Clearout vs ZeroBounce

Clearout and ZeroBounce are both established verifiers with security certifications and no charge for unknown results. They split on what they add. Clearout goes deeper on catch-all addresses with an option it calls Deep Verify. ZeroBounce goes wider, with inbox placement tests, blacklist monitoring and DMARC tools around the verifier.

	Clearout	ZeroBounce
Catch-all handling	Deep Verify option; status code 411	A 1 to 10 score per address
Unknown results	Returned to your balance automatically	Not charged
Pricing	Pay-as-you-go, monthly or annual; figures in a browser calculator	$39 for 2,000 credits, or a monthly plan called ONE
Free credits	100, no card	100 every month
Certifications listed	Clearout lists ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27701	ZeroBounce lists SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI
Accuracy claim	99.73%, with a 99% deliverability guarantee	99.6% on most domains
Around the verifier	Form plugins for WordPress and WooCommerce, HubSpot, Google Sheets	Inbox placement, blacklist monitoring, DMARC tools

Figures read from each vendor's own page in September 2026.

Where each one is stronger

What each vendor does that the other does not, stated as capability rather than advice.

Clearout strengths

Clearout aims at the hardest rows in a B2B file. Deep Verify is its option for catch-all addresses. Its docs give catch-all its own status code, 411, so you can route those rows apart. Unknown results are returned to your balance automatically. Clearout's security page lists ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27701, the privacy standard. You get 100 free credits with no card, and Clearout's pricing page says credits never expire.

ZeroBounce strengths

ZeroBounce shows its prices in plain HTML: $39 for 2,000 credits, and 100 free checks every month. Unknowns are not charged, per its facts page, and each catch-all address gets a score from 1 to 10. Around the verifier you get inbox placement tests, blacklist monitoring, DMARC tools and activity data. ZeroBounce's security page lists SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and PCI.

What separates Clearout from ZeroBounce

Your catch-all share decides how much Clearout's extra depth is worth. Export your list and count the addresses on domains that accept every recipient. On a file of Gmail and Outlook signups that share is small, and a 1 to 10 score is plenty. On a B2B file, about 28% of a 10,000-address benchmark sat on those domains. What a normal catch-all percentage is gives you a yardstick, and how catch-all detection works explains the probe.

Pricing works differently on each site. ZeroBounce prints its entry price in the page itself. Clearout builds its figures in a calculator that runs in your browser, with pay-as-you-go, monthly and annual options. Open that calculator at your real volume before you compare, because a single rate would mislead you. ZeroBounce pricing, explained lays out the other side.

Security reviews split them by standard, not by strength. Clearout lists ISO 27701, a privacy standard that data-protection teams often ask for. ZeroBounce lists HIPAA and PCI, which matter to health and payments buyers. Both list SOC 2 and ISO 27001. Match the standard your reviewer names to the vendor that lists it. Is email verification GDPR compliant? covers the rest of that checklist.

What Clearout and ZeroBounce both run into

Vendor accuracy percentages in this category count how often a returned verdict was right. They are calculated after the catch-alls and the servers that refuse to answer have left the denominator. Hunter tested 15 verifiers on 3,000 real business addresses (3 November 2025) and measured 31.2% to 70.0% overall. Both kinds of figure are real and they are not measuring the same thing.

Questions about Clearout and ZeroBounce

Does Clearout publish its prices?

Yes, through a calculator that runs in the browser rather than a fixed table. It offers pay-as-you-go, monthly and annual plans, and a subscription costs less per credit. Enter your real volume to get a rate, read in September 2026.

What is Clearout Deep Verify?

Deep Verify is Clearout's option for catch-all addresses, the ones a normal check cannot confirm. Standard results mark those rows with status 411. ZeroBounce handles the same rows with a score from 1 to 10.

Which certifications do Clearout and ZeroBounce hold?

Clearout lists ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27701. ZeroBounce lists SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and PCI. Both lists were read on the vendors' security pages in September 2026.

Do Clearout and ZeroBounce charge for unknown results?

Neither does. Clearout returns unknown credits to your balance automatically, and ZeroBounce's facts page says unknowns are not charged. Both bill catch-all results.

Count the share of your list on accept-all domains, then write down the standard your security reviewer asks for. Those two answers pick between Clearout and ZeroBounce. See the catch-all verifier ranking or every head-to-head comparison.