Migration guide
Switching from ZeroBounce (zerobounce.net) to LookValid
ZeroBounce checks whether an email address can receive mail and scores it. If you call its API today, moving the lookups LookValid covers takes 11 steps: 5 in the LookValid dashboard and 6 in your own code. 1 of the 2 lookups listed below has a LookValid counterpart, and the rest stay with ZeroBounce. It answers a narrower question than ZeroBounce's, as the overlap table explains. This page shows which is which, what you edit, and how plans and prices compare.
What moves over
Lookups that overlap
| Lookup | On ZeroBounce | On LookValid |
|---|---|---|
| Email address check | GET /v2/validate, answering with a status and a sub_status such as a mailbox that was not found. Source | Email Domain Check: POST /v1/email-domain-check, 1 credit per address checked, charged only when the lookup finds something. LookValid reads the domain behind an address: mail servers, DNS setup, and disposable, free-provider and role flags. It does not contact the mail server, so it cannot tell you whether one mailbox exists. Keep ZeroBounce for mailbox-level checks. |
| Email finder | The Email Finder uses 20 credits for each successful query. Source | No matching lookup. |
How much work it is
11 steps: 5 happen in the LookValid dashboard and 6 are edits to your own code or configuration.
- Start a LookValid plan (dashboard). Starter, Growth and Professional each start with a 7-day trial for $1 that allows 100 credits. The trial runs next to your current provider, so nothing has to stop first.
- Create an API key (dashboard). Open the Keys tab and create one key per application or environment. A key is shown once, so store it before you close the dialog.
- Run one lookup by hand (dashboard). Use the quick lookup on the dashboard overview with a value you already know the answer to, so you see the real response before you write any code.
- Point your client at the new address and key (your code). Requests go to https://YOUR_API_HOST/v1/<product> with the key in an Authorization header as a Bearer token. ZeroBounce sends the key as an api_key query parameter, so the key moves out of the URL and into the header. Read the key from LOOKVALID_API_KEY.
- Map each endpoint you call (your code). Use the overlap table above to swap each path. Anything that has no LookValid counterpart stays with its current provider.
- Update how you read a response (your code). Branch on found instead of success, read the result from data, and read the cost from credits_charged and credits_remaining.
- Update how you handle errors (your code). Error codes are lower case and each carries a retryable flag. Branch on the code and retry only the retryable ones; the errors reference lists every code.
- Keep your retry logic (your code). A 429 carries Retry-After and the X-RateLimit headers on LookValid too, so a back-off that reads Retry-After carries over. The limit is 200 requests per 10 seconds on each key.
- Move list jobs to the Jobs tab (dashboard). If you run lists, upload a CSV, pick the column and the product, and download the results when the job finishes. A file holds up to 10,000 rows.
- Reconnect AI clients and automations (your code). If you use them, point each MCP client at https://YOUR_API_HOST/v1/mcp and send the same style of Bearer key. Rebuild each Zapier, Make or n8n workflow as a request step that calls LookValid with a Bearer key; the integrations pages have a recipe for each tool.
- Compare balances, then end the old plan (dashboard). Check the first runs against the credits LookValid reports for them. When you are satisfied, stop sending those lookups to ZeroBounce and end its plan.
What changes
Plans and prices
| Plan | ZeroBounce | LookValid |
|---|---|---|
| ZeroBounce ONE | $99 a month for a subscription whose unused credits roll over; the credit count is set by a slider with a 10,000 credit minimum. Source | Starter: $99 a month for 20,000 credits, $0.0050 per credit |
| Pay as You Go | Starts at $39 for 2,000 email addresses, which is the minimum purchase. Source | Email Domain Check: 1 credit per address checked, $2.00 to $4.95 per 1,000 lookups across the plans |
| Freemium | $0 a month with 100 validation credits that refill every month. Source | LookValid has no free plan. The free tools run a set of the same lookups with no account. |
Differences
| Topic | ZeroBounce | LookValid |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | The free plan refills 100 validation credits every month. Source | LookValid sells paid plans only (Starter, Growth, Professional online, Enterprise on a call). The free tools on the website run a set of the same lookups with no account. |
| Trial | A business-domain sign-up gets 100 free email verifications a month. Source | Starter, Growth and Professional start with a 7-day trial for $1 at signup that allows 100 credits. If the allowance runs out first, lookups pause until you start the plan yourself. When the 7 days end, the plan starts and your card is charged for the first month unless you cancel. |
| Cancelling | A ZeroBounce ONE subscription can be cancelled at any time. Source | To cancel a LookValid plan, write to hello@lookvalid.com from your account email. Keep the old plan running until its period ends while you test, so both providers answer in the meantime. |
Questions
Do I have to change code to move from ZeroBounce?
Yes. The address, the key, the paths, the response fields and the error codes differ, so the calls you make and the code that reads their answers are edited. 6 of the 11 steps are code or configuration changes, and 5 happen in the dashboard.
Can I run LookValid next to ZeroBounce while I test?
Yes. A LookValid trial starts without ending anything else, so you can send the same inputs to both and compare the first runs before you change your ZeroBounce plan.
Which of my ZeroBounce lookups can I move?
1 of the 2 lookups listed below has a LookValid counterpart, and the rest stay with ZeroBounce. It answers a narrower question than ZeroBounce's, as the overlap table explains.
Can LookValid replace ZeroBounce for checking mailboxes?
No. ZeroBounce tests individual mailboxes. LookValid checks the domain behind an address and never contacts the mail server, so it cannot confirm that one mailbox exists. Move the lookups it does cover, such as IP, phone and domain checks, and keep ZeroBounce for list cleaning.
Do I get a LookValid balance to match what is left on my old plan?
No. LookValid credits come from a LookValid plan, and the trial allows 100 credits. Plan credits stay spendable for 3 months after they arrive.
Sources
- ZeroBounce pricing page https://www.zerobounce.net/pricing, read 2026-10-26
- ZeroBounce email validation API quickstart https://www.zerobounce.net/docs/email-validation-api-quickstart, read 2026-10-26
LookValid is run by Meralume Labs. It is not connected to, endorsed by or a partner of any company or product named on this page, and every product name belongs to its owner.
Related pages
LookValid puts every lookup behind one key and one credit balance, over REST and MCP.
Read the quickstartSpot something wrong or out of date? Write to hello@meralume.com and we will review it.