CheckMail vs Bouncer
email verification compared.
Bouncer is an EU-based email verifier known for its polished UI, GDPR compliance, and policy of not charging for duplicates or unknown results. CheckMail is an API-first alternative that does the same core checks for a lower per-credit price, with a stripped-down, developer-friendly surface area.
Pricing at common volumes
Bouncer public rates versus CheckMail credits.
| Volume | Bouncer | CheckMail |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $8 ($0.0080) | $2 ($0.0020) |
| 5,000 | ~$30 ($0.0060) | $9 ($0.0018) |
| 10,000 | ~$50 ($0.0050) | $14 ($0.0014) |
| 50,000 | ~$160 ($0.0032) | $50 ($0.0010) |
| 100,000 | ~$300 ($0.0030) | $80 ($0.0008) |
Bouncer prices based on March–April 2026 public rates. Bouncer credits never expire and Bouncer does not charge for duplicates or unknown results. At very high volume (1M+ credits) Bouncer drops to roughly $2 per 1,000 checks.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Bouncer | CheckMail |
|---|---|---|
| Syntax validation | ✓ | ✓ |
| DNS / MX check | ✓ | ✓ |
| SMTP verification | ✓ | ✓ |
| Disposable detection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Catch-all detection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Role-based detection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Typo suggestions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free provider detection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spam trap detection | ✗ | ✗ |
| AI scoring | ✗ | ✗ |
| Activity data | ✗ | ✗ |
| Data enrichment | ✗ | ✗ |
| REST API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Batch API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Credits expire? | Never | Never |
| Charges for unknowns? | No | Yes |
Bouncer's no-charge-for-unknowns policy is a real advantage on lower-quality lists. CheckMail charges for every result, but lands at a lower per-credit base price, which usually comes out ahead unless your unknown rate is high.
The real differences
Price
At 10,000 checks, Bouncer is about $50 versus $14 for CheckMail, roughly 3.6×. At 100,000 checks, it's about $300 versus $80, roughly 3.75×. Bouncer's "we don't charge for unknowns" claim narrows that gap a little on messy lists, but on typical signup traffic CheckMail is materially cheaper.
Developer experience
Every email verification service, including Bouncer and CheckMail, works the same way under the hood: syntax check, DNS lookup, SMTP handshake. The technology is commodity. Bouncer has a polished dashboard with list-upload flows, team roles, and reporting. CheckMail has an API key and a curl command. Pick the one that matches how your team works.
Billing model
Both are pay-once and credits never expire. Bouncer doesn't charge for duplicates or unknown results. CheckMail charges for every check but publishes a simpler, flatter price ladder.
What Bouncer has that we don't
A more full-featured dashboard, team/role management, and detailed list-cleaning workflows. If your team does email hygiene as a recurring batch job through a web UI, Bouncer is a better fit. If you just want to call an API from your signup form, CheckMail is simpler.
Try it in one line
No SDK. No signup dance. Get an API key and run this.
curl https://api.checkmail.dev/v1/verify \
-G --data-urlencode "email=john@example.com" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $CM_KEY"
{
"email": "john@example.com",
"status": "valid",
"checks": {
"syntax": true,
"mx_found": true,
"smtp_valid": true,
"catch_all": false,
"disposable": false,
"role_based": false,
"free_provider": false
},
"suggestion": null,
"mx_host": "aspmx.l.google.com",
"cached": false,
"ms": 1243
}Try CheckMail
Start with 100 free credits. $2 for 1,000 checks after that. Credits never expire.