How Sigilpost stacks upagainst the rest.
We ran the same 50,000-address test set — split between known good, known bad, and hard-to-verify — through each provider's public API last quarter. The matrix, scores, and per-competitor summaries below are reproducible. No paid placements.
Catch-all accuracy, latency, price, coverage.
All six providers were tested against the same dataset on the same day. The single pass with the lowest score per row is highlighted; the test harness and per-provider logs are linked below for anyone who wants to reproduce.
| Provider | Catch-all accuracy | p95 latency | Price / 1k | Disposable / catch-all coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sigilpost· us | 99.4% | 387 ms | $5.80 | Full |
| ZeroBounce | 97.1% | 612 ms | $8.00 | Partial |
| NeverBounce | 96.8% | 701 ms | $8.00 | Partial |
| Hunter | 94.2% | 488 ms | $9.00 | None |
| Clearout | 95.6% | 954 ms | $7.00 | None |
| Kickbox | 92.7% | 1.12 s | $6.50 | None |
Reproduce it yourself: the test harness, dataset, and per-provider logs live under /docs/benchmarks/q2-2026. We publish our work because the alternative is taking roundup reviews at face value.
What each provider charges and where each falls short.
Pivots the same benchmark on the four questions buyers actually ask: starting price, entry-tier monthly cap, what a verdict looks like in your dashboard, and the known gap in catch-all or disposable handling.
| Provider | Starting price | Entry-tier cap | Verdict shape | Catch-all gap | Disposable gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sigilpost· us | $16 | 2,000 | { status: "valid", score: 94, is_disposable: false, mx_found: true } | No gap — runs the 14-step catch-all probe (RCPT TO + SMTP probe + bounce-back) and publishes the per-step audit. | Continuous list refresh (≤24h) and a separate role-account / free-mail flag — neither other tier surfaces. |
| ZeroBounce | $16 | 2,000 | { status: "valid", score: 91, is_disposable: false, mx_found: true } | Catches ~97% of catch-alls but raises ~10-15% false positives on subdomain catch-alls behind Cloudflare or Microsoft 365. | Throwaway list refreshes weekly — recent 1-day disposable domains hit the "unknown" bucket before they get flagged. |
| NeverBounce | $49 | 5,000 | { status: "deliverable", score: 88, is_disposable: false, mx_found: true } | Folds every catch-all address into a single "accept-all" verdict — no nuance on whether SMTP actually responded. | Daily list refresh, but new domains land as "unknown" for the first 24 hours; no separate role-account flag. |
| Hunter | $49 | 1,000 | { status: "valid", score: 86, is_disposable: false, mx_found: true } | Returns a single coarse score (0 / 50 / 100) for catch-all — no SMTP probe and no transparency into which check missed. | Does not detect disposable addresses at all — the value comes back as "valid" and travels downstream as a real address. |
| Clearout | $17 | 1,000 | { status: "valid", score: 85, is_disposable: false, mx_found: true } | Reasonable bulk-MX scan but over-flags valid addresses as "risky" when the server is behind a privacy proxy (ProtonMail, M365 relay). | Maintains ~1,500 throwaway domains — narrower than the market leaders; misses newer disposable/disposable-rotation services. |
| Kickbox | $24 | 5,000 | { status: "deliverable", score: 82, is_disposable: false, mx_found: true } | Does not run an SMTP probe — accepts the MX answer as final, so catch-all classification is approximate rather than probed. | Detects ~500 throwaway domains out of the box — narrower than the rest of the matrix and no role-account flag. |
Where the gap closes — and where it doesn't.
A short read on how Sigilpost differs from each incumbent on starting price, entry-tier cap, the verdict the API returns, and the known gaps in catch-all or disposable handling — without dragging any name through the mud.
Sigilpost vs ZeroBounce
ZeroBounce is the household name — and a recognizable name on the contract — but it tops out around the high-90s on catch-all diagnostics and charges ~38% more per 1k. Sigilpost ships a higher accuracy, lower latency, and a fully public benchmark.
- Accuracy
- 97.1%
- p95
- 612 ms
- / 1k
- $8.00
- Starting price
- $16
- Entry-tier cap
- 2,000/mo @ $16
- Verdict shape
- { status: "valid", score: 91, is_disposable: false, mx_found: true }
- Catch-all gap
- Catches ~97% of catch-alls but raises ~10-15% false positives on subdomain catch-alls behind Cloudflare or Microsoft 365.
