The mailboxlayer Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about mailboxlayer in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
mailboxlayer
The Insider’s Guide
Email validation API that returns a JSON quality score
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email verification and deliverability tools, read from mailboxlayer’s own pages.
Made by APILayer · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from mailboxlayer’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on mailboxlayer’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
1.8
GPA, above 1 of the 38 other email verification and deliverability tools we grade
mailboxlayer is a REST API for developers that checks one email address per request and returns JSON. The response covers syntax and typo suggestions, MX records, an SMTP check, catch-all, role, free-provider and disposable flags, and a quality score. It is part of the APILayer family of APIs.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about mailboxlayer, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It is an API only, so you need code to use it.
- 1
Best for an email check API for developers
mailboxlayer is an API that checks an email address and returns a JSON quality score.
- 2
Paid plans start at $14.99 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $14.99 per month for 5,000 requests.
- 3
There is a free plan
100 API requests, for non-commercial use only.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Syntax and typo check
Validates format and returns a did-you-mean suggestion for common typos.
- 6
Real-time SMTP check
Pings the address's mail server and tests it for catch-all configuration; catch-all detection is not in the free plan.
- 7
Free and disposable filters
A daily-updated provider database flags addresses at free providers such as Gmail and at disposable ones such as Mailinator.
- 8
A 1.8 GPA, above 1 of 38
That is against the other email verification and deliverability tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
Nothing mailboxlayer does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 2 things listed below take a company.
mailboxlayer at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $14.99 per month for 5,000 requests
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- APILayer
- Category
- Email Verification & Deliverability
- Our grade
- 1.8 GPA, weak
The report card
Best for an email check API for developers
mailboxlayer is an API that checks an email address and returns a JSON quality score. It has no list upload or bulk cleaning page, the free plan is 100 non-commercial requests, and the bulk endpoint of 25 addresses starts at Professional Plus for $74.99 a month.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Basic is $14.99 a month for 5,000 requests, between the $10 cheaper quarter and the $17.99 middle. Professional Plus is $74.99 and Enterprise Plus $249.99, all billed monthly with yearly at a discount. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Free is 100 API requests, non-commercial, with no support and no catch-all detection. Commercial use needs Basic. |
| Features | C | Syntax, SMTP, disposable and role checks with a score. No list upload exists, and catch-all detection and bulk need paid plans. |
| Ease of use | D | No store rating on record. It is an API only, so you need code to use it. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web API only. No apps and no integrations are listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who mailboxlayer is for
- Fits if you are a developer who wants to check addresses at sign-up
- Works for side projects that stay under 100 requests a month
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you want to upload a list, because there is only an API
- Tight if you stay free, with 100 non-commercial requests
- Pricey if you want bulk: it starts at $74.99 a month
- Watch out: the homepage text mentions 1,000 free requests and $9.99 plans that the pricing page does not show
- Watch out: every address counts as one request
Good to know
Good for
- Developers who want a single REST call in a sign-up form
- Small projects that stay inside a few thousand checks a month
Worth knowing
- An API only: there is no list upload or bulk cleaning page, and the bulk endpoint starts at Professional Plus.
- The free plan is 100 requests and non-commercial; the homepage text mentions 1,000 free monthly requests and subscriptions from $9.99, which the pricing page does not show.
- Each address checked counts as one API request; overage is listed as a per-request charge on the pricing page.
- Yearly billing is discounted by 10% to 15% depending on the plan.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$14.99
A month to start. There is a free plan too
mailboxlayer has a free plan. Paid plans start at $14.99 per month for 5,000 requests.
Free
$0
100 API requests, non-commercial use, no support, no catch-all detection.
Basic
$14.99
per month for 5,000 requests, billed monthly
Commercial use, standard support and catch-all detection. Yearly billing is $161.99.
Professional Plus
$74.99
per month for 50,000 requests, billed monthly
Adds a bulk endpoint that takes 25 emails at a time. Yearly billing is $787.99.
Enterprise Plus
$249.99
per month for 250,000 requests, billed monthly
Bulk endpoint of 100 emails per call. Yearly billing is $2,549.99.
Custom
Custom
Unlimited requests and dedicated support, quoted by the vendor.
The free plan
100 API requests, for non-commercial use only.
Read from mailboxlayer.com on Nov 12, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save 10% to 15% with yearly billing
The pricing page shows yearly totals with discounts of 10% (Basic), 12.5% (Professional Plus) and 15% (Enterprise Plus).
Stated on mailboxlayer.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Email validation API that returns a JSON quality score. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, email verification.
Syntax, SMTP, disposable and role checks with a score.
