Mailgun email validation service is one of the popular tools for cleaning up email lists. Its strongest suit is API, since the tool is designed mostly for developers. It validates the emails as well as a part of their overall offer.
Mailgun provides two sets of tools and products. The first set provides users with Email API, SMTP, inbound email routing, send time optimization, email analytics and email logos. And the second on deliverability and verification, which we’re going to talk about today.
What is Mailgun email validation?
Mailgun is a tool for email verification – it checks email addresses to see if they are valid. It helps find email addresses that are:
- outdated
- have typos in them
- are catch-all addresses
- are spam traps
- and more
If you send promotional newsletters, automated transactional emails, or anything of the sort, verifying email lists is a must.
This is because sending emails to disposable addresses can hurt your email deliverability, and you might be labeled as a spammer. It’s also a waste of money, as you’re paying to reach non-existent or uninterested recipients, not to mention the bounce -backs.
How does Mailgun’s email verification tool work?
The set that focuses more on verification, comes with deliverability services, email verification services, inbox placement testing, email previews, and reputation monitoring. Please note that this set has a separate pricing.
However, to validate the tools, the best is it use API or batch verification. Here’s how they work.
API
Mailgun’s email verification API connects to mail servers and verifies email addresses in real-time. Before someone submits an email address on web forms, the email validation API checks it. So, you get only valid email addresses for your email campaigns.
Batch verification
It’s a feature where you enter a list of email addresses to be checked in Mailgun. The email validation tool helps you validate entire mailing lists quickly.
Mailgun’s email verification tool helps connect to the mail server to confirm if each address exists and identifies any bad or disposable email addresses. It cleans the email list and saves you time and money all the while improving the ROI of your campaigns.
How? Since you send messages to real addresses, you protect your emails from being marked as spam and get better results from your email marketing campaigns. Each address left is a valid email address, helping you reduce spam complaints and ensuring better results for your email marketing program.
Mailgun email validation pricing
Mailgun has several pricing plans based on the number of emails sent.
#1 Trial
This is a free plan that includes 5,000 emails per month. It comes with basic features like SMTP Relay, Webhooks, and basic email tracking and analytics. There is no email validation included in this plan.
#2 Foundation
Priced at $35 per month, this plan includes 50,000 emails. It has features not found in the free plan, such as inbound email routing. The plan can be expanded to 100,000 emails per month for $75. There is no email database validation offered in this plan.
#3 Scale
Designed for users sending over 100,000 emails a month. The starting price is $90 for 100,000 emails, but it can be increased to 2,500,000 emails for $1250 per month. This plan includes features like send-time optimization, dedicated IP address, and live phone support.
This is the first Mailgun plan that offers validation and you can verify up to 5,000 emails per month. If you’re already using Mailgun, then this is a nice add-on to the main product.
However, if you want to purchase Mailgun just for validating your emails, it’s pretty expensive – so make sure the ROI is there for your email marketing strategy.
#4 Custom
Tailored for enterprise users, this plan allows customization of the monthly email volume. It includes priority support, email account monitoring, and training. You can add as many validation as you want in this plan according to your agreement with Mailgun.
On the other hand, Mailgun also offers a product called InboxReady with its own pricing:
01 Pilot
A free trial plan that includes 2,500 email address verifications, 25 inbox placement tests, and 500 email previews. After a trial month, it costs $49 per month.
02 Starter plan
Priced at $99 per month, it includes 5,000 email address verifications, 50 inbox placement tests, and 1,000 email previews.
03 Contract plan
A custom plan tailored to user needs. Among other features, it includes a technical account manager.
Mailgun email address validation: pros and cons
Lets’s take a look at the good and bad sides of using Mailgun for email validation.
Pros of Mailgun
APIs
Users appreciate the robust APIs that Mailgun provides. It’s relatively easy for them to integrate with Python, Node.js, Java, and more.
Inbound mail processing
This feature is highlighted positively in reviews across millions of emails. Users like how it blocks unwanted emails, and that is easy to set up inbound routes using specific strings or wildcard matches.
