Is this email real?
Paste an address and we ask its mail server whether the mailbox exists. Every result is a yes, a no, or the reason there's no straight answer, free and without signing up.
The short version
- Yes, it's real: the server confirmed the mailbox. Someone can receive mail there today.
- No, it's not real: the server said no such user, or the domain can't receive mail at all.
- Accepts every address: the domain is a catch-all, so the server says yes to invented names too.
- No verdict: the server held back its answer this time. Try again in a few minutes.
What makes an address real
An address looks real when it has an @ and a domain. It is real when a server will take mail for it. Those are two different tests, and only the second one matters to you.
Our own SMTP check runs the second test. We find the domain's mail server, open a session on port 25 and ask about the exact mailbox. Then we close the line before any message could start, so the owner never hears from us.
You also see three flags beside the answer. A disposable domain hands out inboxes that vanish in hours. A role address like info@ is a shared desk, not a person. A typo such as gmial.com gets a suggested fix.
| What you want to know | What we check | Where it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Is it typed correctly? | Address shape and common domain typos | Did you mean |
| Can the domain get mail? | MX record lookup | MX record |
| Does this mailbox exist? | RCPT TO on port 25 | Result and SMTP reply |
| Will it answer yes to anything? | One random address at the same domain | catch_all result |
| Is it a throwaway or shared inbox? | Disposable and role lists | Flags |
When you have more than one address
Checking one address by hand is fine for a reply you're unsure about. If you're cleaning sign-ups or a lead list, the bulk verifier checks every row the same way, and the real-time API checks each address the moment someone types it into your form.
Every account starts with 100 free credits a month and no card. Addresses we can't settle come back as unknown and are never billed, and neither are duplicates. See pricing for list sizes.
Questions about checking an address
How can I tell if an email address is real?
Ask the mail server that owns the domain. A real address has an MX record, and its server answers 250 when asked about the mailbox at RCPT TO. A made-up one gets 550 no such user. ZapBounce runs that check for you in a few seconds and sends no message.
Is it legal to check if an email address exists?
Checking an address you already have is a routine step in list hygiene, and no message reaches the person. Using a checker to guess addresses you do not have, by trying name patterns, is not allowed under ZapBounce's acceptable use policy.
Will the person know I checked their email?
No. The check ends before DATA, the step where a message would begin. Nothing lands in their inbox, and no notification is sent to them.
Does a real address mean the email I got is safe?
No. A real mailbox tells you the address exists, not who is using it. Scammers send from real accounts too, so judge a message by what it asks you to do, and never act on a payment or password request without calling the sender on a number you already know.
Stop guessing about a whole list
Upload your list and every address comes back valid, invalid, catch-all or unknown. Unknowns and duplicates are never billed.