CheckMail vs DeBounce
email verification compared.
DeBounce is an EU-based email verifier that built a reputation on competitive per-check pricing and GDPR compliance. CheckMail is an API-first alternative, also operated from the EU (the Netherlands), built for developers who want the core checks wrapped in a clean JSON API, and now priced a notch below DeBounce at every tier on this page.
Pricing at common volumes
DeBounce public rates versus CheckMail credits.
| Volume | DeBounce | CheckMail |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | ~$4 ($0.0040) | $2 ($0.0020) |
| 5,000 | ~$10 ($0.0020) | $9 ($0.0018) |
| 10,000 | ~$15 ($0.0015) | $14 ($0.0014) |
| 50,000 | ~$60 ($0.0012) | $50 ($0.0010) |
| 100,000 | ~$120 ($0.0012) | $80 ($0.0008) |
DeBounce prices based on March–April 2026 public rates. DeBounce credits never expire.
Feature comparison
| Feature | DeBounce | 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? | Yes | Yes |
Feature coverage is very close. Both run real SMTP verification, both are GDPR compliant, both keep credits forever. The differences come down to ergonomics and price at the tier you actually buy at.
The real differences
Price
CheckMail is cheaper at every tier on this page. The gap is tight at 10,000 ($14 vs ~$15) and at 5,000 ($9 vs ~$10), and it widens at the top: $50 vs ~$60 at 50,000, and $80 vs ~$120 at 100,000. If you're buying in large tiers, that's real money.
Developer experience
Every email verification service, including DeBounce and CheckMail, works the same way under the hood: syntax check, DNS lookup, SMTP handshake. The technology is commodity. CheckMail's API returns a single, flat JSON object with named boolean checks. Easy to parse, easy to reason about. No SDK, no webhook dance.
Billing model
Both are pay-once, credits never expire. Neither pushes subscriptions. This is the right way to sell email verification, and it's one of the reasons we built CheckMail the same way.
What DeBounce has that we don't
A longer track record and a broader set of integrations with mailing list tools. If you already run email hygiene through a GUI and your workflow lives inside DeBounce, switching to an API just to save a few dollars at smaller volumes may not be worth it.
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.