs": 30
}
```

### Output

Each unique email produces one row:

```json
{
  "email": "rand@sparktoro.com",
  "status": "valid",
  "reason": "Mailbox exists",
  "suggestion": null,
  "syntaxValid": true,
  "domain": "sparktoro.com",
  "mxFound": true,
  "mxHost": "aspmx.l.google.com",
  "disposable": false,
  "roleAccount": false,
  "freeProvider": false,
  "catchAll": false,
  "smtpConnected": true,
  "deliverable": true,
  "fullInbox": false,
  "disabled": false,
  "smtpCode": null,
  "smtpMessage": null,
  "charged": true
}
```

#### Statuses

| Status | Meaning | Billed |
|---|---|---|
| `valid` | The mail server confirmed that the mailbox exists. Role accounts are flagged with `roleAccount: true`. | yes |
| `invalid` | Bad syntax, a domain with no mail server, a mailbox rejected by the server, or a disabled mailbox. | yes |
| `catch-all` | The server accepts every address, so the mailbox can't be confirmed. | no |
| `risky` | Disposable provider, full inbox, or catch-all when `checkCatchAll` is off. | no |
| `unknown` | The server didn't give a clear answer (timeout, greylisting, temporary error). | no |

The `reason`, `mxHost`, `smtpCode` and `smtpMessage` fields explain every verdict. `suggestion` holds a corrected address when the domain looks like a typo of a common provider.

A `SUMMARY` record in the key-value store counts the results per status.

### Pricing

Pay per event: **$0.95 per 1,000 verified emails.** You are billed only for `valid` and `invalid` results. Duplicates, catch-all, risky and unknown results cost nothing.

This Actor is available on paid Apify plans. On a free plan, the run returns a single item that explains this, and nothing is billed.

### Use it through the API

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/pnda~email-verifier/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"emails": ["rand@sparktoro.com", "nobody@example.com"]}'
```

It also works from Make, Zapier, n8n and the Apify Python and JavaScript clients.

### FAQ

**Does it send emails?** No. The SMTP conversation stops before any message is sent.

**Why are some addresses `catch-all`?** Many company domains, often on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, accept mail for any address. No SMTP tool can confirm a single mailbox on these domains, which is why these results are free.

**Why `unknown`?** Some servers delay first-time senders (greylisting) or don't answer in time. The Actor retries once. If the answer is still unclear, the result is `unknown` and free. You can run these addresses again later.

**How fast is it?** Around 60 emails in about 12 seconds with `concurrency: 10`. Slow mail servers take longer.

**How do I stay under a budget?** Set *Maximum cost per run* in the run options. The Actor stops before it goes over.

# Actor input Schema

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

One email address per line (paste your list, or send an array through the API). Duplicates are removed automatically (case-insensitive) and verified once.

## `checkCatchAll` (type: `boolean`):

Catch-all servers accept every address, so the mailbox cannot be confirmed. On: such emails get the status "catch-all". Off: they are reported as "risky". Neither is charged.

## `timeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

Maximum time to wait for the mail server of one address. Slow servers that do not answer in time are returned as "unknown" (not charged).

## `concurrency` (type: `integer`):

How many emails are verified in parallel.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "emails": [
    "rand@sparktoro.com"
  ],
  "checkCatchAll": true,
  "timeoutSecs": 30,
  "concurrency": 5
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

All verifications (JSON, CSV, Excel).

# 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": [
        "rand@sparktoro.com"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("pnda/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": ["rand@sparktoro.com"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("pnda/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": [
    "rand@sparktoro.com"
  ]
}' |
apify call pnda/email-verifier --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,pnda/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/n4DH6fL7RqbgyJjEq/builds/EyxfIhUes1qydfzsN/openapi.json