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Kickbox alternative: when ContactLint fits and when it does not

Facts checked October 17, 2026

Kickbox and ContactLint answer different questions. Kickbox 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 Kickbox if you need mailbox verification with accept-all flags before a campaign, or a risk score for addresses tied to abuse and complaints.
Choose ContactLint if you want to catch typos, dead domains, throwaway and role addresses at the form or inside an agent, at a lower price per check, with phone validation on the same key.

Kickbox lists 5,000 verifications for $40, 25,000 for $150 and 100,000 for $500, and refunds the credit for unknown results. ContactLint lists 5,000 checks for $9, 25,000 for $35 and 100,000 for $99, and gives back any check whose DNS lookup fails. The price gap reflects the work: Kickbox verifies the mailbox, ContactLint does not.

Side by side

	ContactLint	Kickbox
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; accept-all domains flagged as risky (source)
Smallest purchase	5,000 checks for $9	500 verifications for $5 (source)
5,000 checks	$9	$40 (source)
25,000 checks	$35	$150 (source)
100,000 checks	$99	$500 (source)
Free to start	100 checks every month, no card	First 100 verifications free (source)
Unknown results	Not charged: any check whose DNS lookup fails is given back	Credit refunded (source)
Credits expire?	No expiry in our terms; unused credits refundable within 14 days	Not listed
Typo suggestions	Yes, did_you_mean for major providers (gmial.com to gmail.com)	Yes, typo detection at capture (source)
MCP server for AI agents	Hosted remote server at /mcp, nothing to install	Not listed on the pages we read
Phone validation	Yes, same key and same credits	Not listed

Competitor facts read from each vendor's public pages on October 17, 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 Kickbox?

Only if you do not need mailbox verification. Kickbox 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 Kickbox 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. Kickbox facts were read from its public pages on October 17, 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.