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Bouncer alternative: when ContactLint fits and when it does not

Facts checked October 18, 2026

Bouncer and ContactLint answer different questions. Bouncer checks whether a mailbox exists. ContactLint checks whether an address is worth saving: is the syntax right, does the domain accept mail, is it a throwaway or role inbox, and is it a typo of a big provider. That smaller check is why it costs less.

The short answer

Stay with Bouncer if you need each mailbox checked before a campaign, catch-all verification, toxicity checks or a deliverability kit, or you want an MCP server that signs in to a full verification account.
Choose ContactLint if you want a cheap pre-send check at a signup form, in a CRM import or inside an AI agent, with phone validation on the same key and a hosted MCP server that takes an API key header.

Bouncer lists 1,000 credits for $8 as its minimum purchase, 5,000 for $35 and 100,000 for $400, gives 100 free credits to start, does not charge for unknown results and says its credits never expire. ContactLint lists 5,000 checks for $9, 25,000 for $35 and 100,000 for $99. The price gap reflects the work: Bouncer verifies the mailbox, ContactLint stops at DNS.

Side by side

	ContactLint	Bouncer
Confirms the mailbox exists (SMTP)	No. Syntax, DNS/MX, disposable, role and typo checks only; no SMTP connection, no catch-all detection	Yes, sold as email verification, with "Deep Catch-All Verification" (source)
Smallest purchase	5,000 checks for $9	1,000 credits for $8 (minimum purchase) (source)
5,000 checks	$9	$35 (source)
25,000 checks	$35	Not listed
100,000 checks	$99	$400 (source)
Free to start	100 checks every month, no card	100 free credits to start, no card required (source)
Unknown results	Not charged: any check whose DNS lookup fails is given back	Not charged (source)
Credits expire?	No expiry in our terms; unused credits refundable within 14 days	Never (source)
Typo suggestions	Yes, did_you_mean for major providers (gmial.com to gmail.com)	Yes, a didYouMean field (not itself verified) (source)
MCP server for AI agents	Hosted remote server at /mcp, nothing to install	Official hosted server at api.usebouncer.com/mcp; you sign in with a Bouncer account (source)
Phone validation	Yes, same key and same credits	Not listed

Competitor facts read from each vendor's public pages on October 18, 2026 and linked in each cell. Prices change; follow the links for current terms. "Not listed" means the page we read did not state it, not that the vendor lacks it.

What switching looks like

Create a free key at /signup.
Replace one HTTP call: POST /v1/email/validate with {"email": "..."}, or /v1/email/validate/batch for up to 50 addresses.
Map verdicts: invalid reject, risky ask the user or review (show did_you_mean when set), valid accept, unknown accept or retry later.

curl -X POST https://contactlint.com/v1/email/validate \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email":"jane@gmial.com"}'

Guides: server-side check on form submit, drop-in typo widget, email validation for AI agents.

Questions

Is ContactLint a full replacement for Bouncer?

Only if you do not need mailbox verification. Bouncer tests whether the mailbox exists; ContactLint checks syntax, DNS/MX, disposable domains, role addresses and typos, and never connects to mail servers.

Can I use ContactLint and Bouncer together?

Yes. A common split is ContactLint at the signup form or inside an AI agent, where volume is steady and a fast cheap check is enough, and a mailbox verifier for occasional deep cleans of an old list.

How do I try ContactLint?

Create a free key at contactlint.com/signup (100 checks per month, no card), or run a live check on the home page without a key.

How we made this page

Written by the ContactLint team. Bouncer facts were read from its public pages on October 18, 2026 and are linked in each table cell; we did not test its API. ContactLint facts come from our pricing and API spec. Spot something out of date? Email support@contactlint.com and we will fix it.

Get a free API key. 100 checks per month, no card required. Or try a live check first.