- Syntax and typo check
- Validates format and returns a did-you-mean suggestion for common typos.
- Real-time SMTP check
- Pings the address's mail server and tests it for catch-all configuration; catch-all detection is not in the free plan.
- Free and disposable filters
- A daily-updated provider database flags addresses at free providers such as Gmail and at disposable ones such as Mailinator.
- Role detection
- Flags role addresses that map to a function instead of a person.
- Quality score
- Each response includes a numeric score for the address's quality and deliverability.
- Usage statistics
- Daily and monthly request counts, with notifications when a plan's allowance runs low.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
mailboxlayer is made by APILayer.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
1/38
Other email verification and deliverability tools it is graded above
mailboxlayer's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 1 of the 38 other email verification and deliverability tools we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on value for money (C, above 5 of 38) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $14.99 a month, against a middle price of $17.49 for the category: 8 of the 25 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. 8 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 39 email verification and deliverability tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. mailboxlayer’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 5 of 38
- CFree plan and trialAbove 5 of 38
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 38
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 38
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 38
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 26 email verification and deliverability tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. mailboxlayer is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
Nothing mailboxlayer does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 2 things listed below take a company.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 35 of the 38 other email verification and deliverability tools grade higher. It costs $179.88 a year.
What you could not
- Checking that an address exists without writing to it.
- An API that other software can build on.
What this rests on. mailboxlayer’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Abstract Email Validation, Kickbox, ZeroBounce, NeverBounce and Emailable
The 5 tools mailboxlayer is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.0GPA
Abstract Email Validation
Free plan · from $17/mo
Email validation API: format, MX and SMTP checks in one call.
- 2.4GPA
Kickbox
Free trial · from $5 one-time
Pay-as-you-go email verification with an optional threat score.
- mailboxlayer has a free plan. Kickbox does not, though it has a free trial.
- 2.4GPA
ZeroBounce
Free plan · from $39 one-time
Email list verification with warm-up and DMARC monitoring in one plan.
- Only ZeroBounce lists an iOS app.
- ZeroBounce also covers inbox warm-up and dMARC.
- 2.4GPA
NeverBounce
Free trial · from $8 one-time
Email list cleaning and real-time verification, now part of ZoomInfo.
- mailboxlayer has a free plan. NeverBounce does not, though it has a free trial.
- 2.4GPA
Emailable
Free trial · from $38 one-time
Email list verification with inbox reports and blacklist monitoring.
- mailboxlayer has a free plan. Emailable does not, though it has a free trial.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is mailboxlayer free?
mailboxlayer has a free plan. 100 API requests, for non-commercial use only.
How much does mailboxlayer cost?
mailboxlayer lists 5 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does mailboxlayer work on?
mailboxlayer is available on Web.
Does mailboxlayer offer any discounts?
mailboxlayer publicly lists the following: Save 10% to 15% with yearly billing.
Does mailboxlayer have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. mailboxlayer is listed for Web.
Does mailboxlayer have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. mailboxlayer is listed for Web.
Is mailboxlayer open source?
mailboxlayer is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Does mailboxlayer have an API?
Yes. mailboxlayer offers a public API, according to its own site.
Who makes mailboxlayer?
mailboxlayer is made by APILayer.
What are the alternatives to mailboxlayer?
The closest alternatives to mailboxlayer in our directory are Abstract Email Validation, Kickbox, ZeroBounce, NeverBounce and Emailable.
How does mailboxlayer compare with other email verification and deliverability tools?
mailboxlayer's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 1 of the 38 other email verification and deliverability tools we grade, and level with 2.
Is mailboxlayer good value for money?
ToolGPA grades mailboxlayer C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $14.99 a month, against a middle price of $17.49 for the category: 8 of the 25 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of mailboxlayer?
Nothing mailboxlayer does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 2 things listed below take a company.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from mailboxlayer’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from mailboxlayer's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by APILayer. Prices change, so check mailboxlayer.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- mailboxlayer, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/mailboxlayer
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "mailboxlayer: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/mailboxlayer
Know someone choosing between email verification and deliverability tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/mailboxlayer/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded email verification and deliverability tools after mailboxlayer, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Email Verification & Deliverability Insider's GuideEvery one of the 40 email verification and deliverability tools we grade, compared
- QuickEmailVerification Insider's GuideBulk email list cleaning and a real-time verification API3.0 GPA
- Mail-Tester Insider's GuideSend an email to a test address and get a spam score out of 102.8 GPA
- Reoon Email Verifier Insider's GuideBulk and real-time email verification with refunds on unknowns2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what mailboxlayer’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. mailboxlayer is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by APILayer. Prices and plans change: check mailboxlayer.com before you buy.