Documentation and interface
Users have mentioned that Mailgun’s guides (like Mailgun API documentation) are easy to understand. They also find the design user-friendly.
Cons of Mailgun
Support
Many complain about the Mailgun support team – they could be more responsive and provide more effective solutions.
IP issues
A few users faced problems with their IP addresses. They mentioned issues like getting blocked or being shifted to another IP without a clear reason.
Service interruptions
Some users talked about facing occasional service stops or their emails not reaching their destination.
Billing
There were mentions of billing problems, with some users saying they were charged even when they shouldn’t have been.
An alternative to Mailgun for email validation
Not convinced about Mailgun? Maybe you would like to see some alternatives first? Bouncer is a bulk email verifier with robust capabilities, such as real-time email verification.
Check why people like using Bouncer:
#1 Great performance
Bouncer boasts an impressive 99%+ accuracy rate, ensuring reliability for email campaigns. It is also one of the fastest email validators, capable of validating 200,000 emails every hour per client. This super email performance ensures you never put your email reputation at risk.
#2 Strong capabilities
Bouncer is the only email verifier that gives an estimate of how many contacts might bounce back after mailing campaigns.
It also offers the Toxicity Check feature that identifies potentially harmful email addresses, such as spam traps, disposable mailboxes or widely circulated addresses. Another notable feature is the Deliverability Kit, which contains essential tests to verify that emails will reach addresses across all domains.
#3 Quick checks
When someone enters their email address on a website, Bouncer checks it immediately using the real-time email validation feature.
#4 Finding risky emails on the spot
Some email addresses are fake or used only once. Bouncer spots these, like those disposable email addresses people sometimes use.
#5 Price
Bouncer has a transparent pricing plan and you know what you get for the amount you’re paying.
#7 Helpful team
If you’re stuck or have questions, reach out to our team. We’re available around the clock for any questions about email validation or how to use our tool.
#8 Improved email deliverability
With Bouncer, you’ll see fewer emails bouncing back. It cleans your email list, so you mostly have good email addresses.
#9 User-friendliness
Users appreciate its user-friendly interface and detailed reports.
#10 Security
Bouncer also prioritizes high-security standards, ensuring compliance with GDPR and SOC2 Type 1.
Why use email validation services?
Here are some reasons to consider validating your email lists.
#1 It reduces your email bounce rate
Bounced emails happen when you send an email to a bad email address. Using an email verifier or email checker, you can find out which email addresses are not good before sending. The outcome is that fewer emails come back as undelivered.
#2 More emails reach the inbox
The service checks every email address before you send it. That’s why more emails go straight to the inbox. This process removes bad email addresses and any that might cause problems.
#3 People engage more with a squeaky clean email list
A clean email list = reaching real people, not just empty or wrong inboxes. And people are more likely to read, click, and respond to your emails.
#4 You’re not getting marked as spam
If you send too many outdated and invalid addresses, your email provider will notice it. They might start treating your emails as unwanted or junk.
But if you use a clean list, it’s less likely to happen. An email validation service weeds out risky and invalid addresses.
#5 It saves money on useless sends
Every email you send costs money. Sending to invalid email addresses will waste your funds.
Using an email validation service will make you pay only to reach active inboxes. And over time, these savings add up.
#6 You preserve your sender reputation
Based on a good sender reputation, email service providers evaluate if they can trust you. To get such a reputation, you need to have your email list validated. Otherwise, you get flagged as spam, and many emails might not get to the main inbox.
#7 Campaigns are more successful and there is a better email marketing ROI
You reach people who enjoy your content and are more likely to engage and take action. And this increases open rates, click-throughs, and overall engagement. Higher engagement often contributes to better campaign results.
Conclusion
Mailgun email validation service is okay, but it has its downsides. You need to take a closer look at this tool and consider its pros, cons, and some capability gaps.
For some, the best challenge might be the two pricing sets, as it generates additional costs.
If you are not 100% sure, check out other options. One of the most popular ones is Bouncer. It’s got reasonable pricing, powerful features, and, what’s most important, it performs great and has rock-solid security.
Why not try it? Sign up to validate 100 email addresses for free!
