ZapBounce vs MailboxValidator
MailboxValidator prints a turnaround commitment for every tier and a plain statement that they do not support Yahoo validation. Then they put a 30-day expiry on every credit pack, the harshest term we found anywhere, and the comparison turns on that clause: ZapBounce credits never expire.
| ZapBounce | MailboxValidator | |
|---|---|---|
| Accuracy reporting | Coverage stated: the share of your list with a definite verdict | None published |
| 1,000 addresses | $5 | See their pricing page |
| 10,000 addresses | $25 | See their pricing page |
| 100,000 addresses | $139 | See their pricing page |
| Free tier | 100 a month, no card | See their pricing page |
| Credit expiry | Never | See their pricing page |
| Billed for unknowns | No | Not stated |
MailboxValidator prices change, so confirm theirs on their own pricing page. Ours are fixed and published on /pricing.
How MailboxValidator prices it
Bulk packs from a thousand addresses up to a million, with per-tier turnaround times printed beside them, plus a separate monthly API ladder. The 30-day validity on every tier is the term that matters, because a price is only a price if you can still spend the credits. ZapBounce credits carry no expiry date at all.
Why teams pick ZapBounce over MailboxValidator
What changes when your list runs through ZapBounce instead.
The short version
- Credits never expire. Their own pricing table printed a 30-day validity on every tier, paid packs included.
- Yahoo-hosted addresses are checked, not declined. Where the server accepts everything, the row comes back catch_all or unknown, and you get a count of how many you hold.
- Unknowns and repeated addresses cost nothing, by a rule printed on the pricing page.
- Published prices on one page, from $5 for 1,000, under one brand and one set of terms.
- A recurring free tier of 100 credits a month, where their trial pack is 100 queries.
Moving off MailboxValidator
The 30-day validity, more than anything. It is the harshest expiry we found anywhere in this category, and it applies to paid bulk packs rather than only to a trial. Buy credits for a project that slips a month and they are gone.
Ordinary bulk work, with one wrinkle: their brand appears to be folding into Mailfloss. Confirm who you are actually contracting with before you renew anything, because a migration you did not plan may be happening to you regardless.
The hard addresses, and how they come back
Questions people ask about MailboxValidator
Credits expiring in thirty days. Is that right?
It is printed on every tier, including paid bulk packs, and it is the harshest term we found anywhere in this category. Work out whether your project could slip a month before you buy a large pack.
They will not do Yahoo at all. Should that worry us?
It should inform you. Yahoo servers accept every recipient on purpose, so those addresses are hard for everyone. Declining them is honest. Attempting them and labeling the result unresolvable, which is what we do, gives you a count of how many you have.
What is happening with Mailfloss?
Their pricing path renders Mailfloss content in a browser and their homepage pricing links point there, while their own server still returns their bulk table. Something is mid-change. Confirm the contracting entity before you commit to either.
Is ZapBounce cheaper than MailboxValidator?
Ours is $5 for 1,000 and $139 for 100,000, published, with no minimum. Credits never expire, and unknowns and duplicates are never billed, so the rate you see is the rate you pay.
Can I test both before deciding?
Yes, and you should. Run the same sample of a few thousand addresses through each and compare how many came back unresolved. That difference matters more than either accuracy claim.
Check the expiry date on any credits you already hold. Thirty days is short enough that this comparison may be moot before you finish reading it.
Run the same sample through us and MailboxValidator
100 free checks a month, no card, and the unknowns come back labeled.