Best phone validation and HLR APIs, scored
APIs that validate a phone number against its numbering plan and name the carrier or number type. 8 vendors ranked from pages read between 2026-10-18 and 2026-10-19.
How the scores work
Each product scores out of 100, from the vendor's own read record only: published terms 30, lowest price per 1,000 30, plans or packs priced 20, billing without a monthly minimum 20.
| Criterion | Weight | How it is computed |
|---|---|---|
| Published terms | 30 | Share of the 7 comparison terms (free option, free trial, credit expiry, contract minimum, API access, rate limits, support) that the vendor's own page states, times 30. |
| Lowest price per 1,000 | 30 | The lowest per-1,000 figure in US dollars in the vendor's price rows: printed on the page, or our arithmetic from a price per request. The cheapest on the list scores 30, the dearest scores 0, and the rest fall between them on a log scale. A vendor with no dollar per-1,000 figure, including one that prints its prices in another currency, scores 0 on this criterion. |
| Plans or packs priced | 20 | Price rows printed on the vendor's pages: three or more score 20, fewer score a proportional share. |
| Billing without a monthly minimum | 20 | Prepaid credits or per-request billing score 20, a mix of packs and subscriptions scores 10, and subscription, per-seat or quote-only billing scores 0. |
Ranked table
| Rank | Product | Score | Best for | Free result | How it bills | Cheapest per 1,000 | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phone-Check | 73.7 | Billed by credits or per request, with no monthly minimum | Prepaid credits | about $0.55 | phone-check.app | |
| 2 | Veriphone | 71.2 | Most comparison terms stated on its own page | Every account gets 1,000 free credits a month with no card. Source | Credits and subscriptions | $0.25 | veriphone.io, veriphone.io |
| 3 | Bird Lookup | 66 | Billed by credits or per request, with no monthly minimum | Per request | $0.50 | bird.com | |
| 4 | Abstract API | 62.9 | Lowest price per 1,000 on this list | Free tier of 100 requests a month for email and phone, 1,000 for IP, with the full response and no card. Source | Subscription | $0.085 | abstractapi.com, abstractapi.com |
| 5 | Twilio Lookup | 59.9 | Billed by credits or per request, with no monthly minimum | Phone number formatting and validation carry no per-query charge. Source | Per request | about $1.50 | twilio.com, twilio.com |
| 6 | NumlookupAPI | 55.8 | Most comparison terms stated on its own page | The free plan gives 100 requests a month and one API key. Source | Subscription | about $0.44 | numlookupapi.com |
| 7 | Telnyx Number Lookup | 55.6 | Billed by credits or per request, with no monthly minimum | Per request | about $1.50 | telnyx.com | |
| 8 | LookValid Carrier Lookup (original carrier) | 50 | Most comparison terms stated on its own page | Free tools run the same data without an account, up to 25 lookups a day per visitor. | Monthly credit plans | $2.00 to $4.95 | LookValid pricing |
| 9 | LookValid Phone Numbering-Plan Validation | 50 | Most comparison terms stated on its own page | Free tools run the same data without an account, up to 25 lookups a day per visitor. | Monthly credit plans | $2.00 to $4.95 | LookValid pricing |
| 10 | Numverify | 45.7 | Buyers who want a plan with a set volume | A free plan gives 100 API requests a month. Source | Subscription | about $0.52 | numverify.com, numverify.com |
Figures marked "about" are arithmetic or a reading of the page layout, not a number the vendor prints.
Why each vendor is on this list
- Phone-Check: Phone-Check sells a phone validation API on credits, one credit per request, through prepaid credits or monthly plans. Each lookup returns validity, carrier, line type, location and a risk score. Source
- Veriphone: Veriphone sells phone validation and carrier lookup either as one-time credit packs or as monthly subscriptions, with every plan getting the same features. A standard validation uses one credit and a current carrier lookup uses ten. Source
- Bird Lookup: Bird bills each phone lookup a base fee plus a charge for every enrichment property that actually returns an answer. Email lookups are billed separately per thousand. Source
- Abstract API: Abstract API prices each API (email, phone and IP) on its own subscription meter, with every plan returning a different depth of data and annual billing 10 percent cheaper than monthly. Each API has a small free tier. Source
- Twilio Lookup: Twilio Lookup is a pay-per-request phone intelligence API where basic formatting and validation cost nothing and each extra data package, such as line type or line status, is billed separately per call. Some packages get cheaper at higher monthly query counts. Source
- NumlookupAPI: NumlookupAPI sells a phone number lookup API on monthly request plans, with 100 free requests monthly. Paid tiers drop the rate cap. Source
- Telnyx Number Lookup: Taxes and carrier pass-through charges differ by destination. Source
- Numverify: Numverify sells a phone number validation API on monthly request-quota subscriptions, with a small free plan limited to non-commercial use. Every plan includes carrier, line type and location detection. Source
LookValid
LookValid is scored here with its phone and carrier lookups, on the same weights. The phone check reads the numbering plan and does not ping the line.
- LookValid Carrier Lookup (original carrier): 1 credit per lookup (numbers outside the covered numbering plan areas are free). Names the carrier that holds the number block, for the numbering-plan areas it covers.
- LookValid Phone Numbering-Plan Validation: 1 credit per valid number. Validates a number against its numbering plan: format, country, number type and area. It does not ping the line.
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