Free credits at any verifier come with rules, and four of them decide what the credits are worth: whether the grant is one-time or renews, which results use a credit, whether unused credits expire, and whether you need a card to claim them. Read NeverBounce's help article on its free credits in a browser on neverbounce.com, and check each of the four before you upload a test file.
NeverBounce's result codes are public in its developer docs: valid, invalid, disposable, catchall and unknown. The docs describe catchall as a domain-wide setting "also known as Accept-all (Unverifiable)", and unknown as "The server cannot be reached" (developers.neverbounce.com, read 24 September 2026). Ask which of those codes spend a credit, because catch-all and unknown rows can be a big share of a B2B list.
Here's the market for comparison. Across 16 vendors read on 24 September 2026, the median free grant was 100 credits, and only ZeroBounce, emailverify.io and Hunter renewed theirs each month. The full vendor list is on do free verification credits roll over.
ZapBounce's free tier is built to be used again and again. You get 100 free credits on signup with no card, the tier renews monthly, and a free check follows the same billing rule as a paid one: unknowns and duplicates never use a credit. When you outgrow it, paid credits start at $5 for 1,000 and never expire.
For paid use, NeverBounce sells pay-as-you-go credits or a Sync subscription. ZapBounce offers the same two shapes: pay-as-you-go from $5 for 1,000, or a monthly plan at 15% less with unused credits rolling over while it's active. See both side by side on ZapBounce vs NeverBounce and NeverBounce pricing explained.
Related questions
Is there a NeverBounce alternative with free credits every month?
Yes. ZapBounce gives 100 free checks every month with no card. ZeroBounce, emailverify.io and Hunter also renewed a free allowance monthly when read on 24 September 2026.
What does the NeverBounce catchall result mean?
NeverBounce's developer docs describe catchall as a domain-wide setting, also known as Accept-all (Unverifiable). The server accepts every address, so the single mailbox can't be confirmed at protocol level. ZapBounce reports the same case as catch_all.
What is NeverBounce Sync?
Sync is the name NeverBounce gives its subscription option, sold alongside pay-as-you-go credits. Plan sizes and prices are on NeverBounce's own pricing page.
How many free credits does ZapBounce give?
100 on signup with no card, and the free tier renews every month. Free checks follow the paid billing rule, so unknowns and duplicates never use one.