- Disposable gap
- Throwaway list refreshes weekly — recent 1-day disposable domains hit the "unknown" bucket before they get flagged.
Sigilpost vs NeverBounce
NeverBounce is a respectable, long-running service with a polished dashboard. Sigilpost outscores it on catch-all accuracy, beats its p95 by ~45%, and undercuts by ~28% — with the same public audit trail.
- Accuracy
- 96.8%
- p95
- 701 ms
- / 1k
- $8.00
- Starting price
- $49
- Entry-tier cap
- 5,000/mo @ $49
- Verdict shape
- { status: "deliverable", score: 88, is_disposable: false, mx_found: true }
- Catch-all gap
- Folds every catch-all address into a single "accept-all" verdict — no nuance on whether SMTP actually responded.
- Disposable gap
- Daily list refresh, but new domains land as "unknown" for the first 24 hours; no separate role-account flag.
Sigilpost vs Hunter
Hunter bills itself as a CRM-side enrichment suite and prices accordingly — the priciest in the matrix at $9.00 per 1k. Sigilpost carries a higher catch-all accuracy, a faster p95, and a transparent audit where Hunter publishes none.
- Accuracy
- 94.2%
- p95
- 488 ms
- / 1k
- $9.00
- Starting price
- $49
- Entry-tier cap
- 1,000/mo @ $49
- Verdict shape
- { status: "valid", score: 86, is_disposable: false, mx_found: true }
- Catch-all gap
- Returns a single coarse score (0 / 50 / 100) for catch-all — no SMTP probe and no transparency into which check missed.
- Disposable gap
- Does not detect disposable addresses at all — the value comes back as "valid" and travels downstream as a real address.
Sigilpost vs Clearout
Clearout is the lowest-p95-bother option on the matrix — 954 ms is more than 2.5× Sigilpost. Sigilpost costs less per 1k, lands a higher catch-all accuracy, and runs an audit most competitors can't match.
- Accuracy
- 95.6%
- p95
- 954 ms
- / 1k
- $7.00
- Starting price
- $17
- Entry-tier cap
- 1,000/mo @ $17
- Verdict shape
- { status: "valid", score: 85, is_disposable: false, mx_found: true }
- Catch-all gap
- Reasonable bulk-MX scan but over-flags valid addresses as "risky" when the server is behind a privacy proxy (ProtonMail, M365 relay).
- Disposable gap
- Maintains ~1,500 throwaway domains — narrower than the market leaders; misses newer disposable/disposable-rotation services.
Sigilpost vs Kickbox
Kickbox sits in the same price band as Sigilpost, but its p95 of 1.12 s drags beneath the rest, and its catch-all accuracy is the lowest on the matrix. Sigilpost keeps the price — and adds the latency, accuracy, and audit.
- Accuracy
- 92.7%
- p95
- 1.12 s
- / 1k
- $6.50
- Starting price
- $24
- Entry-tier cap
- 5,000/mo @ $24
- Verdict shape
- { status: "deliverable", score: 82, is_disposable: false, mx_found: true }
- Catch-all gap
- Does not run an SMTP probe — accepts the MX answer as final, so catch-all classification is approximate rather than probed.
- Disposable gap
- Detects ~500 throwaway domains out of the box — narrower than the rest of the matrix and no role-account flag.
Where each provider falls short on catch-all.
The exact gap sentences the JSON-LD on this page answers in structured form — readable here so reviewers can sanity-check the claim against the benchmark log.
What is the catch-all gap for ZeroBounce?
Catches ~97% of catch-alls but raises ~10-15% false positives on subdomain catch-alls behind Cloudflare or Microsoft 365.
What is the catch-all gap for NeverBounce?
Folds every catch-all address into a single "accept-all" verdict — no nuance on whether SMTP actually responded.
What is the catch-all gap for Hunter?
Returns a single coarse score (0 / 50 / 100) for catch-all — no SMTP probe and no transparency into which check missed.
What is the catch-all gap for Clearout?
Reasonable bulk-MX scan but over-flags valid addresses as "risky" when the server is behind a privacy proxy (ProtonMail, M365 relay).
What is the catch-all gap for Kickbox?
Does not run an SMTP probe — accepts the MX answer as final, so catch-all classification is approximate rather than probed.
Try the live demo. Paste three emails, get verdicts in 400ms.
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